Манила қалалық теміржол жүйесі

Rail system serving Metro Manila

During peak hours, Line 1 fields 30 trains at most; the time interval between the departure of one and the arrival of another, called headway, is a minimum of 3–4 minutes. On January 9, 2009, Line 1 fielded 31 trains with a headway of 2 minutes to service devotees in celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Line 2 on the other hand, runs 10 trains at most with a minimum headway of 5 minutes. With the proper upgrades, Line 1 is designed to potentially run with headway as low as 1.5 minutes. Line 2 can run with headway as low as 2 minutes with throughput of up to 60,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd). In conjunction with the Line 3—also known as the new Yellow Line, a similar but separate metro rail system operated by the private Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC)—the system provides the platform for the vast majority of rail travel in the Metro Manila area. Together with the PNR, the three constitute the SRTS. Recto and Doroteo Jose serve as the sole interchange between both lines of the LRTA. Araneta Center Cubao and EDSA stations serve as interchanges between the LRTA and the MRTC networks. To transfer lines, passengers will need to exit from the station they are in then pass through covered walkways connecting the stations. Blumentritt station meanwhile is immediately above its PNR counterpart. Baclaran, Central Terminal, and Monumento are Line 1's three terminal stations; Recto, Araneta Center Cubao, and Antipolo are the terminal stations on Line 2. All of them are located on or near major transport routes where passengers can take other forms of transportation such as privately run buses and jeepneys to reach their ultimate destination both within Metro Manila and in neighboring provinces. The system has two depots: Line 1 uses the Pasay Depot at LRTA headquarters in Pasay, near Baclaran station, while the Line 2 uses the Santolan Depot built by Sumitomo in Pasig. Both lines are open every day of the year from 4:30 am PST (UTC+8) until 10:15 pm on weekdays, and from 5:00 am until 9:50 pm on weekends, except when changes have been announced. During Holy Week, a public holiday in the Philippines, the rail system is closed for annual maintenance, owing to fewer commuters and traffic around the metro. Normal operation resumes on Monday. During the Christmas and year end holidays, the operating hours of the line are shortened due to the low ridership of the system during the holidays. Notice of special schedules is given through press releases, via the public address system in every station, and on the LRTA and LRMC websites. Name and color Opened Last extension Stations Length Termini Line 1 1984 12 01 2010 10 22 20 Line 2 2003 04 05 2021 07 05 13 Lines and stations in italics are either under construction, not yet operational, or have been closed.

The system's roots date back to 1878 when an official from Spain's Department of Public Works for the Philippines submitted a proposal for a Manila streetcar system. The system proposed was a five line network emanating from Plaza San Gabriel in Binondo, running to Intramuros, Malate, Malacañan Palace, Sampaloc and Tondo. The project was approved and in 1882, Spanish German businessman Jacobo Zóbel de Zangroniz, Spanish engineer Luciano M. Bremon, and Spanish banker Adolfo Bayo, founded the Compañia de los Tranvias de Filipinas to operate the concession granted by the Spanish colonial government. The Malacañan Palace line was later replaced with a line linking Manila to Malabon, and construction began in 1885. Four German made steam operated locomotives and eight coaches for nine passengers each, composed the initial assets of the company. The Manila Malabon line was the first line of the new system to be finished, opening to the public on October 20, 1888, with the rest of the network opening in 1889. From the beginning it proved to be a very popular line, with services originating from Tondo as early as 5:30 a. m. and ending at 7:30 p. m., while trips from Malabon were from 6:00 a. m. until 8:00 p. m., every hour on the hour in the mornings, and every half hour beginning at 1:30 p. m.

With the American takeover of the Philippines, the Philippine Commission allowed the Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company (Meralco) to take over the properties of the Compañia de los Tranvias de Filipinas, with the first of twelve mandated electric tranvia (tram) lines operated by MERALCO opening in Manila in 1905. A five year reconstruction program was initiated in 1920, and by 1924, 170 cars serviced many parts of the city and its outskirts.

The system was closed during World War II. By the war's end, the tram network was damaged beyond repair amid a city that lay in ruins. It was dismantled and jeepneys became the city's primary form of transportation, plying the routes once served by the tram lines. The monorail's feasibility was still being evaluated when the government asked the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to conduct a separate transport study. Another study was performed between 1976 and 1977, this time by Freeman Fox and Associates and funded by the World Bank. It originally suggested a street level railway, but its recommendations were revised by the newly formed Ministry of Transportation and Communications (now the DOTr). The ministry instead called for an elevated system because of the city's many intersections. giving birth to what was then dubbed the "Metrorail". First Lady Imelda Marcos, then governor of Metro Manila and minister of human settlements, became its first chairman. Although responsible for the operations of the system, the LRTA primarily confined itself to setting and regulating fares, planning extensions and determining rules and policies, leaving the day to day operations to a sister company of Meralco called the Meralco Transit Organization (METRO Inc.). Initial assistance for the project came in the form of a ₱300 million soft loan from the Belgian government, with an additional ₱700 million coming from a consortium of companies comprising SA Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi (ACEC) and BN Constructions Ferroviaires et Métalliques (today both part of Bombardier Transportation), Tractionnel Engineering International (TEI) and Transurb Consult (TC). Although expected to pay for itself from revenues within twenty years of the start of operation, it was initially estimated that the system would lose money until at least 1993. For the first year of operation, despite a projected ₱365 million in gross revenue, losses of ₱216 million were thought likely. The line was test run in March 1984, and the first half of Line 1, from Baclaran to Central Terminal, was opened on December 1, 1984. The second half, from Central Terminal to Monumento, was opened on May 12, 1985. The premature aging of Line 1 led to an extensive refurbishing and structural capacity expansion program with a help of Japan's ODA. For the next few years Line 1 operations ran smoothly. In 2000, however, employees of METRO Inc. went on strike, paralyzing Line 1 operations from July 25 to August 2, 2000. Consequently, the LRTA did not renew its operating contract with METRO Inc. that expired on July 31, 2000, and assumed all operational responsibility.

With Japan's ODA amounting to 75 billion yen in total, the construction of Line 2 began in the 1990s. In 2001, the Legarda portion of the project was briefly the site of the May 1 riots against the Philippine government, with one of the project's backhoe loaders being set on fire by protesters. The first section of the line, from Santolan to Araneta Center Cubao, was opened on April 5, 2003. During that time the Line 1 was modernized. Automated fare collection systems using magnetic stripe plastic tickets were installed; air conditioned trains added; pedestrian walkways between Lines 1, 2, and 3 were completed. A two station, extension of Line 2 eastward from Marikina up to Masinag, Antipolo in the province of Rizal opened to the public on July 5, 2021, six years after construction began in 2015.

On September 12, 2015, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), a joint venture company of Metro Pacific's Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation (MPLRC), Ayala Corporation's AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation (AC Infra), and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure's Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) PTE Ltd. (MIHPL), started a 32 year concession for the operation and maintenance of Line 1 and the construction of a ₱65 billion extension project to Bacoor, Cavite.

With the exception of Katipunan (which is underground), the LRTA's 33 stations are elevated. The boarding platforms are long and wide. Terminal stations also have a public relations office. Stores and ATMs are usually found at street level outside the station, although there are instances where they can be found within the concourse. Folding bicycles are allowed to be brought inside the trains to promote bimodal transportation. The LRTA has also designated the last car of each train as "green zones", where folding bicycle users can ride with their bikes, provided that it does not exceed the LRTA's baggage size limitations of
Originally, Line 1 was not built with accessibility in mind. This is reflected in the Line 1's lack of barrier free facilities such as escalators and elevators. It is also inconvenient in other ways: for one, because of the use of side platforms, passengers wishing to access the other platform for the train bound in the opposite direction at single level Line 1 stations need to exit the station (and by extension, the system) and pay a new fare. The newer Line 2, unlike its counterpart, is designed to be barrier free and allows seamless transfer between platforms. Built by a joint venture between Hanjin and Itochu, Line 2 stations have wheelchair ramps, braille markings, and tactile paving leading to and from the boarding platforms in addition to escalators and elevators. In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, copies of the Inquirer Libre—a free, tabloid size, Tagalog version of the Inquirer broadsheet—are available at selected LRTA stations from 6:00 am until the supply runs out. The Line 2, unlike the Line 1, runs heavy rail metro cars made in South Korea by Hyundai Rotem and provided by the Asia Europe MRT Consortium led by Marubeni Corporation that have higher passenger capacity and maximum speed. All five types of rolling stock are powered by electricity supplied through overhead wires. Of the two LRTA lines, the Line 2 prominently employs wrap advertising in its rolling stock. The Line 1 have begun using wrap advertising as well initially for their second generation trains, followed by their third generation trains.

Line 1 at various stages in its history has used two car, three car, and four car trains. The two car trains are the original first generation BN trains (railway cars numbered from 1000). Most were transformed into three car trains, although a lot of two car trains remain in service. The four car trains are the more modern second generation Hyundai Precision and Adtranz (numbered from 1100), the third generation Kinki Sharyo / Nippon Sharyo (1200), and the fourth generation Mitsubishi / Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (13000) trains. There are 139 railway cars grouped into 40 trains serving the line: 63 of these are first generation cars, 28 second generation, and 48 third generation. One train car (1037) was severely damaged in the Rizal Day bombings and was subsequently decommissioned. As part of the south extension of the line, 30 new trains built in Spain and Mexico by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles and Mitsubishi Corporation were procured in 2017. The trains entered service in 2023.

Line 2 fleet runs eighteen heavy rail four car trains with lightweight stainless car bodies and alternating current traction motors. They have a top speed of and usually take around forty minutes to journey from one end of the line to the other. Each train measures wide and long allowing a capacity of 1,628 passengers: 232 seated and 1,396 standing. Special open spaces and seats are designated for wheelchair users and elderly passengers, and automatic next station announcements are made for the convenience of passengers, especially for the blind.

Before 2001, passengers on Line 1 would purchase a token to enter the station. Subsequent upgrades in the fare collection system eventually transitioned the Yellow Line from a token based system to a ticket based system, with full conversion to a ticket based system achieved on September 9, 2001. Starting September 2015, the old magnetic tickets were decommissioned and replaced by contactless based smart card technology by IDEMIA. Passengers can enter the system paid areas with either a single journey or stored value Beep Card. The Beep Card can be used on all LRT and MRT lines. Tickets can be sold from ticket booths staffed by station agents or from ticket machines.

Previously, the system uses two types of tickets: a single journey (one way) ticket whose cost is dependent on the destination, and a stored value (multiple use) ticket available for ₱100. Senior citizens and disabled passengers can receive fare discounts as mandated by law. Tickets would normally bear a picture of the incumbent president, though some ticket designs have done away with this practice. Single journey tickets are only valid on the day of purchase and will be unusable afterward. They expire if not used to exit the same station after 30 minutes from entry or if not used to exit the system after 120 minutes from entry. If the ticket expires, the passenger will be required to buy a new one. Stored value tickets are usable on both lines although a new fare will be charged when transferring from one line to the other. To reduce ticket queues, the LRTA is promoting the use of stored value tickets. Aside from benefitting from a lower fare structure on the Line 1, stored value ticket users can avail of a scheme called the Last Ride Bonus that grants the use of any residual amount in a stored value ticket less than the usual minimum ₱12 fare, or the appropriate fare for the station of arrival from the station of departure, as a full fare. In a transitional move towards such a unified ticketing system, the Flash Pass was implemented on April 19, 2004, as a stopgap measure. However, plans for a unified ticketing system using smart cards have languished, leaving the Flash Pass to fill the role for the foreseeable future. Originally sold by both the LRTA and the Metro Rail Transit Corporation, the Blue Line operator, the pass was discontinued with the election of Benigno Aquino III as President of the Philippines in 2010. The pass consisted of two parts: the Flash Pass card and the Flash Pass coupon. A nontransferable Flash Pass card used for validation had to be acquired before a Flash Pass coupon can be purchased. To obtain a card, a passenger needed to visit a designated station and fill out an application form. Although the card is issued free of charge and contains no expiry date, it is expected to be issued only once. Should it be lost, an affidavit of loss had to be submitted before a replacement can be issued. The Flash Pass coupon, which served as a ticket, was linked to the passenger's Flash Pass card through the card number printed on the coupon. Coupons were sold for ₱250 and were valid for unlimited rides on all three lines of the LRTA and MRTC for one week. followed by Line 1 a month later.

The Light Rail Manila Corporation and AF Payments, Inc. presented a QR code based ticketing system to be used in Line 1. Once approved, it can serve as viable alternatives to single journey tickets and can be purchased via mobile apps. Implementation of this ticket system was originally set for 2022 but has not been implemented yet.

Adjusting passenger fares has been employed by the DOTC (predecessor of DOTr) and LRTA as a means to boost flagging ridership figures and improve the lines' services, and the issue of fares both historically and in the present continues to be a political issue. Current fare levels were set on August 2, 2023, after its initial implementation by April 2023 was deferred by President Bongbong Marcos as economic inflation remained a major concern. Prior to the current fare levels, fares for both lines were set on January 4, 2015. These lower fares—which are only slightly more expensive than jeepney fares—ended up being financed through large government subsidies amounting to around ₱25–45 per passenger, and which for both the MRT and LRT reached ₱75 billion for the 10 year period between 2004 and 2014. Without subsidies, the cost of a single trip is estimated at around ₱40–60,

Plans for expanding the LRTA network have been formulated throughout its history and successive administrations have touted trains as one of the keys to relieving Metro Manila of its long standing traffic problems. Expansion of the system was one of the main projects mentioned in a ten point agenda laid out by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2005.

A south extension of Line 1 is under construction. The envisioned line would have 8 stations over ending in Bacoor in the province of Cavite. It will be the third line extending outside the Metro Manila area after the opening of the Line 2 east extension in Antipolo, Rizal and the planned Line 7 that starts in North Avenue, Quezon City and ends in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. An unsolicited bid to build and operate this project from Canada's SNC Lavalin was rejected by the Philippine government in 2005. The government is working with advisers (International Finance Corporation, White & Case, Halcrow, and others) to conduct an open market invitation to tender for the construction of the extension and a 30 year concession to run it. An additional extension from Bacoor to Imus and from there a further extension to Dasmariñas, both in Cavite, are also being considered. On March 22, 2012, the Line 1 south extension project was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). In line with this, the operations and maintenance of Line 1 was awarded to the Light Rail Manila Corporation in 2014 and started operating the line on September 12, 2015. The groundbreaking ceremony of the south extension was held on May 4, 2017, with construction beginning on May 7, 2019. Partial operations of the south extension is slated for 2024, with full operations slated by 2027. The LRTA is also currently conducting studies on the feasibility of a , four station Line 1 spur from Baclaran towards Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport, with a projected daily capacity of 40,000 passengers. Funding for the project could be sourced from either official development assistance or a public private partnership. Line 2 is planned to be extended westward from Recto up to the Manila North Harbor in Tondo.

The LRT Line 6 was originally conceived as a continuation of the LRT Line 1 to Dasmariñas, Cavite. In its current form, the "Modified" Line 6 proposal is a elevated railway from Niog station in Bacoor to Governor's Drive station in Dasmariñas via the Molino–Paliparan Road. The line will also be extended further north to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (as Line 6B) in Pasay and further south as Tagaytay (as Line 6A extension). There will also be branch lines passing through Dr. Santos Avenue and Alabang–Zapote Road in southern Metro Manila. The combined length of the proposed line including the extensions and branch lines is at and with a track length .