Manila Light Rail Transit Line 1

The Manila Light Rail Transit Line 1, also known as the LRT Line 1 or LRT-1 is the first metro line of the Manila Light Rail Transit Authority System. Presently, the line contains twenty stations and runs on 19.65 kilometers (12.21 mi)[1] of fully elevated route. The line is colored yellow (old) and green (new) on all train maps.

The line runs in a general north-south direction from Baclaran to Monumento; then, it runs in an east-west direction from Monumento to North Avenue, linking the cities of Quezon City, Caloocan, Manila, Pasay, and Parañaque. Passengers can transfer to the Line 2 at Doroteo Jose station, while passengers can transfer to the Line 3 at EDSAand North Avenue stations.

The Line 1 was known for many names such as LRT Line 1, shortened to LRT-1, Yellow Line, Green Line (2012), or the Metrorail. However, the yellow color of the line dates back to its opening in 1984.

History

 * December 1, 1984: Baclaran to Central Terminal
 * May 12, 1985: Central Terminal to Monumento
 * March 22, 2010: Monumento to Balintawak (except Malvar)
 * October 22, 2010: Balintawak to Roosevelt

Route
Main Line Route Map inside a second generation train

The Line 1 is predominantly aligned to the path of Taft Avenue (Radial Road 2), which was chosen largely due to its straight length. Later on, as Taft Avenue ends, it shifts to Rizal Avenue and Rizal Avenue Extension (Radial Road 9) then turning right at EDSA or Circumferencial Road 4 (C-4 Road) before ending at the corner of North and West Avenues and EDSA.

Stations
Central Terminal LRT Station

Baclaran LRT Station

Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1 serves 20 stations along its route (a twenty-first station is planned):[2]
 * North Avenue - Quezon City (planned – was originally to be constructed as a part of the 2010 North Extension project; has been not built yet due to the cancellation of the project. The legal dispute between SM Prime Holdings' SM Supermalls and Ayala Land's Ayala Malls on the controversial project over the Supreme Court ruling bars the department from implementing the transfer of the location of the LRT-1 and MRT-3 “common station” from an area near SM City North Edsa in Quezon City to the Ayala Corporation’s adjacent Trinoma shopping mall. However; the station is still planned as a future interchange with Line 3 and the proposed MRT-7)
 * Roosevelt - Quezon City
 * Balintawak - Quezon City
 * Malvar - Caloocan City (not yet being constructed)
 * Monumento - Caloocan City
 * 5th Avenue - Caloocan City
 * R. Papa - Tondo, Manila
 * Abad Santos - Tondo and Santa Cruz, Manila
 * Blumentritt - Santa Cruz, Manila (interchange with PNR Southrail at Blumentritt)
 * Tayuman - Santa Cruz, Manila
 * Bambang - Santa Cruz, Manila
 * Doroteo Jose - Santa Cruz, Manila (interchange with Line 2 at Recto)
 * Carriedo - Quiapo and Santa Cruz, Manila
 * Central Terminal - Ermita, Manila (also known as Arroceros or City Hall)
 * United Nations - Ermita, Manila
 * Pedro Gil - Ermita, Manila (also known as Herran)
 * Quirino - Malate, Manila
 * Vito Cruz - Malate, Manila (also known as Pablo Ocampo or Ocampo)
 * Gil Puyat - Pasay City (also known as Buendia)
 * Libertad - Pasay City (also known as Antonio Arnaiz or simply Arnaiz)
 * EDSA - Pasay City (interchange with Line 3 at Taft Avenue)
 * Baclaran - Pasay City (near border of Baclaran, Parañaque City)

Rolling stock
The LRT Line 1 at various stages in its history has used a two-car, three-car, and four-car trainsets. The two-car trains are the original first-generation ACEC trains (railway cars numbered from 1000). Most were transformed into three-car trains, although some two-car trains remain in service. The four-car trains are the more modern second-generation Hyundai Precision and Adtranz (numbered from 1100) and third-generation Kinki Sharyo / Nippon Sharyo (1200) trains.[4][5] There are 139 railway cars grouped into 40 trains serving the line: 63 of these are first-generation cars, 28 second-generation, and 48 third-generation. One train car (1037) was severely damaged in the Rizal Day bombings and was subsequently decommissioned.[6] The maximum speed of these cars is 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph).[7][8]

The LRT Line 1 fleet is being modernized to cope with increasing numbers of passengers. In the initial phase of its capacity expansion program completed in 1999, the line's seven four-car second-generation trains were commissioned providing an increased train capacity of 1,350 passengers while the original two-car trains capable of holding 748 passengers were transformed into three-car trains with room for 1,122.[4]

The acquisition marked the introduction of the first air-conditioned trains to the line. Earlier LRT Line 1 rolling stock was notorious for its lack of air conditioning, relying instead on forced-air roof ventilation for cooling.[9] Unfortunately, this resulted in hot and stuffy rides. The problem was addressed more fully after a preparatory rehabilitation program completed in 2001 allowed the installation of air conditioners to the older rolling stock.[10] By June 2004, all Yellow Line trains had air conditioning.[11][12]
 * Source: LRTA[4][12]

As part of the second phase of expansion on the Yellow Line, 12 new trains made in Japan by Kinki Sharyo and provided by the Manila Tren Consortium were shipped in the third quarter of 2006 and went into service in the first quarter of 2007. The new air-conditioned trains have boosted the capacity of the line from 27,000 to 40,000 passengers per hour per direction.[5][13][14]

Plans
South Extension/(LRT-6)

A southern extension of Line 1, also known as the Southern Extension Project or LRT Line 6 in the Metro Manila Rail Plans, has been proposed and would aim to serve the areas of Parañaque to Cavite. Such an extension would take Quirino Avenue (Road from Parañaque to Bacoor), then would travel on the side of Seaside Drive to the Coastal Road, and from there would travel down the side of Kabihasnan street to Quirino Avenue (again) to its extension, General Emilio Aguinaldo Avenue from the Las Pinas-Bacoor Boundary of Zapote Bridge to Niog. The extension would add 10 stations over some 11.4 kilometers (7.1 mi) of new line and would be the second rail line extending outside the Metro Manila area (after the planned MRT-7 line).

An unsolicited bid to conduct this work from Canada's SNC-Lavalin was rejected by the Philippine government in 2005. In 2006, the government worked with advisers (International Finance Corporation, White & Case, Halcrow and others) to conduct an open-market invitation to tender for the extension and for a 30-year concession to run the extended LRT-1 line. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo subsequently withdrew the project.

The following stations would proposed to compose the Southern Extension: The line would be extended from Parañaque City southwards, connecting Las Piñas City and Bacoor City to the LRTA network.
 * Redemptorist - Parañaque City
 * Manila International Airport - Parañaque City
 * Asia World - Parañaque City
 * Ninoy Aquino - Parañaque City
 * Dr. Santos - Parañaque City
 * Manuyo Uno - Las Piñas City
 * Las Piñas - Las Piñas City
 * Zapote - Bacoor City
 * Talaba - Bacoor City
 * Niog - Bacoor City