The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Saturday said the newly opened extension of the LRT-1 does not include a direct connection to the the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) because of right-of-way considerations.

There are five new stations under the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project Phase 1: Redemptorist-ASEANA Station, MIA Road Station, Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) Station, Ninoy Aquino Avenue Station and Dr. Santos Station.  

Aside from providing better mobility, the DOTr and Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) have said that the project also makes it easier for commuters to get to major transport hubs such as the PITX and the NAIA.

But unlike the PITX station, which has a walkway leading to the bus terminal, the Ninoy Aquino Avenue station does not and is still two to four kilometers away from the airport.

Speaking with ABS-CBN News, DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Jeremy Regino said that is already the closest and “most technically viable” location to build the station given that there is a river in between.

“Before the Ninoy Aquino station, ilog. Hindi pwedeng itayo yung istasyon sa ilog kasi walang bababaan yung mga pasahero, so ang pinakamalapit talaga is doon sa kinatirikan niya ngayon… Pagdating ng lupa, tinayo na kaagad yung istasyon,” he said.

(If you move it any closer, it would be on the river already. We can’t put the station on the river because passengers would not be able to alight so the nearest we could have it is at the location in which it was built. When you get to the nearest land area, that’s where it was constructed.)

Regino also noted that the train alignment or route from the PITX Station to the Ninoy Aquino Station was designed to be above a river, considering the number of structures that would have needed to be demolished if another route other than the river would be chosen.

“Yung area na yun, may ridership din yun, aside from the airport,” he added.

(That area also has a ridership aside from airport goers.)

Meanwhile, Regino said the MIA Road station is too far.

“Yung Manila International Airport (MIA) Road kasi, sa Roxas Boulevard yun, so mas malayo,” he said.

SPUR LINE AS POSSIBLE SOLUTION

Instead, the transport official said the DOTr is studying the possibility of establishing a monorail shuttle train to connect the Ninoy Aquino Avenue station to the NAIA Terminal 1.

“A battery-operated or electric that is using rubber wheels. Hindi na yung traditional na riles… Parang yung sa Hong Kong Disneyland but a little bigger than that,” he said.

(It will not make use of the traditional train tracks. It would be like the one in Hong Kong Disneyland.)

When asked where it would run, Regino said this needs further studies. 

“Pag-aaralan natin yun kasi may tatamaan din tayong right-of-way doon, mga bahay,” he said.

For its part, the LRMC said it is talking to several transport operators and local government units to provide shuttles for those who need to be dropped or picked up from the station to the airport.

FIRST DAY OF OPERATIONS

Many commuters took advantage of the newly opened LRT-1 Cavite Extension Phase 1 on Saturday to shorten their commute.

According to the LRMC, it saw the most foot traffic at the Redemptorist-ASEANA and Dr. Santos stations in Parañaque.

“Base sa initial feedback ng aming mga pasahero at ng aming station personnel, overall positive feedback. Nagpapasalamat sila dahil mas mabilis na silang makakabiyahe then natutuwa sila sa mga bagong facilities,” said LRMC Head of Corporate Communications Jacqueline Gorospe.

College student Luke Carreon, who lives in Parañaque but studies in a university in Manila is glad that he no longer needs to worry about being late to school.

“Actually nung sumasakay pa ako sa Baclaran, ang ina-allot kong allowance for travel is two hours kasi nga mahirap sumakay ng jeep, sa LRT. E kung tuloy-tuloy ito, baka less than one hour lang yung total travel time ko… Sana lang walang aberya na mangyari,” said Carreon.

The LRMC meanwhile assured the public that most of the trains they are using are new and sufficient to accommodate large volumes of passengers.

The LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project connects Baclaran Station in Pasay City to Dr. Santos Station in Sucat, Parañaque City— cutting the travel time to less than 20 minutes from an hour.

It also allows passengers to travel from the Fernando Poe Jr. station in Quezon City to Parañaque in less than an hour for just 45 pesos.

It is projected to serve an additional 80,000 passengers daily from the train line’s current 323,000 ridership.

With more passengers taking the LRT-1, the traffic situation in the southern part of Metro Manila is also expected to improve.