The Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) announced that it has secured a safety certification from an international testing facility that the LRT-1 can now lift the 40 kilometers per hour (kph)-speed restriction and safely run at a faster speed.
In a statement, the LRMC said that the LRT-1 can now run at a maximum speed of 60 kph after it completed all relevant improvement activities needed for the 36-year-old railway system.
“This will result in a shorter trip time from Baclaran to Balintawak (vice-versa) and increase the daily number of trips made by LRT-1 trains. The reduced travel time will allow passengers to reach their destinations in the soonest possible time,” the LRMC said.
The LRMC said that it has completed all relevant improvement activities needed for the 36-year-old railway system.
The LRT-1 system is designed for a maximum service speed of 60 kph, but the speed was reduced to 40 kph in 2011 due to the deteriorating condition of its tracks and uncertainties in the railway subsystems such as rolling stock (railway vehicles), power distribution, and signalling system.
When LRMC took over the operations and management in 2015, it has invested ₱11.6 billion for the rehabilitation, restoration, and upgrade of the existing system.
LRMC also tapped an international partner to “assess, perform verificatory tests, and identify the corrective works needed to be in agreement with European standards.”
“Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, we continue to improve the LRT-1 in order to provide our passengers a safer, more comfortable, and reliable commute especially in this new normal. All these upgrading works also serve to complement the team’s preparations for the commercial service of our new Gen-4 trains in the latter part of the year to further bring comfort to Filipino commuters,” LRMC chief operating officer Enrico R. Benipayo said.