Tuesday, June 02, 2009 [ philstar.com ]
THE construction cost of the proposed southbound extension of the Philippines’ first Light Rail Transit (LRT) rose more than three-fold, according to the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA).
The state-run agency said the planned extension to Cavite of LRT Line 1 would now cost $1.78 billion, up from the previous $683 million.
“The revised project cost includes the light rail vehicle [LRV] requirements on account of the Line 1 North Extension Project and the System Enhancement Works of the entire line during the 40-year concession period,” LRTA said.
The LRTA earlier awarded the construction of the LRT 1 North Extension Project to the joint venture of D.M. Consunji Inc. and First Balfour. Costing about P6.3 billion, the project involves the construction of a 5.71-kilometer elevated line seamlessly from the Monumento station of Line 1 to the North Avenue station of Line 3.
The LRT North Extension Project is scheduled for completion by February next year.
The LRTA also recommended to the National Economic and Development Authority the use of official development assistance (ODA) for the implementation of the South Extension Project.
The project aims to extend the existing 15-kilometer LRT 1 by an additional 11.7 kilometers, of which about 10.5 kilometers will be elevated and 1.2 kilometers will be at-grade.
The extension will start from the existing line’s last station at Baclaran and will traverse the cities of Parañaque and Las Piñas in Metro Manila and reach the municipality of Bacoor, Cavite. The project will include eight new passenger stations, with provision for two additional future stations. It is expected to serve 800,000 passengers a day and cut travel time from Bacoor to Monumento, Caloocan City, to less than an hour.
The project will also involve system enhancement works over the concession period, which would include fleets upgrade, replacement and capacity improvements. A total of 64 LRVs will be added in 2020 and another eight in 2030.
-- Darwin G. Amojelar
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