DOTr-LRTA: Piling Works for LRT-1 Cavite Extension Finally Start

Wazzup Pilipinas!

After 19 years of waiting, piling works for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension have finally started yesterday, September 1.

Following completion of ground investigation and foundation design works, the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) has started piling works from Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque, where Right-of-Way (ROW) has been cleared. Piling works involve the construction of supporting piers that will serve as the foundation for the elevated railway structures.

Phase 1 covers 7 kilometers of the 11-kilometer LRT-1 Cavite Extension, including the Redemptorist Station, MIA Station, Asiaworld Station, Ninoy Aquino Station, and Dr. Santos Station. Asiaworld Station will be located parallel to and right beside the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), and will eventually be connected to the Metro Manila Subway, forming the Parañaque Common Station. These are stations where ROW is already free and clear.

Requiring a total of 203 piers, construction of the first 67 piers started on September 1 from Dr. Santos Station to Ninoy Aquino Station. Forty piers from Ninoy Aquino Station to Asiaworld Station and 22 piers from Redemptorist Station to the existing LRT-1 Baclaran Station will begin construction in November 2019, while 74 piers from Asiaworld Station to Redemptiorist Station will begin construction in March 2020.

To speed up construction, piling works will be done simultaneously in up to five different areas where ROW is made available. In cooperation with LRMC, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, the DOTr and the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) have been working hand-in-hand to deliver the ROW needed to ensure continuous works along the alignment.

Remaining ROW obstructions to be cleared under Package 1 include auxiliary facilities that will be cleared with the assistance of Parañaque City (e.g., traffic lights, plant boxes, and drainage lines), as well as utility lines of MERALCO, Maynilad, PLDT, Globe, Eastern Telecommunications, SkyCable, Radius Telecoms, and Cablelink.

Works along the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (CAVITEx) will begin soon, following productive coordination with its operator, the Cavitex Infrastructure Corporation (CIC), the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), and some remaining property owners, such as Puregold and Aseana City.

The partial operability section of the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project is targeted to start operations in the 4th Quarter of 2021, with measures being taken for the rest of the line to Niog, Bacoor being operational in 2022.

The project is expected to increase LRT-1's ridership from 500,000 to 800,000 per day, and reduce travel time between Baclaran and Bacoor, Cavite from 1 to 2 hours to only 25 minutes.