Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) has received its first Generation-4 (Gen-4) train sets for LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project. 

“The trains are starting to come and every quarter they will come. And by May of 2022, we would have met the delivery of 30 train sets,” Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said. 

Spanish railway vehicle company, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) started the production of 30 train sets in Spain and Mexico in 2019 through a tender spearheaded by DOTr. 

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 kph. 

Each train set consists of 4 light rail vehicles (LRVs) and can accommodate over 1,300 passengers per trip. 

The train sets will arrive in batches, with at least 1 train set arriving every month  until May 2022. The trains will each have to undergo safety checks, inspections,  and required test runs with minimum kilometers and acceptance tests before  being deployed for revenue operations. 

“LRMC is fhonored to be working closely with the Department of Transportation  (DOTr) and Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) in planning and preparing for this much-awaited milestone for LRT-1. Today is an excellent showcase of how a strong partnership between the public and private sectors can benefit our 

Filipino commuters,” Juan Alfonso, president and chief executive of LRMC said. 

“Through our work in upgrading the LRT-1 system, we hope to make a difference in what we do and contribute to making our country better for the next generation,”  he added. 

Since the start of the civil works of LRT Cavite Extension in September 2019, the project completion rate has already reached 50 percent. 

The 11.7-kilometer LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project is expected to service and benefit 800,000 passengers daily by cutting down the travel time between Baclaran and Bacoor from 1 hour and 10 minutes to just about 25 minutes.

Total travel time for the full line from Quezon City to Cavite will take about 70 minutes. The project is expected to the completed by end of the year.