 Philippines Manila |
Manila light rail, metro Manila has the Philippines' only metro. However, the three unique lines serve many nearby cities which are independent by their own rights, such as Makati and Quezon City. Both LRT1 and LRT2 lines follow the routes of lines set up by Meralco, the city's tram owner and still it's electric company, in 1913. In 2003, the various transit agencies were merged into the Strong Republic Transit System, or SRTS, as opposed to the previous WRTS. Line numbers were changed into colors. As with all transit systems, beware of terrorists.
Metro Manila, from the top of the LRT system   Line 2, also known as the Purple Line, LRT2, or, my personal favourite, "The Megatren". (Sounds like something you'd find in John Holmes medicine cabinet, doesn't it?). The Megatren runs east-west and is elevated except for the humble underground Katipunan station. The line will eventually be 13.8 km with 11 stations. It opened in 2003. Unlike lines one and three, it runs full metro cars.   Line 3, also known as MRT3 and more commonly as Metrostar, is also completely elevated except for the underground Buendia station, which transforms the elevated metro to a subway. It is 16.8 km and opened in 1999. Another 7.2 km are under construction. A major passenger complaint is that in the process of trying to save money, elevators and escalators were deleted from the building plans. This made using the metro especially annoying during Manila's ice cold tropical summers. Along with high fares, the lack of lifts and escalators also kept the ridership below original projections. As you might guess, Imelda also had a hand in the planning of Line 3. Some say that if you think happy thoughts just before the Metrostar closes, you can see her changing her shoes near the station stairway. LRT4 is expected to break ground soon. The east-west line will run 22 km from Manila to Quezon City with 20 stations. Other plans include a 9.5 km underground metro and conversion of state railway tracks in the center city to a new light rail line. And in late 2003, bidding began on LRT6, actually an 11.7 km extension to LRT1. In January 2004, the government approved LRT7, running from the Tala area in Caloocan, the Lagro area in Quezon City's Fairview district, and ending at the MRT station at the corner of EDSA Highway and North Avenue.  Future projects Railway Technology - Manila Metro BS Photo History of light rail and tramways in Manila Mass Transit in Manila 2001 IRJ article Official Home Page of lines 1 and 3 Official Home Page of line 2, the MEGATREN Phillipine Railways Website including photos of the MRT by Brad Peadon |
