The Light Rail Transit Line 6 is a proposed
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...
system in
Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southw ...
, Philippines.
There have been two proposals for the line, with the first one shelved immediately in 2018.
Another proposal emerged in 2017 and is currently under review by the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
Background and history
The province of
Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southw ...
is known as a "
bedroom community" for those who work in
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
. Over the recent decades,
urbanization
Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly th ...
has been widespread in the country and
urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...
has been most evident within the
Greater Manila Area. The LRT Line 6 aims to provide
rail transport
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
options to 45 percent of Cavite's population which are concentrated on the cities of
Bacoor
Bacoor (), officially the City of Bacoor ( fil, Lungsod ng Bacoor), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...
,
Imus and
Dasmariñas.
Early trains in Cavite
Trains belonging to the
Manila Railroad Company previously plied the Naic line from
Paco station
Paco station is a railway station located on the South Main Line in the city of Manila, Philippines. It was originally opened by the Manila Railroad Company in 1908 as a major hub in the southern half of Manila, where trains toward Cavite provin ...
in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
to Naic station in
Naic, Cavite. The
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
line was opened in 1909 by the virtue of Insular Government Act No. 1905. It had 19 stations over of track. There was also a branch line to
Cavite City
Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( fil, Lungsod ng Kabite, Spanish and cbk, Ciudad de Cavite), is a 4th class component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 100,674 people.
The city was the ...
which would have branched off at
Noveleta. Some of these trains passed by once towns of
Parañaque and
Las Piñas in
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
, as well as
Bacoor
Bacoor (), officially the City of Bacoor ( fil, Lungsod ng Bacoor), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...
in Cavite. The line ended operation by 1936 and much of the line has been built over in the following decades, such as the expansion of the
Nichols Field. Some of the historical right-of-way is now shared between the
Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base and
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA , ; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino or ''Pandaigdigang Paliparan ng Ninoy Aquino''; ), originally known and still commonly referred to as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main ...
.
LRT Line 1 Cavite extension
There were no plans to rebuild a line to Cavite until 2004 when Canadian firm
SNC-Lavalin proposed an extension of the existing Line 1 to Cavite. However, the Arroyo administration rejected the study in 2005. In 2012, the
LRT Line 1 south extension project as a
public-private partnership project. It aims to extend the line to
Bacoor
Bacoor (), officially the City of Bacoor ( fil, Lungsod ng Bacoor), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...
, Cavite with a target start of construction in 2014 and opening date in mid-2015. However, the bidding process failed and the government repeatedly postponed the project starting in 2013. It was not until 2019 when construction for the LRT Line 1 extension commenced and is currently 61.60% complete as of December 2021. The line in its current form has a targeted partial opening date by 2024 and will be fully-operational by 2027.
First Line 6 proposal
The first mention of a separate LRT Line 6 in Cavite was when then-president
Benigno Aquino III approved the construction of the LRT Line 6 in Cavite after a
National Economic and Development Authority board meeting on September 6, 2015. The first proposal was described as a
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
line along the route of the
Aguinaldo Highway. It will start from Niog station, which is separate from the
Line 1 station and the two lines will not share tracks. The next stations will be Tirona, Imus, and Daang Hari stations in
Imus; and Salitran, Congressional Avenue, and Governor's Drive in Dasmariñas.
This project however was shelved indefinitely in 2018.
Modified Line 6A and 6B+C proposal
In 2018,
Villar-led Prime Asset Ventures Inc. came up with an alternative proposal for the said railway line. The new mainline consists of 23.5 km (14.6 mi) long, nine (9) stations, passing through the less congested arterial road of Molino–Paliparan Road, including the large-scale vacant properties in Bacoor and Dasmariñas, Cavite. The new proposal will branch out its railway network in Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, and Parañaque where large-scale subdivisions are situated. As of December 2020, the proposal has passed the stringent qualifications set by the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, prompting to issue an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) on February 7, 2020. The project is now under review by the NEDA-ICC alongside other unsolicited proposals such as the
Metro Manila SkyTrain and the
MRT Line 10.
Proposed stations
The present Line 6 proposal is long, with 9 stations as part of the initial proposal. The main line is so-called ''Modified Line 6'', formerly called ''Line 6A''. It is long, starting at Niog station that is connected to the LRT Line 1 Cavite extension and ending at Governor's Drive station. Due to alignment changes, the new Governor's Drive station in
Dasmariñas is relocated to Barangay Paliparan, east of the original station in Pala-Pala area in Barangay Sampaloc I.
There would be also
an extension of the line to Tagaytay, although only this section of the line has been presented to the government.
Three stations have been named after locations outside the line's actual right of way: San Pedro, Alabang and GMA. San Pedro being named after the city of
San Pedro, Laguna
San Pedro, officially the City of San Pedro ( fil, Lungsod ng San Pedro), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 326,001 people.
It is named after its patr ...
, Alabang after the
eponymous barangay
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolita ...
in
Muntinlupa, and GMA station after the town of
General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite
General Mariano Alvarez, officially the Municipality of General Mariano Alvarez ( tgl, Bayan ng Heneral Mariano Alvarez) and often shortened as GMA, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 ...
. It was however stated in the unsolicited proposal that Alabang Line 6 station is actually located in Barangay Molino IV in Bacoor, while San Pedro will be located in
Salawag and GMA in Paliparan IV, both are barangays of Dasmariñas.
Expansion
Both the Filipino proponents and the Japanese consultants also included their proposed expanded network to their documents. It includes Line 6B, an
airport rail link extension of Line 6 to
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA , ; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino or ''Pandaigdigang Paliparan ng Ninoy Aquino''; ), originally known and still commonly referred to as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main ...
; Line 6C, a
spur line near the Parañaque–Muntinlupa border; Line 6D, another spur line to Alabang, near the
Alabang station of the
Philippine National Railways
The Philippine National Railways (PNR) ( fil, Pambansang Daang-Bakal ng Pilipinas and es, Ferrocarril Nacional de Filipinas) is a state-owned railway company in the Philippines which operates one commuter rail service between Metro Manila a ...
; and the Line 6 extension to Tagaytay.
Line 6D is also being developed by the Japanese firm as a separate line.
Altogether, the combined line length is at approximately with a combined track length of around .
According to the 2020 Japanese study, the expansion is set to be completed by 2040.
Line 6B
Line 6B will run between
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA , ; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino or ''Pandaigdigang Paliparan ng Ninoy Aquino''; ), originally known and still commonly referred to as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main ...
in
Pasay
Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people.
Due to its location jus ...
and San Nicolas Line 6A station in Bacoor, Cavite. The line is long with 10 stations and will have a
single track section between NAIA and
Sucat Road.
Line 6C
Line 6C will run along the right-of-way of
Dr. Santos Avenue in Parañaque. A 6-station spur of Line 6B, it will split with Line 6B between Canaynay and El Grande stations. While a majority of the area would not have a right-of-way issue for an elevated railway, a two-way ramp leading to the Sucat exit of the
Metro Manila Skyway
Skyway, officially known as the Metro Manila Skyway System (MMSS), is an elevated highway which is the main expressway in Metro Manila, Philippines. It connects the North (NLEX) and South Luzon Expressways (SLEX) with access to Ninoy Aquino ...
will cause a section of the line leading to Lake Front station to be built as an
underpass.
Line 6D
Line 6D is connected to Line 6B at Marcos–Alvarez station in Las Piñas. It will be with 4 stations along the
Alabang–Zapote Road in Las Piñas and
Muntinlupa. This line will have a targeted opening date by 2030.
This branch in particular is also the subject of the Japanese feasibility study published by METI in 2020. Line 6D's Starmall station is located on a vacant lot beside Alabang exit of the
South Luzon Expressway
The South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), signed as E2 of the Philippine expressway network and R-3 of the Metro Manila arterial road network, is a limited-access toll expressway that connects Metro Manila to the provinces in the Calabarzon region ...
. The study also proposed a footbridge connection to the future
Alabang station of the
North–South Commuter Railway. It is also proposed to be converted into a separate line in the future named the Alabang–Zapote Line. Once this extension is approved, the Alabang–Zapote Line will reach the
Cavite Economic Zone in
Rosario, Cavite
Rosario, officially the Municipality of Rosario ( tgl, Bayan ng Rosario), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 110,807 people.
Formerly known as ''Salinas'', ...
. The total length would also be at . The expansion is targeted to be completed by 2040.
Technical
Rolling stock
The line will use
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...
s that will be powered through
overhead line
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as:
* Overhead catenary
* Overhead contact system (OCS)
* Overhead equipm ...
s, but the type of the rolling stock used remains unspecified. In the 2015 study, Line 6 trains will use electrification, similar to
LRT Line 1 as well as some
light rail and
light rapid transit systems used overseas. The trainsets will also be arranged into a four-car formation reflective of newer-generation
light rail vehicles (LRVs) used on Line 1. The use of the term "commuter rail" for the rolling stock made it ambiguous as to whether or not the line will use LRVs or high-capacity trainsets.
In the 2019 proposal, it is also left unspecified as to use LRVs or rapid transit trainsets. An
automated guideway transit
An automated guideway transit (AGT) or automated fixed-guideway transit or automatic guideway transit system is a type of fixed guideway transit infrastructure with a riding or suspension track that supports and physically guides one or more dr ...
was also given as an option for Line 6D in the 2020 Japanese study presented by METI. The 2020 study also recommended the use of 4-car trainsets as with the 2015 proposal. The 2020 study also made allowances for coupling two trains into 8-car sets. The maximum passenger capacity of the trainsets is at 300 per car or 1,200 people per set. In comparison, the
LRTA 13000 class has a maximum capacity of 1,388 passengers. The use of the AGT, light rail vehicles, or heavy rail trainsets is currently under assessment by NEDA.
Station design
The 2020 study recommends that the line will use
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular o ...
s due to its compact size and costs less to construct. The design for the elevated stations will be based on the
Yurikamome automated guideway transit
An automated guideway transit (AGT) or automated fixed-guideway transit or automatic guideway transit system is a type of fixed guideway transit infrastructure with a riding or suspension track that supports and physically guides one or more dr ...
system in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
. All elevated stations will feature ''eki-naka''
( ja) commercial development.
Three stations would be grade-separated by
embankment
Embankment may refer to:
Geology and geography
* A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea
* Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railway ...
instead of being fully-elevated stations through a
viaduct. These are San Nicolas, Daang Hari, and Alabang stations. This is because these stations will be built over private property.
Lake Front station of Line 6C will also be built partially underground due to the conflicting pillars of the
Metro Manila Skyway
Skyway, officially known as the Metro Manila Skyway System (MMSS), is an elevated highway which is the main expressway in Metro Manila, Philippines. It connects the North (NLEX) and South Luzon Expressways (SLEX) with access to Ninoy Aquino ...
Sucat exit ramp.
Other than these four stations, the line shall be built with a viaduct.
Line 6 system length
Notes
References
{{Urban Rail Transit in ASEAN
Line 6
Proposed public transportation in the Philippines
Light Rail Transit System Line 6
Transportation in Cavite
Light Rail Transit System Line 6
Transportation in Luzon