Light Rail Transit Authority
Overview
Main region(s)Metro Manila, Calabarzon
Stations called at33
Stations operated13
HeadquartersLRTA Compound, Line 2 Santolan Depot, Pasig, Philippines
LocaleMetro Manila, Rizal[lower-alpha 1]
Dates of operationDecember 1, 1984 (1984-12-01)–present
Light Rail Transit Authority
Native name
Pangasiwaan ng Magaan na Riles Panlulan
TypeGovernment-owned and controlled corporation
IndustryPublic transport
FoundedJuly 12, 1980 (1980-07-12)
HeadquartersLRTA Compound, Line 2 Santolan Depot, Pasig, Philippines
Area served
Metro Manila
Key people
Hernando T. Cabrera, Administrator[1]
ServicesRail Service
Revenue₱1,564,306,670 (2019)
Total assets₱59,791,862,600 (2019)
OwnerGovernment of the Philippines under Department of Transportation
Number of employees
1,159 of which 342 are permanent/regular employees, 480 contractual personnel and 337 contract of services employees (2019)
Websitewww.lrta.gov.ph

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is a public transport operator that is responsible for the construction, operation, maintenance and/or lease of Manila Light Rail Transit System in the Philippines. It is organized as a government-owned and controlled corporation under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as an attached agency.

History

The results of a fourteen-month study conducted between 1976 and 1977 by Freeman Fox and Associates suggested a street-level light rail line in Manila. These proposals were revised by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, later the Department of Transportation (DOTr), to an elevated system in order to avoid building in the city's many intersections.[2]

On July 12, 1980, President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos created the Light Rail Transit Authority through Executive Order No. 603,[3] 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, LRT Line 1's operations were assigned to Meralco Transit Organization (Metro, Inc.), a sister company of Meralco. The line came to be referred to as Metrorail.[4]

Construction of Line 1 began in September 1981. The section from Baclaran to Central Terminal was opened on December 1, 1984, with all remaining stations opening on May 12, 1985.[5]

On August 1, 2000, LRTA assumed the operational responsibility after employees of METRO, Inc. hosted a wildcat strike that paralyzed the line's operations from July 25 to August 2, 2000.[4]

With Japan's ODA amounting to 75 billion yen in total, the construction of Line 2 began in 1996, and the first section of the line, from Santolan to Araneta Center-Cubao, was opened on April 5, 2003.[5] The remaining stations opened exactly a year later, except for Recto station which opened on October 29, 2004.[6]

In January 2017, LRTA Administrator Gen. Reynaldo I. Berroya (Ret.) announced the plan to establish a railway school in the country to improve the technical skills of LRTA employees and serve as a training ground for them. In May 2018, LRTA launched the first-ever train simulator manufactured by Lander Simulations and Training Solutions of Spain.[7]

Train service

Line 1 Line 2 Line 6 (Proposed)
Ownership Light Rail Transit Authority[lower-alpha 2] Light Rail Transit Authority TBA
Operations & Maintenance Light Rail Manila Corporation

(thru PPP scheme)[8]

 Light Rail Transit Authority TBA
Notes
  1. ↑ For the LRT Line 2 east extension
  2. ↑ LRTA is responsible for monitoring the Line 1 concessionaire Light Rail Manila Corporation.

Board of directors

The Board of Directors is composed of eight ex-officio cabinet members namely the Secretary of the DOTr as Chairman, the respective Secretaries of the DPWH, DBM, DOF and NEDA, the Chairman of the MMDA and the LTFRB and the Administrator of the LRTA and one representative from the private sector.

The Board is tasked to issue, prescribe, and adopt policies, programs, plans, standards, guidelines, procedures, rules, and regulations for implementation, enforcement, and application by the LRTA Management. The Board also convenes to resolve operations-related issues and concerns and other matters requiring immediate attention and resolution.

Ongoing projects

Line 1 O&M, Cavite Extension and Capacity Expansion Project

During the presidency of Pres. Benigno Aquino III, on October 2, 2014, the Department of Transportation and Light Rail Transit Authority signed a 32-year concession agreement with Light Rail Manila Corporation, a private consortium composed of AC Infra, Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation and Macquarie Group for the Line 1 Operations & Maintenance, construction of the Cavite Extension and Capacity Expansion.[9]

Under the concession agreement, LRMC is responsible for the Operations & Maintenance of Line 1 and construction of the Cavite Extension while LRTA is responsible for procuring 120 new light rail vehicles for the Capacity Expansion and acquisition of the Right-of-way for the Cavite Extension.

Issues

Anomalies with the LRT Line 2 equipment

On 4 December 2019, a fact-finding committee was formed by then-Administrator Gen. Reynaldo I. Berroya (Ret.) to review several LRT Line 2 contracts.[10] On 21 January 2021, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission found inconsistencies in the procurement of equipment for the worth ₱170.3 million. The documents showed that re-railing and rolling stock diagnostic equipment for Line 2 were different from the specified brand in the bidding. The crate containing the re-railing equipment showed a sticker printout that it was shipped by Chinese firm CRRC Corporation, as ordered by the joint venture of Kempal Construction and Supply Corporation. However, documents showed that it was manufactured by Bemco, an Indian company. Irregularities were also seen in the procurement of escalators delivered by Ma-an Construction Inc. and IFE Elevators Inc, wherein the capacity of the escalators were 6,000 persons per hour, short of the required 9,000 persons per hour capacity.[11] LRTA officials stated on 23 January that they will submit an initial report to the PACC.[12] On 7 December 2021, LRTA filed corruption cases against some LRTA and DBM officials. DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade has then ordered the review of other LRT-2 rehabilitation projects and blacklisting of the joint venture of Ma-an Construction Inc. and IFE Elevators Inc.[10][13][14] The escalators and elevators were later fixed by January 2022 as one of the priority projects of the agency.[15]

See also

Notes

    References

    1. 1 2 Dela Cruz, Raymond Carl (August 5, 2022). "PBBM names new PNR, LRTA officials". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
    2. ↑ Satre, Gary L. (June 1998). "The Metro Manila LRT System — A Historical Perspective" (PDF). Japan Railway & Transport Review. Vol. 16. EJRCF. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
    3. ↑ "Executive Order No. 603, s. 1980". The LAWPHiL Project.
    4. 1 2 "LRTA History". Light Rail Transit Authority. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
    5. 1 2 "Railway Operations". Light Rail Transit Authority. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
    6. ↑ Bergonia, Allan (October 28, 2004). "Line 2 Recto Station Opens". People's Journal. Archived from the original on March 8, 2005 – via lrta.gov.ph.
    7. ↑ Ilagan, Aris (May 17, 2018). "New P75 million train simulator aims to level up LRT operators' skills". Top Gear Philippines. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
    8. ↑ Camus, Gil C. Cabacungan, Miguel R. "LRT 1 now under Ayala, Metro Pacific management". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 3, 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    9. ↑ "PPP contract signed for Manila LRT 1 project". InfraPPP. October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
    10. 1 2 "LRTA management files corruption cases against agency execs, contractors linked to anomalous purchase of substandard equipment" (Press release). Light Rail Transit Authority. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
    11. ↑ Ballesteros, Angelica (January 22, 2021). "Anomalous P170-M LRT 2 deals bared". The Manila Times. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
    12. ↑ Valente, Catherine S. (January 24, 2021). "LRTA has initial report on probe vs corruption". The Manila Times. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
    13. ↑ Villanda, Karen (December 13, 2021). "LRTA files graft case due to anomaly purchase of LRT-2 equipment". PTV News. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
    14. ↑ Cordero, Ted (January 8, 2022). "LRTA apologizes for defective elevators, escalators; complaints filed vs officials allegedly involved in anomalous purchase". GMA News. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
    15. ↑ Dela Cruz, Raymond Carl (January 20, 2022). "28 more LRT-2 elevators, escalators restored". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
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