LIGHT Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) on Wednesday said it signed a deal with Japanese firms Sumitomo Corp. and Hankyu Corp. for technical assistance in the operations and maintenance of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) system.
Under the agreement, Hankyu Corp. will provide technical support to LRMC, aiding in the assessment of LRT-1 operations and enhancing procedures and staff training.
During the signing event in Makati City, Hankyu’s Senior Managing Director Masayoshi Uemura said that this marks the company’s inaugural involvement in a railway project outside Japan. Hankyu currently manages 190 kilometers of railway lines in the Kansai Region.
“Traffic congestion is very serious in the Philippines. It is of vital importance to mitigate the traffic congestion,” he said.
“To solve this problem, the railway service plays an increasingly important role in helping solve this crisis,” he added.
Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said that the agreement is expected to entice Japanese firms to invest in the country’s mass transport systems.
“This latest partnership for LRT-1’s operations and maintenance serves as showcase to convince new Japanese investors to seriously consider Philippine mass transport projects,” he said.
Mr. Bautista added that the agreement is timely as partial operations for the LRT-1 Cavite extension will begin in the latter part of this year.
“This added layer of assistance will be most helpful especially at this time when the Cavite Extension is about to start partial operations very soon,” he said.
The LRT-1 Cavite Extension project aims to add 11 kilometers to the current line, serving 800,000 passengers a day. It would also increase the number of LRT-1 stations from 20 to 28, linking Quezon City to Bacoor, Cavite.
LRT-1 is operated by LRMC. Sumitomo Corp. began investing in LRT-1 in 2020, supporting LRMC’s procurement of spare parts.
LRMC is the joint venture of Ayala Corp., Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp., and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte Ltd.
Metro Pacific Light Rail is a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is one of three Philippine subsidiaries of Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being PLDT Inc. and Philex Mining Corp.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., maintains interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
