Tugade says Cavite extension to continue despite no LRT fare hike

May 7, 2019

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the management of Light Railway Transit- Line 1 will continue to build the Cavite extension even if their petition for fare increase is not granted by the board.

In an ambush interview, Tugade told reporters the fare petition and construction of the extension should be considered separate.

“The petition remains as petition. The decision will be from the LRTA (Light Rail Transit Authority) Board. The inter-agency is there. Until there is no decision, there will be no increases,” he said.

He did not give details when will the petition be approved.

“You should consider this matter as separate thing. It is not right to say that we will not have an extension if there is no fare increase,” said Tugade.

“That is not an assumption on where we had an agreement. You will do it (using your) own funds. So you will say what will happen to the extension if there is no increase? That is not a condition necessary for us to be able to continue the expansion,” he explained.

According to Light Rail Manila Corp. president and chief executive officer Juan Felipe Alfonso, their petition is for a P5 to P7 fare increase but LRTA Administrator Reynaldo Berroya said it has yet to be discussed.

“The board is still studying (the increase) and it will be decided by the principals of board,” said Berroya.

Alfonso said for the construction of the Cavite extension, they will be using full-span girder launching method, a first in the Philippines.

In this method, the whole girder segment will be pre-cast in the construction yard where each segment weighs 400 tons.

Once a segment dries, it will be placed in the constructed post. A special transporter will be used to place the segments in the special girder.

“The construction methodology will use pre-cast system. So the pre-cast component will not be brought on the street level. It will be delivered section by section. It will be faster so there will be no traffic. It is the first time that this technology will be used,” Alfonso said.

Alonso thanked the Department of Transportation for a good partnership with them.

“We hope that this will continue,” he said. Ella Dionisio/DMS