Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the operator of LRT Line 1, said it will deploy more trains starting the first day of October this year to cater to more passengers ahead of the Christmas holiday rush.
With an expanded fleet composed of up to 23 train sets, a new train timetable will be implemented increasing the number of trips on weekdays from 410 to 460 trips, and on weekends from 293 to 331 trips (Saturdays) and 307 trips (Sundays).
To date, a total of seven Generation-4 train sets run along the main line of commercial service.
“Our transport capacity will increase by almost 10 percent for weekday operations and about 20 percent on weekends. We at LRMC are continuously thinking of ways to better serve our passengers with increased capacity and shorter waiting time,” LRMC chief operating officer Rolando J. Paulino III said.
Consistent with LRMC efforts to improve its service through continuous railway upgrades, the company will implement adjusted operating hours on weekends and holidays starting 01 October 2023.
On weekends and holidays, the first train will depart from Baclaran and Fernando Poe Jr. stations at 5:00AM. The last trip leaves Baclaran Station at 9:30PM while the last train leaves Fernando Poe Jr. Station at 9:45PM.
There will be no changes in the weekday schedule of LRT-1, with the first train leaving both Baclaran Station and Fernando Poe Jr. Station at 4:30AM and the last trip still at 10:00PM and 10:15PM, from Baclaran Station and Fernando Poe Jr. Station, respectively.
“The changes at the start of the operating hours on weekends/holidays will allow us to have more time to perform track works as part of our initiatives in upgrading the LRT-1 system,” Paulino said.
“The primary goal of these upgrade efforts is to provide efficient transportation for commuters. We assure you that safety remains a top priority for LRMC,” he added.
