LRT Cavite extension project starts; P24-billion syndicated loan agreement inked

The Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC), led by conglomerate Metro Pacific Corp. of mogul Manny V. Pangilinan, has signed a loan facility worth P24 billion, along with an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) agreement for the project to extend the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) to Cavite province.

“These milestone agreements give us significant headway toward the construction and commissioning of the much-awaited Cavite Extension, which will benefit an additional 300,000 passengers from four big cities in southern Manila,” LRMC President and CEO Jesus P. Francisco said.

LRMC signed the 15-year Omnibus Loan and Security Agreement (Olsa) with the Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank), Security Bank Corp. and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC).

P15.3 billion of the total loan amount will be allocated for the Cavite Extension and P8.7 billion for the rehabilitation of the existing LRT-1 system.

The LRMC and its EPC contractors Bouyges Travaux Publics and Alstom Transport are set to commence the construction of the 11.7-kilometer Cavite Extension once the right of way (ROW) is delivered by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and by the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA).

The ROW will be secured by the second half of this year, according to Francisco.
The Cavite Extension will connect into the existing system immediately south of the LRT-1 Baclaran Station and traversing southbound to Niyog, Cavite.

It will consist of elevated guide ways throughout the majority of the alignment, except for the guideway section at Zapote, which will be located at grade and consisting of the satellite depot and new station.

The extension will be completed in four years.

Eight new stations will be provided with three intermodal facilities across Pasay City, Parañaque City, Las Piñas City and Cavite. The new stations are Aseana, MIA, Asia World, Ninoy Aquino, Dr. Santos, Las Piñas, Zapote and Niyog.

The intermodal facilities shall be located at Dr. Santos, Zapote, and Niyog.

The commercial speed of the Cavite Extension will be 60 kilometers per hour. The horizontal alignment shall be designed for a train speed of 80km/h for the mainline track; 60km/h through Stations; and 30km/h for secondary and Depot tracks.
Bouygues Travaux Publics is known globally for complex projects involving tunnels, engineering structures and road, port and rail infrastructure, most recent of which were the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, the Port of Miami Tunnel and the Nîmes-Montpellier rail bypass in France.

Alstom Transport, on the other hand, will undertake the railway systems work, including track work, power supply, train control and signaling system, communications systems and the construction of the Operations Control System to provide seamless operation between the Existing System and the Cavite Extension. RIZA LOZADA