LIGHT RAIL Manila Corp. (LRMC) expects the 10 Generation-4 (Gen-4) train sets procured for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) to be delivered within the year.
“Right now, we are waiting for ten sets of four [light rail vehicles],” LRMC President and Chief Executive Officer Juan F. Alfonso told reporters last week.
“I think about December 2023 to January 2024, the new trains will already start going in,” he added.
The company said in a Viber message that 20 out of the 30 Gen-4 train sets manufactured in Spain and Mexico are already in Manila.
“They are undergoing tests and trial runs to complete the necessary minimum kilometer run before commercial operations,” it added.
Each Gen-4 train set needs to complete a total of 1,000 kilometers prior to acceptance by the grantors and the eventual handover to LRMC for commercial use.
The government-procured trains are being repaired in batches of two to three at a time to address the water leak issues through Spanish railway vehicle company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, the company said.
The passenger train sets measure 106 meters in length and are 2.59 meters wide and can accommodate over 1,300 passengers per trip. It has a maximum design speed of 70 kilometers per hour, according to LRMC.
The trains, although procured as part of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension project, will not only be used for the new line but also in existing lines, according to LRMC.
“But it doesn’t mean that the trains will only be used for the new line, or that only once LRT-1 Cavite Extension becomes operational. We can use them on the existing line as soon as ready, cleared, and possible,” it added.
The company is currently constructing the 11.7-kilometer Cavite Extension of the LRT-1 line.
The project is expected to benefit 800,000 passengers daily and to cut down travel time between Baclaran and Bacoor from one hour and 10 minutes to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, Mr. Alfonso said that its daily profit has not reached its pre-pandemic levels yet as it currently operates between 70% to 80% of its 2019-levels.
“It is continuously increasing. But it didn’t bounce back like restaurants and schools,” he said.
LRMC, which operates a 20-station light rail line from Pasay to Quezon City, posted a core net loss of P472 million in 2022.
This is despite a 58% revenue increase to P1.8 billion, as additional costs were incurred due to the start of amortization of concession and borrowing costs.
LRMC is a joint venture of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd.
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