LRT Line 1 (Metro Manila)
The Manila Light Rail Transit Line 1, commonly referred to as LRT Line 1 or LRT-1, is a light rapid transit line in Metro Manila, Philippines, and as part of the Manila Light Rail Transit System. Originally referred to as Metrorail and the Yellow Line, LRT Line 1 was reclassified as the Green Line in 2012. It travels in a general north–south direction from Dr. Santos to, and then east–west from Monumento to Fernando Poe Jr. Currently, the line consists of 25 stations and runs on of fully elevated route. Although it has the characteristics of light rail, such as with the type of rolling stock used, it is more akin to a rapid transit system owing to its total grade separation and high passenger throughput.
First envisioned in a 1977 study conducted by Freeman Fox and Associates which suggested a street-level railway in Manila, the government revised this recommendation to an elevated system. In 1980, President Ferdinand Marcos created the Light Rail Transit Authority and construction of the line began the following year. With its partial opening in 1984 and completion the following year, it became the first rapid transit service in Southeast Asia. In 2015, the operation of the line was privatized and transferred to the Light Rail Manila Corporation, which also oversaw the line's extension to Cavite, partially completed in 2024.
LRT Line 1 is one of the busiest among Metro Manila's three rapid transit lines, as it currently serves roughly 323,000 passengers daily. The line is integrated with the public transit system in Metro Manila, and passengers also take various forms of road-based public transport, such as buses and jeepneys, to and from a station to reach their intended destination. Although the line aimed to reduce traffic congestion and travel times in Metro Manila, the transportation system has only been partially successful due to the rising number of motor vehicles and rapid urbanization. Expanding the network's revenue line to accommodate more passengers, through extension projects, is set on resolving this problem.
History
Planning and funding
The , a fourteen-month study conducted by Freeman Fox and Associates and funded by the World Bank, recommended the construction of a street-level light rail line in Manila and the proposed four lines that were included in the study that would run along Rizal Avenue, Taft Avenue, España Boulevard, Quezon Avenue, and Shaw Boulevard. A year later, public works secretary Alfredo Juinio announced that the system would consist of streetcars that were seen before the World War II, and they would accept bids for the project in the next few months.Following a review by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, later the Department of Transportation, the proposal was revised to an elevated railway to avoid building over the city's many intersections, while the option for an underground line was rejected due to the high water table in Manila and has a half a meter below sea level; this raised the project's cost from ₱1.5 billion to ₱2 billion. An alignment along Rizal and Taft avenues, which spanned from Monumento, Caloocan in the north to Baclaran, Pasay in the south, was selected because it followed a relatively straight path for most of its route.
On July 12, 1980, President Ferdinand Marcos created the Light Rail Transit Authority and assigned First Lady and Governor of Metro Manila Imelda Marcos as its chairman. While the LRTA confined its roles to policy making, fare regulation, and future planning, the line's operations were assigned to Meralco Transit Organization, a sister company of Meralco. The line came to be referred to as Metrorail. During that month, a Belgian consortium was chosen over other bids from France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland.
The Belgian Government granted a ₱300 million soft and interest-free loan for the project's construction, with a repayment period of 30 years. Additional funding was later sourced from a ₱700 million loan, provided by a Belgian consortium consisting of ACEC, La Brugeoise et Nivelles, Tractionnel Engineering International, and Transurb Consult. The consortium also supplied the line's first light rail vehicles, power control, signalling, and telecommunications, as well as provided training and technical assistance. Designed as a public utility rather than a profit center, the line was expected to incur a deficit through 1993, but complete its repayments within a period of 20 years.
Construction and opening
The government-owned Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines was the project's sole contractor. Single column cast-in-place concrete piers carrying precast concrete T-girders and a concrete deck slab were used for the original line from Monumento to Baclaran. The columns are spaced apart by rising from a cap on top of bored or driven concrete piles. Four of the wide girders are side by side in each span to accommodate bidirectional standard-gauge railway tracks located above the street level.Driven piles were originally used for 80 percent of the project, with spread footings being used for the remaining portion. However, during construction, it was determined that bored piles should be utilized in some areas to mitigate noise and avoid potential damage to nearby buildings. Additionally, the original use of stockpiled precast piles caused clutter on the streets during construction.
In 1981, an economic recession hit the country, and the government was unable to provide counterpart funds for civil works and right of way acquisition, which amounted to 60 percent of the project's total cost. This led to a delay in construction. Work finally resumed after the economic recession in September of that year along Taft Avenue, between Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and Libertad Street. In order to make way for Carriedo station and a segment of tracks approaching the Pasig River, a department store and a classroom building nearby FEATI University were demolished.
The southern section known as Taft Line, which mostly traverses Taft Avenue between the Baclaran and Arroceros stations, was inaugurated on September 11, 1984, by President Ferdinand Marcos. Commercial operations along this section commenced on December 1. It was later extended when Carriedo station was opened on April 14, 1985. The line became fully operational on May 12, 1985, when the Rizal Line, the northern section traversing Rizal Avenue between Carriedo and Monumento, was opened. During the first several years, two-car trains that could accommodate up to 748 passengers were utilized. This amounted to a capacity of 20,000 passengers per direction.
In July 2000, with the looming expiration of its contract with the LRTA, a labor strike was launched by employees of Meralco Transit Organization. It paralyzed the operations of the line for a week. The LRTA decided not to renew its contract with METRO, Inc. that expired on July 31, 2000, and the former assumed operational responsibility.
Capacity expansion and facelift
Line 1 would eventually reach capacity by 1990 due to traffic congestion and air pollution. This led to an extensive refurbishing and structural capacity expansion program funded by Japan's official development assistance. The signing of the loan agreement in December 1994 marked the start of the project. A consortium of Marubeni Corporation, Adtranz, and ABB was tapped in 1996 to execute the project. As part of the initial phase of the expansion project, in addition to structural improvements, Hyundai Precision & Industries supplied seven four-car trains, while the original two-car trains were converted into three-car trains in 1999. In line with the introduction of four-car trains, the station platforms were also extended. The project was completed in 2002.On April 7, 2000, a loan agreement was signed by the Philippine government and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. JBIC extended an loan for the second phase of the capacity expansion project, which was initiated in preparation of the expected high demand by 2004 once the railway network in Metro Manila is completed with the full opening of the LRT Line 2.
The implementation of the project was delayed for three years amid allegations of irregularities with the bidding conducted by the LRTA. The joint venture of Sumitomo Corporation and Itochu was awarded the contract and was given the go-ahead in March 2005, paving the way for the project to move forward. The second phase of the capacity expansion project was divided into two packages. Package A involves the procurement of twelve four-car trains, upgrades to the signaling and communications systems, and upgrades to the stations and depot. Package B, on the other hand, involves the procurement and installation of air conditioning units for the 1000 class trains, replacement of faulty air conditioning units of the 1100 class trains, renovation of of railway track and railway sleepers, and procurement of equipment and spare parts used for track works. The installation of equipment for the automatic fare collection system was also included. The project was completed in June 2009, five and a half years behind its initial deadline.
North extension
With the completion of the first phase of the MRT Line 3 in 1999, there were plans to extend Line 3 towards to create a seamless rail loop around Metro Manila. However, the extension was shelved by then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in favor of a extension of Line 1 to a common station at North Avenue. The project involved the construction of three stationsConstruction began in June 2008. The joint venture of DMCI and First Balfour built the viaduct and the two stations, while the electrical and mechanical systems contracts were assigned to different contractors. Balintawak station opened on March 22, 2010, with FPJ station opening exactly seven months later.
In September 2008, then-mayor of Caloocan Enrico Echiverri, petitioned the government to construct Malvar station, an intemediary station between Balintawak and Monumento. Two months later, two thousand residents from Barangay Bagong Barrio, where the station would be built, staged a protest along EDSA to urge the government to build the station. Malvar station would eventually be approved in July 2009. Though it was reported that the feasibility study for the station was completed, construction has yet to start.