If you've been a student or an employee in Manila, you would know that hardships in riding the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) regardless of the time. This is why the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) began to upgrade and expand probably the most jam-packed and busiest train stations in the heart of Luzon.
In a statement they said last Monday, October 21st, the management said that the upgrade and expansion plans of the EDSA-Taft station, one of the oldest and the first railways in the country, has began.
Furthermore, they said that this is a part of their initiative - an upgrade that is worth P8.7 billion back in September of the year 2015.
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What was the expansion and upgrade of the EDSA-Taft station?
There were a few but noticeable, useful, and significant changes done in the LRT-1 EDSA-Taft station and all upgrades was directed for the betterment of the experience of the people riding the trains.
Third floor and a bridgeway
Basing it on the reports, the LRMC has shown that they started to open a third (3rd) floor access from a building adjacent to a mall and a connecting bridgeway. This way, people who would be coming from the aforementioned mall wouldn't have to go down and outside the mall just to be able to ride the LRT-1.
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Take note, the bridgeway also includes a roofing system along with a fire exit and improved areas for commuters.
New ticketing booths
Congestion in the ticketing booths was also one of the main problems of the station. In fact, this is one of the reasons why the LRT-1 EDSA-Taft station is considered to be one of the busiest and most challenging stations of the LRT. With this, the management also said that new ticketing booths were built to accommodate more passengers at a time.
Visual improvement and more toilets
After the passing of the bill that would require bus terminals to have decent restrooms to accommodate passengers and mothers, the LRMC pushed on the decision to further improve the restrooms of the LRT-1 EDSA-Taft station.
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Furthermore, the station was visually improved and major paint jobs were done as well as furnished finish floors and LED lighting.
Juan Alfonso, LRMC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President expressed his thoughts of making the LRT-1 EDSA-Taft station to be a good travel experience for all passengers.
He mentioned that the LRT-1 is part of the main modes of transportation in Manila and therefore, having it expanded and upgraded would be a hefty, but a worth choice.
We want all our commuters to have the best travel experience as they discover the joys and hidden secrets of Manila, and we are continually committed to providing comfort and convenience on the LRT-1."
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In addition to that, Alfonso also mentioned that all of the upgrades and modernization they are doing - and that they plan doing, is for the main goal of achieving the best travel experience Filipinos can get out of the LRT-1.
All our efforts in this endeavor, including the further extension and modernization of the LRT-1 line, are made toward achieving this goal."
International Standard
Because of the major upgrades and improvements done to the LRT-1 EDSA-Taft station, the LRMC was able to maintain their ISO certification of compliance to the ISO 9001:2015 or the International Standards and Quality Management System and ISO 14001:2015 and the Environmental Management System.
These major upgrades are in conjunction with the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project, which will be connecting the rest of Metro Manila to Cavite for a better and a more efficient mode of transportation, and a shorter travel time.
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How about other stations of the LRT-1?
No news and reports about other LRT-1 stations undergoing the same renovation has popped up. Regardless of what the current situation is, frequent LRT-1 passengers are happy that the LRT-1 EDSA-Taft station has been improved because it plays a crucial role in the daily commute of the Filipino people.
However, we commuters really do hope that the improvement is not just along the EDSA-Taft LRT-1 station; having all stations repaired and appropriately modernized would be of utmost assistance and help to commuters.
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The LRT-1 has been operational for the past 35 years; and it has been operating daily ever since (unless maintenance works and repairs are going on). This is the reason why most of its walls and floors are badly corroded and it was music to everyone's ears that upgrades and expansion plans are on the way.
Hopefully, projects like these to improve the experience of daily commuters would continue - for the overall betterment of public transportation here in our country.
Source/s: Manila Bulletin News | The Philippine Daily Inquirer
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