Light Rail Transit Authority

{{Infobox rail

| name = Light Rail Transit Authority

| logo = Lrtalogo.svg

| logo_size = 150px

| regions = Metro Manila, Calabarzon

| stations = 38

| stationsop = 13

| marks =

| locale = Metro Manila, Rizal{{efn|For the LRT Line 2 east extension}}

| start_year = {{Start date|1984|12|1}}

| end_year = present

| embedded =

{{Infobox company

| embed=yes

| name = Light Rail Transit Authority

| native_name = Pangasiwaan ng Magaan na Riles Panlulan

| type = Government-owned and controlled corporation

| industry = Public transport

| foundation = {{Start date and age|1980|07|12}}

| location = LRTA Compound, Line 2 Santolan Depot, Pasig, Philippines

| area_served = Metro Manila

| key_people = Hernando T. Cabrera, Administrator

| services = Rail Service

| revenue = ₱1,564,306,670

| revenue_year = 2019

| assets = ₱59,791,862,600

| assets_year = 2019

| owner = Government of the Philippines, managed by Department of Transportation

| num_employees = 1,159 of which 342 are permanent/regular employees, 480 contractual personnel and 337 contract of services employees

| num_employees_year = 2019

| homepage = [http://www.lrta.gov.ph www.lrta.gov.ph]

}}

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is a public transport operator that is responsible for the construction, operation, maintenance and/or lease of Manila Light Rail Transit System in the Philippines. It is organized as a government-owned and controlled corporation under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as an attached agency.

History

The results of a fourteen-month study conducted between 1976 and 1977 by Freeman Fox and Associates suggested a street-level light rail line in Manila. These proposals were revised by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, later the Department of Transportation (DOTr), to an elevated system in order to avoid building in the city's many intersections.{{cite magazine |last=Satre |first=Gary L. |date=June 1998 |title=The Metro Manila LRT System — A Historical Perspective |url=http://www.ejrcf.or.jp/jrtr/jrtr16/pdf/f33_satre.pdf |magazine=Japan Railway & Transport Review |publisher=EJRCF |volume=16 |access-date=December 13, 2021}}

On July 12, 1980, President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos created the Light Rail Transit Authority through Executive Order No. 603,{{cite web|title=Executive Order No. 603, s. 1980|url=http://www.lawphil.net/executive/execord/eo1980/eo_603_1980.html|website=The LAWPHiL Project}} and assigned First Lady and Governor of Metro Manila Imelda Marcos as its chairman. While the LRTA confined its roles to policy making, fare regulation, and future planning, LRT Line 1's operations were assigned to Meralco Transit Organization (Metro, Inc.), a sister company of Meralco. The line came to be referred to as Metrorail.{{cite web |title=LRTA History |url=http://www.lrta.gov.ph/index.php/history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609183503/http://www.lrta.gov.ph/index.php/history |archive-date=June 9, 2019 |access-date=December 13, 2021 |url-status=dead |publisher=Light Rail Transit Authority}}

Construction of Line 1 began in September 1981. The section from Baclaran to Central Terminal was opened on December 1, 1984, with all remaining stations opening on May 12, 1985.

On August 1, 2000, LRTA assumed the operational responsibility after employees of METRO, Inc. hosted a wildcat strike that paralyzed the line's operations from July 25 to August 2, 2000.

With Japan's ODA amounting to 75 billion yen in total, the construction of Line 2 began in 1996, and the first section of the line, from Santolan to Araneta Center-Cubao, was opened on April 5, 2003.{{cite web|title=Railway Operations|url=https://www.lrta.gov.ph/railway-operations/|publisher=Light Rail Transit Authority|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724021116/https://www.lrta.gov.ph/railway-operations/|archive-date=July 24, 2021|access-date=December 13, 2021|url-status=live}} The remaining stations opened exactly a year later, except for Recto station which opened on October 29, 2004.{{cite news|author=Bergonia, Allan|date=October 28, 2004|title=Line 2 Recto Station Opens|work=People's Journal|url=http://www.lrta.gov.ph/news/news_item_102804_RectoStationsOpens.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308020226/http://www.lrta.gov.ph/news/news_item_102804_RectoStationsOpens.htm|archive-date=March 8, 2005|via=lrta.gov.ph}}

In January 2017, LRTA administrator Reynaldo Berroya announced the plan to establish a railway school for LRTA employees. For this school, in May 2018, LRTA first launched a train simulator purchased from Lander Simulations and Training Solutions, a company based in Spain.{{Cite news|title=New P75 million train simulator aims to level up LRT operators' skills|first=Aris|last=Ilagan|date=May 17, 2018|url=https://www.topgear.com.ph/news/motoring-news/train-simulator-lrt-operator-a00188-20180517|work=Top Gear Philippines|access-date=2021-12-13}}

Train service

class="wikitable"

!style="background:#{{rcr|Manila LRT|1}};"|Line 1

!style="background:#{{rcr|Manila LRT|2}};"|Line 2

!style="background:#{{rcr|Manila LRT|6}};"|Line 6 (Proposed)

Ownership

|Light Rail Transit Authority{{efn|group=lower-alpha|LRTA is responsible for monitoring the Line 1 concessionaire Light Rail Manila Corporation.}}

|Light Rail Transit Authority

|TBA

Operations & Maintenance

|Light Rail Manila Corporation

(thru PPP scheme){{Cite news|url=https://business.inquirer.net/199164/lrt-1-now-under-ayala-metro-pacific-management|title=LRT 1 now under Ayala, Metro Pacific management|last=Camus|first=Gil C. Cabacungan, Miguel R.|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|language=en|access-date=August 3, 2019}}

|Light Rail Transit Authority

|TBA

;Notes

Board of directors

The Board of Directors is composed of eight ex-officio cabinet members namely the secretary of the DOTr as chairman, the respective secretaries of the DPWH, DBM, DOF and NEDA, the chairman of the MMDA and the LTFRB and the administrator of the LRTA and one representative from the private sector.

The Board is tasked to issue, prescribe, and adopt policies, programs, plans, standards, guidelines, procedures, rules, and regulations for implementation, enforcement, and application by the LRTA Management. The Board also convenes to resolve operations-related issues and concerns and other matters requiring immediate attention and resolution.

Sec. Vince Dizon – Chairman of the Board / Department of Transportation
Hernando T. Cabrera - Administrator - LRTA{{Cite news|title=PBBM names new PNR, LRTA officials |first=Raymond Carl |last=Dela Cruz |date=August 5, 2022 |work=Philippine News Agency |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1180726 |access-date=August 7, 2022}}
Sec. Ralph Recto – Department of Finance
Sec. Amenah Pangadaman – Department of Budget and Management
Chair Romando Artes – Metro Manila Development Authority
Sec. Manuel Bonoan – Department of Public Works and Highways
Chair Teofilo Guadiz III – Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board
SEP Sec. Arsenio Balisacan – National Economic and Development Authority
Dimapuno R. Datu – Private Sector

Ongoing projects

= Line 1 O&M, Cavite Extension and Capacity Expansion Project =

{{further information|LRT Line 1 (Metro Manila)#Privatization and rehabilitation|LRT Line 1 (Metro Manila)#South extension}}

During the presidency of Pres. Benigno Aquino III, on October 2, 2014, the Department of Transportation and Light Rail Transit Authority signed a 32-year concession agreement with Light Rail Manila Corporation, a private consortium composed of AC Infra, Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation and Macquarie Group for the Line 1 Operations & Maintenance, construction of the Cavite Extension and Capacity Expansion.{{cite web |title=PPP contract signed for Manila LRT 1 project |url=https://www.infrapppworld.com/news/ppp-contract-signed-for-manila-lrt-1-project |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124095412/https://www.infrapppworld.com/news/ppp-contract-signed-for-manila-lrt-1-project |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |access-date=December 13, 2021 |date=October 6, 2014 |publisher=InfraPPP}}

Under the concession agreement, LRMC is responsible for the Operations & Maintenance of Line 1 and construction of the Cavite Extension while LRTA is responsible for procuring 120 new light rail vehicles for the Capacity Expansion and acquisition of the Right-of-way for the Cavite Extension.

Issues

= Anomalies with the LRT Line 2 equipment =

On 4 December 2019, a fact-finding committee was formed by then-administrator Gen. Reynaldo I. Berroya (Ret.) to review several LRT Line 2 contracts. On 21 January 2021, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission found inconsistencies in the procurement of equipment worth up to {{Philippine peso|170.3 million|link=yes}}. The documents showed that re-railing and rolling stock diagnostic equipment for Line 2 were different from the specified brand in the bidding. The crate containing the re-railing equipment showed a sticker printout that it was shipped by Chinese firm CRRC Corporation, as ordered by the joint venture of Kempal Construction and Supply Corporation. However, documents showed that it was manufactured by Bemco, an Indian company. Irregularities were also seen in the procurement of escalators delivered by Ma-an Construction Inc. and IFE Elevators Inc, wherein the capacity of the escalators were 6,000 persons per hour, short of the required 9,000 persons per hour capacity.{{Cite news|first=Angelica|last=Ballesteros|title=Anomalous P170-M LRT 2 deals bared|url=https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/01/22/news/headlines/anomalous-p170-m-lrt-2-deals-bared/830610|work=The Manila Times|date=2021-01-22|access-date=2021-12-13}} LRTA officials stated on 23 January that they will submit an initial report to the PACC.{{Cite news|first=Catherine S.|last=Valente|title= LRTA has initial report on probe vs corruption |url=https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/01/24/news/top-stories/lrta-has-initial-report-on-probe-vs-corruption/831322 |work=The Manila Times|date=2021-01-24|access-date=2021-12-13}} On 7 December 2021, LRTA filed corruption cases against some LRTA and DBM officials. DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade has then ordered the review of other LRT-2 rehabilitation projects and blacklisting of the joint venture of Ma-an Construction Inc. and IFE Elevators Inc.{{Cite press release|title=LRTA management files corruption cases against agency execs, contractors linked to anomalous purchase of substandard equipment|url=https://www.lrta.gov.ph/lrta-management-files-corruption-cases-against-agency-execs-contractors-linked-to-anomalous-purchase-of-substandard-equipment/|publisher=Light Rail Transit Authority|access-date=2021-12-14|date=2021-12-13}}{{Cite news|first=Karen|last=Villanda|title= LRTA files graft case due to anomaly purchase of LRT-2 equipment |url= https://www.ptvnews.ph/lrta-files-graft-case-due-to-anomaly-purchase-of-lrt-2-equipment/ |work=PTV News|date=2021-12-13|access-date=2021-12-13}}{{Cite news|title=LRTA apologizes for defective elevators, escalators; complaints filed vs officials allegedly involved in anomalous purchase|url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/metro/817488/lrta-apologizes-for-defective-elevators-escalators-complaints-filed-vs-officials-allegedly-involved-in-a/story/|first=Ted|last=Cordero|work=GMA News|date=2022-01-08|access-date=2022-01-09}} The escalators and elevators were later fixed by January 2022 as one of the priority projects of the agency.{{Cite news|title=28 more LRT-2 elevators, escalators restored|first=Raymond Carl|last=Dela Cruz|date=20 January 2022|url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1166006|work=Philippine News Agency|access-date=21 January 2022}}