Gov’t hopes to secure full RoW for LRT-1 Cavite extension by yearend

THE LIGHT RAIL Transit Authority (LRTA) said the government is hoping to complete the acquisition of right-of-way (RoW) for segments 2 and 3 of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite extension within the year.

“Our target is to deliver the RoW for segments 2 and 3 this year or early next year,” LRTA Executive Hernando T. Cabrera told reporters last week.

Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), operator of LRT-1, opened Phase 1 of the Cavite extension in 2024, adding five new stations to the rail line.

The first phase extended the line by 6.2 kilometers, connecting Baclaran Station in Pasay City to Dr. Santos Station in Parañaque City.

Phases 2 and 3, covering mostly Cavite stations, will include Las Piñas, Zapote, and Niog stations.

The government is working to secure the RoW to begin construction of the Cavite extension, Mr. Cabrera said, noting that full RoW has already been acquired for Segment 3, while acquisition for Segment 2 is now nearly 70% complete.

Mr. Cabrera pointed to a flyover constructed along the rail line’s alignment as a main challenge in completing the acquisition of RoW.

“For now, the most important is to deliver the RoW, so that they can start the (construction),” he said, adding that LRMC does not need to redesign the alignment despite the flyover.

“They do not have to redesign because they have not submitted the design yet. Our task is to complete the RoW right now,” he said.

The Department of Transportation last year requested an additional P3 billion in funding to build an extra station in Bacoor City for the LRT-1 Cavite extension.

“That will be a future station, because right now, we cannot change it; if we add a new station, we have to change the concession agreement. Yes, we can accommodate one or two more new stations but that will happen in the future,” Mr. Cabrera said.

LRMC is a joint venture of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd. Metro Pacific Light Rail is a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is one of three Philippine subsidiaries of Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT Inc. and Philex Mining Corp.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., maintains an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose