LRT-1 rehab cost doubled to P1.48 billion

MANILA, Philippines — The government has doubled the funding for the rehabilitation of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 to P1.48 billion as it sets out to upgrade some of the LRT-1’s busiest stations.

Based on its March update, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) added P772.5 million to the total cost of the LRT-1 rehabilitation project.

Originally, the rehabilitation was supposed to require only P700 million for the crack repair of all stations and viaducts in the original alignment, from Baclaran to Fernando Poe Jr. stations.

However, the LRTA said another P750 million is needed to improve the structural integrity of the EDSA and Monumento stations.

The LRTA also requires P22.5 million to pay for engineering, administrative and overhead services.

The LRT-1 EDSA station is one of the busiest stops in the southern portion of the rail line, as commuters can get off there to transfer to the Metro Rail Transit Line 3.

The station is also accessible to terminals for buses traveling to the provinces.

The Monumento station serves as a transfer center for commuters headed to points north of Metro Manila.

The LRT-1 is owned by the government through the LRTA. The rail line is operated by the Light Rail Manila Corp.

The railway is being extended to Bacoor, Cavite, a project that is expected to boost the LRT-1 ridership to 800,000 a day.