A LRT-2 train at J. Ruiz station
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Overview | |
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Owner | Light Rail Transit Authority |
Locale | Manila, Philippines |
Transit type | Rapid transit |
Number of lines | 2 |
Number of stations | 31 |
Daily ridership | roughly 700,000 (2015) |
Website | Light Rail Transit Authority |
Operation | |
Began operation | December 1, 1984 (LRT-1) April 5, 2003 (LRT-2) |
Operator(s) |
Line 1 (LRT-1): Light Rail Manila Corporation Line 2 (LRT-2): Light Rail Transit Authority |
Number of vehicles |
Line 1 (LRT-1): BN/ACEC Hyundai Precision/Adtranz Kinki Sharyo/Nippon Sharyo Line 2 (LRT-2): Hyundai Rotem |
Technical | |
System length | 33.4 km (20.8 mi) (total) LRT-1: 19.65 km (12.2 mi) LRT-2: 13.8 km (8.6 mi) |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Electrification | Overhead line |
Average speed | 40 km/h (25 mph) |
Top speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) |
The Manila Light Rail Transit System, popularly and informally known as the LRT, is a metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. Although referred to as a light rail system because it originally used light rail vehicles, it has characteristics that make it more akin to a rapid transit (metro) system, such as high passenger throughput, exclusive right-of-way and later use of full metro rolling stock. The system is operated by the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), a government-owned and controlled corporation under the authority of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). Along with the Manila Metro Rail Transit System (MRT-3, also called the new Yellow Line), and Philippine National Railways's commuter line, the system makes up Metro Manila's rail infrastructure.
The LRT-1 serves 500,000 passengers daily while the LRT-2 serves 200,000 passengers. Its 33.4 kilometers (20.8 mi) of mostly elevated route form two lines which serve 31 stations in total. LRT Line 1 (LRT-1), also called the Red Line (formerly Yellow Line, Green Line), opened in 1984 and travels a north–south route. LRT Line 2 (LRT-2), the Purple Line, was completed in 2004 and runs east–west. The original LRT-1 was built as a no-frills means of public transport and lacks some features and comforts, but the new LRT-2 has been built with additional standards and criteria in mind like barrier-free access. Security guards at each station conduct inspections and provide assistance. A reusable plastic magnetic ticketing system has replaced the previous token-based system in 2001, and the Flash Pass introduced as a step towards a more integrated transportation system. As of 2015, the plastic magnetic tickets were replaced with the Beep, a contactless smart card, was introduced to provide a common ticketing to 3 rail lines and some bus lines.