Vito Cruz station is an elevated

Light Rail Transit Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

(LRT) station located on the

LRT Line 1 The Light Rail Transit Line 1, commonly referred to as LRT Line 1 or LRT-1, is a state-owned (through Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA)) but privately operated (by Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC)) light rapid transit system line in Metr ...

(LRT-1) system in

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ( ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. It is the first station going north and the last station going south to lie within Manila city bounds. It is also the tenth station for trains headed to

Fernando Poe Jr. Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004), known professionally as Fernando Poe Jr., and often referred to by his initials FPJ, was a Filipino actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and politician. His long and s ...

and the sixteenth station for trains headed to Dr. Santos. The station takes its name from the old name of the nearby

Pablo Ocampo Street Pablo Ocampo Street, also known simply as Ocampo Street and formerly and still referred to as Vito Cruz Street, is an inner-city main road in Manila, Philippines. It runs west–east for about , connecting the southern districts of Malate, Manil ...

, which was named after Hermogenes Vito Cruz, a former ''alcalde mayor'' of Pineda (present-day

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay (; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 Philippine census, 2020 census, it has a ...

) .

History

The station was opened to the public on December 1, 1984, as part of LRT's inaugural southern section, known as the Taft Line.

Nearby landmarks

The station is near some major landmarks, such as the

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on January 3, 1949, and then re-established on July 3, 1993 pursuant to the provision of Re ...

complex, the University Mall shopping center, and the

Rizal Memorial Sports Complex The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC; formerly known as Rizal Memorial Field) is a national sports complex of the Philippines, located on Pablo Ocampo St. (formerly Vito Cruz St.), Malate, Manila. It is named in honor of the country's national ...

. The

Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex The Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, also known as the CCP Complex, is an Arts district, art district managed by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) located along Roxas Boulevard in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is a mixed- ...

is near this station as well, although commute is also an option due to its distance. Located in this complex are the CCP Main Building, the

Philippine International Convention Center The Philippine International Convention Center (; PICC) is a convention center located in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay, Philippines. The Brutalist facility has been the host of numerous local and foreign conventions, ...

Folk Arts Theater The Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas (), formerly known as the Folk Arts Theater, was a theater located in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Malate, Manila. It is a covered proscenium amphitheater owned by the Cultural Center of ...

Manila Film Center The Manila Film Center is a building located at the southwest end of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay, Philippines. The structure was designed by architect Froilan Hong where its edifice is supported on more than nine h ...

, MBC Building, Star City,

Aliw Theater The Aliw Theater () is an events venue in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is located in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, adjacent to the Star City amusement park and the MBC Media Group building. History The Aliw Theater w ...

and the Harbour Square. The station is also close to some educational institutions, such as the main campus of

Arellano University School of Law The Arellano University School of Law (AUSL) is the law school of Arellano University. AUSL was established in 1938. The school is managed by the Arellano Law Foundation, a non-stock and non-profit organization established by the alumni and fac ...

De La Salle University De La Salle University (), also referred to as DLSU, De La Salle or La Salle, is a private, Catholic coeducational research university run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools with main campus in Taft Avenue, Malate, Man ...

De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde The De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde (; ), also known as DLS-CSB or Benilde, is a private, Catholic secondary and tertiary education institution established by the De La Salle Brothers, located in the Malate district of Manila, Philippin ...

, and St. Scholastica's College. The southbound concourse of the station is connected to the adjacent University Mall, but is currently blocked off as the entrance has since been converted into tenant space. The station was also near

Harrison Plaza Harrison Plaza (HP) was a shopping mall situated along Adriatico Street corner Ocampo Street in the district of Malate in Manila, Philippines. Opened in 1976 and closed at the end of 2019, it was the first modern and major shopping mall loca ...

, which was demolished for a redevelopment by

SM Prime SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPH) is a Filipino integrated property developer and a public subsidiary of SM Investments Corporation. It was incorporated on January 6, 1994, to develop, conduct, operate, and maintain the SM commercial shopping ce ...

Transportation links

Buses serving the Taft Avenue route, taxis, jeepneys,

UV Express Utility Vehicle (UV) Express (formerly known as FX, Metered Taxi, and GT or Garage-to-Terminal Express) is a license to operate utility vehicles, particularly vans, as an alternative mode of public transport in the Philippines. The term also refe ...

, and pedicabs stop near the station. Some destinations, such as St. Scholastica's College, are within walking distance from the station. There is also a

Philippine National Railways The Philippine National Railways (PNR) (; ) is a government-owned and controlled corporation, state-owned railway company in the Philippines which operates one commuter rail service between Laguna (province), Laguna and Quezon, and local servic ...

station of the same name, although the station is far from the station, requiring a commute from the station.

Incidents

Vito Cruz station is notorious for its unusually high number of

suicide attempt A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives. Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is ...

s. As a result, the LRTA has imposed a "speed limit" on trains entering stations to deter the number of successful suicides.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vito Cruz station (LRT) Manila Light Rail Transit System stations Buildings and structures in Malate, Manila Railway stations in the Philippines opened in 1984