January 8, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Commuters may have to wait longer before they can travel to Cavite faster through the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) as the government needs to redesign the extension to resolve a project conflict.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista yesterday said the LRT-1 Cavite Extension would have to undergo redesigning to make way for a project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Bautista said the train extension could no longer run on its original alignment as the DPWH constructed a flyover in a segment where the railway was supposed to be built.
He informed President Marcos about the matter, noting it as a priority issue that must be resolved as soon as possible.
The LRT-1 Cavite Extension has been facing delays due to problems involving right-of-way (ROW).
“One area that we talked about is the realignment of the LRT-1 extension to Niog (in Cavite). We already have an existing alignment, but the DPWH constructed a flyover in the area and because of that, we need to redesign the project,” Bautista said.
The LRT-1 Cavite Extension will expand the existing train line by nearly 12 kilometers south of the Baclaran Station, adding new stops in Parañaque, Las Piñas and Bacoor in Cavite.
Before 2024 ended, LRT-1 operator Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) opened the initial segment of the extension, consisting of stations on Redemptorist and MIA Roads as well as PITX, Ninoy Aquino Avenue and Dr. Santos in Sucat.
The timeline is unclear as to when the LRMC can complete the remaining phases of the extension project.
The second leg of the project spans 3.2 kilometers and covers the Las Piñas-Zapote stations.
The third and final segment runs for 2.4 kilometers to Niog in Bacoor.
Once the LRT-1 Cavite Extension is completed, the railway is projected to increase ridership to 800,000 passengers per day.
The project, which costs P64.92 billion, will cut travel time between Pasay City and Cavite to 25 minutes.
Recently, the government and private sector were compelled to adjust big-ticket railway projects to consider ROW and traffic impact.
San Miguel Corp., for instance, had to relocate the final station of the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan upon the request of the local government.
The changes caused another delay to the project that has been ongoing since 2016.
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