LRT-1 operations to be suspended for 2 weekends

LIGHT Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the private operator of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), announced on Tuesday that it would suspend train operations for two weekends in April to continue its maintenance works. “The shutdown on April 17–18 and April 24–25, 2021 will allow LRMC to complete the remaining maintenance and rehabilitation works started during the Holy Week,” the company said in an e-mailed statement. It said the works to be carried would cover the maintenance of trains, stations, and various systems including the scheduled replacement of overhead catenary wires. “The additional days will also accelerate the preparations needed for the commercial use of the new Generation-4 train sets in Q4 2021,” it added. On April 5, LRMC said it had started increasing the speed of LRT-1 from 40 kilometers per hour (kph) to 60 kph after improvement activities. The 36-year-old railway system, which was previously operated by the Light Rail Transit Authority and the Department of Transportation and Communications, is designed to run at a maximum speed of 60 kph, according to LRMC, but it was reduced to 40 kph in 2011 because of the deteriorating condition of its tracks. LRMC started operating LRT-1 in 2015, and invested P11.6 billion for the railway system’s rehabilitation, restoration, and upgrade, the company noted. —