Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) is set to upgrade the existing signalling system of Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT-1) to accommodate the commercial use of its brand new trains by mid-2022.
To complete the necessary works for the upgrade of its existing signalling system, LRMC said it will temporarily suspend the operation of LRT-1 on November 28, 2021, and on January 23 and 30, 2022.
LRMC together with its contractor will conduct series of test runs and trial runs along LRT-1 on the identified dates to confirm the readiness of the new signaling system.
Railway signalling or the “traffic light system” for railway is a system used to direct railway traffic and keep trains clear of each other at all times, ensuring smooth and safe operations.
The upgrade to the new Alstom signalling system is needed to accommodate the commercial use of the 4th generation (Gen-4) train sets on the existing system, which is targeted to begin in mid-2022, LRMC said.
“We look forward to the many exciting developments lined up for LRT-1 in 2022. The migration to the new signalling system underscores LRMC’s commitment in modernizing the LRT-1 and delivering better service to our customers. We would like to request the understanding of our passengers for this temporary inconvenience, and would like to assure them that this will be beneficial in the long-run,” said Enrico Benipayo, LRMC chief operating officer.
Last month, LRMC received the 12th brand new Gen-4 train set at its Baclaran Depot in Pasay.
Each Gen-4 train set consists of four light rail vehicles (LRVs) with total capacity of 1,300 passengers per trip. A total of 30 train sets (or 120 LRVs) from Spain and Mexico are scheduled for delivery until June 2022 to be used for the existing system and the Cavite Extension project of LRT-1.
The state-of-the-art passenger train sets have maximum design speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour.
LRMC is also constructing the LRT-1 extension to Cavite which is targeted to start operation by mid-2024.
