LIGHT RAIL Manila Corp. (LRMC) is set to extend the night operations of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) by 30 minutes starting Wednesday, the rail line’s private operator said.
“LRMC supports the call of the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to provide extended service for the benefit of the riding public,” LRMC President and Chief Executive Officer Enrico R. Benipayo said in a media release on Tuesday.
Starting March 26, LRMC will extend its operating hours on weekdays, it said, noting that the last train would leave Dr. Santos station at 10:30 p.m., a 30-minute extension from the previous 10 p.m. schedule. Fernando Poe Jr. station would also see a 30-minute extension with the last train leaving at 10:45 p.m. from the previous 10:15 p.m., LRMC said.
Meanwhile, there will be no change in schedule for the first train leaving both Dr. Santos and Fernando Poe Jr. stations at 4:30 a.m. on weekdays.
The LRT-1 operator said it had considered the impact of the extension period to the rail line’s maintenance window, Mr. Benipayo said, adding that the LRMC will ensure continuous availability, reliability, and safety of its service.
“We shall continue to monitor the situation and adjust accordingly, and rest assured that we will continue to implement initiatives that will allow us to better serve our passengers,” Mr. Benipayo said.
LRMC said it is also working to enhance its services and studying the deployment of an expanded fleet and possible addition of trains if necessary.
To recall, the Transportation department has also ordered to extend the night operations of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 by at least an hour starting on Monday to serve more passengers.
LRMC is the joint venture of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte Ltd. Metro Pacific Light Rail is a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is one of three Philippine subsidiaries of Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT Inc. and Philex Mining Corp.
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