The new train sets for Metro Rail Transit line 7 (MRT-7) and Light Rail Transit line 1 (LRT-1) are expected to be deployed by 2022.
San Miguel Corp. (SMC), operator of MRT-7, recently received two more brand new Hyundai Rotem train sets, following the arrival of the first batch from Korea last month. The company said it expects to receive and install six of the total 36 sets before the year ends.
“Work continues non-stop on the MRT-7 project, so we can meet our target start of operations by end of 2022. We’re on track to meet all the key milestones we expect this year,” Ramon Ang, SMC president, said in a statement.
Similar to the first two train sets that arrived last September, these were mounted on the MRT-7 tracks between University avenue and Tandang Sora, last October 23 and October 24. The entire MRT system will have a total of 108 cars.
The much-awaited mass transit system, fully funded by SMC as concessionaire, will serve thousands of commuters from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.
The two train sets were shipped by manufacturer Hyundai Rotem from the Masan Port and arrived in Manila last October 17.
With project completion at 56.03 percent, MRT-7 is seen to start test runs by December 2022.
On its first year of operation, MRT-7 is estimated to accommodate 300,000 passengers per day, with a maximum projection of 850,000 passengers per day on its 12th year of operation. MRT-7 will reduce travel time from Quezon City to Bulacan to just 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), the private operator of LRT-1, yesterday received the 12th brand new 4th generation (Gen-4) train set at its Baclaran Depot in Pasay.
LRT-1’s newest trains are set to be deployed for revenue use by mid-2022, after undergoing complete safety checks, inspections and required test runs with minimum kilometers and acceptance tests, LRMC said.
“Since assuming the operations and management of LRT-1, we have increased the number of trains available to our customers by almost 50 percent and shortened waiting times,” Juan Alfonso, LRMC president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
LRMC, together with partners from the Department of Transportation, Light Rail Transit Authority and the Manila Harbor Center Port Services Inc., has been receiving the Gen-4 train sets in batches this year, since the arrival of the first Gen-4 train set in the Philippines last January 18.
Each Gen-4 train set consists of four light rail vehicles (LRVs) with total capacity of 1,300 passengers per trip.
LRMC said a total of 30 trainsets (or 120 LRVs) from Spain and Mexico are scheduled for delivery until June 2022, to be used for the existing system and the Cavite extension project of LRT-1.
The state-of-the-art passenger train sets measure 106 meters in length and 2.59 meters in width, with maximum design speeds of up to 70 kilometer per hour.
LRMC is also constructing the LRT-1 extension to Cavite which is targeted to start operation by mid-2024.
