The Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1)

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The Manila Light Rail Transit Line 1 (more known as LRT 1 or Yellow Line ) has been the main mode of transportation of commuters with destinations along Taft and Rizal Avenue, being in existence for around a quarter-century already. Latest statistics from the LRT Authority show that there are 13-14 million passengers every month, with almost 400,000 on a daily average. The LRT 1 originally had 19 stations from Baclaran in Paranaque to Monumento in Caloocan. Recently, the LRT 1 Yellow Line was extended to link to the MRT. Three more stations were added to the LRT 1 Yellow Line to "connect" the Monumento Station to MRT's North Avenue. These stations are: Balintawak, Roosevelt, and SM North; as of this writing, Balintawak is already functional.
This post shall discuss: (1) Fares and Tickets; (2) Schedule (3) Stations (4) Current and Future Plans (5) Trip Guide (6) Safety Guidelines

Fares and Tickets
Fare ranges from 12 pesos to 20 pesos depending on how far you are from your destination.
When the LRT1 started, it was issuing tokens for passengers but shifted to ticket-based system by 2001. There are two types of magnetic card tickets: Single Journey and Stored Value. The former is only for one-time use only while the latter can hold P60 and P100 value that can last for a workweek for short distance commuters (senior citizens can get a P96 stored value ticket).
The rules for fare per station are these (see the list of stations below for reference):
Single Journey Tickets:
1. If you are coming from stations Baclaran, Monumento, and all those stations between them, you will pay 12 pesos for the next 4 stations relative to the origin, 15 pesos from the 5th station onwards, and 20 pesos if you will get down in Balintawak. Example: If you are coming from Baclaran, you will pay 12 pesos if you are going to Vito Cruz, but if you are going to Quirino, you will have to pay 15 pesos; to Balintawak, you will then have to pay 20 pesos.
2. If you are coming from Balintawak, you will pay 15 pesos if your destination lies within Monumento and Bambang; beyond Bambang (Doroteo Jose until Baclaran), you will have to pay 20 pesos.
Stored Value Tickets:
1. If you are coming from stations Baclaran, Monumento, and all those between them, you will pay 12 pesos for the next 4 stations relative from the origin, 13 pesos from the 5th station to the 8th, 14 pesos from 9th to 12th, 15 for the 13th to 16th stations and 20 pesos if you will get down in Balintawak. Example: If you are coming from Baclaran, you will pay 12 pesos if you are going to Vito Cruz, but if you are going to Quirino, you will have to pay 13 pesos, to Carriedo - 14 pesos, to Abad Santos - 15 pesos, to Balintawak, you will then have to pay 20 pesos.
2. If you are coming from Balintawak, you will pay 13 pesos to Monumento and 5th Avenue, 14 pesos to R. Papa and Abad Santos, 15 pesos to Blumentritt, Tayuman, and Bambang, 16 pesos to Doroteo Jose, Carriedo, and Central Terminal, 17 pesos to UN Avenue, Pedro Gil, Quirino Avenue, 18 pesos to Vito Cruz, Gil Puyat, and Libertad, 19 pesos to EDSA and Baclaran.

Schedule 
Weekdays - The LRT service starts at 5am and ends at 11pm. From 5am to 11pm, the LRT has trains arriving within 3-minute intervals. Last train from Baclaran leaves at 930pm, while last train from Monumento leaves at 10pm.
Weekends - The LRT service starts at 5am and ends at 10:30pm only. Last train leaves Baclaran at 9pm, while last train from Monumento leaves at 930pm.

Stations
There are 19 LRT stations in Metro Manila, which spans four (4) cities, from Balintawak in Quezon City to the southern tip in Pasay, which is Baclaran. The list of stations, as well as major landmarks, are as follows:

1. Balintawak (Quezon City) - recently opened last March 22, 2010. Balintawak Market, Caloocan-Quezon City boundary, EDSA-Cloverleaf Interchange, Andres Bonifacio Monument and Parks, A. Bonifacio Drive, NLEX exit, which makes going in and out of Metro Manila from the Northeasy (you can ride a bus going to Balintawak and just take the LRT to get through destinations along the LRT route or go to North Avenue station and hop on the MRT to go to destinations along EDSA) 

2. Monumento (Caloocan City) - originally the northmost station until Balintawak was opened. Monumento Circle (where the Bonifacio Monument can be found), Grace Park, Rizal Avenue corner EDSA, Uniwide, Ever Gotesco, Manila Central University (MCU). This also serves as the end terminal for buses that ply the EDSA route as well as Taft Avenue. NBI Clearance Center is also located in this area (5th floor, Victory Mall), which is a few minutes of walk away from the LRT Station. 
3. 5th Avenue (Caloocan City) - basically found along the C-3 Road (Fifth Avenue), this station is where those going to Taoist Temple, Hernandez Hospital, Jade Towers, andYorklin Chinese School get down. 
4. R. Papa (Manila) - Tondo, Manila Chinese Cemetery, St. Pancratius Parish
5. Abad Santos (Manila) - Tondo, Sampaloc, Manila Chinese Cemetery
6. Blumentritt (Manila) - Sampaloc, San Lazaro Hippodrome (now SM City San Lazaro). This also serves as the connection to Blumentritt PNR Station.
7. Tayuman (Manila) - Sta. Cruz, San Lazaro Hippodrome (now SM City San Lazaro), the closest link to University of Santo Tomas.
8. Bambang (Manila) - Sta. Cruz, Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, and can also be a link to University of Santo Tomas.
9. Doroteo Jose (Manila) - Sta. Cruz, Fabella Memorial Hospital, Isetann Shopping Center, Quiapo, major link to the University Belt. Manila City Jail is also around the area. This also serves as the connection to LRT 2 Purple Line (that starts from Santolan Station in Marikina to Recto Avenue in Manila) through the Recto Station which can be accessed via an elevated walkway bridge.
10. Carriedo (Manila) - Sta Cruz, Pasig River, Quiapo Church, which is home to the Black Nazarene, Escolta, Ongpin, Binondo, Binondo Church, China Town, Manila Mini-Forest Park, Liwasang Bonifacio, closest link to FEATI University, Manila Central Post Office. This also serves as the connection to the Pasig River Ferry Line via the Escolta Station.
11. Central Terminal (Manila) - Ermita, Arroceros, Pasig River, Intramuros, Manila Metropolitan Theater, Manila City Hall, Office of the Ombudsman, National Museum of the Philippines, Department of Labor and Employment, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, SM City Manila, Mehan Garden. This is also the closest link to the University Belt which includes schools such as Colegio De San Juan de Letran, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), Mapua Institute of Technology, Lyceum of the Philippines University. This also serves as the connection to the Pasig River Ferry Line via the Lawton Station



12. United Nations (Manila) - Ermita, Rizal Park, Luneta, Supreme Court of the Philippines, Department of Tourism, Justice, Manila Ocean Park, Quirino Grandstand, Times Square shopping mall, YWCA of Manila, schools such as AdamsonUnivesity, Emilio Aguinaldo College, Manila Science High School, Pearl Manila Hotel, Manila Doctors Hospital, Medical Center Manila.
13. Pedro Gil (Manila) - Ermita, Robinson's Manila/Ermita, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines (UP- Manila), Nakpil Street
14. Quirino Avenue (Manila) - Malate, Manila Zoo, Remedios Circle, Adriatico Street, Paco Park and the Paco PNR station is also nearby
15. Vito Cruz (Manila) - Malate, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines), Harrison Plaza, University Mall, Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, De La Salle University, De La Salle - College of St. Benilde, Arellano University, St. Scholastica's College, jai alai pelota court.



16. Gil Puyat (Pasay) - popularly known as Buendia, Cartimar, Philippine Law School, Pasay City Academy, Manila Adventist Medical Center (also called Manila Sanitarium), EGI Mall. Buendia MRT Station (along EDSA) can be found at the other end of Gil Puyat; Buendia PNR Station (along SLEX/Osmena) is midway the two stations.
17. Libertad (Pasay) - Pure Gold, Libertad Market, Cuneta Astrodome, Department of Foreign Affairs, Holy Trinity Church, St. Mary's Academy, Spring Cinema, Rizal Funeral, Sta. Clara Parish, Pasay City Hall, Philippine School for the Deaf, Aglipayan Church, nearest link to Pasay Road and Ayala Malls via the Ayala-Libertad jeepney route.
18. EDSA (Pasay) - Metropoint Mall, Macapagal Avenue, SM Saver's, Heritage Hotel, Pasay Rotonda, Philtranco Terminal, Saulog and Aladdin Bus Terminal. Nearest link to the SM Mall of Asia, EDSA MRT. This also serves as the link of LRT to the MRT Line (also known as the Blue Line) that starts from EDSA Taft Station in Pasay to North Avenue in Quezon City. They are connected via an elevated walkway bridge.
19. Baclaran (Pasay) - Baclaran Shrine/Church, Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Coastal Mall, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Terminal 2 Shopping Center, JB Line Bicol Express, South Metroland Terminal. There is also a plan of extending the LRT 1 Yellow Line to Bacoor, Cavite via this terminus station. 

Current Extensions
Balintawak Station just opened last March 22. Aside from this station, there are three more stations that are proposed in the northern tip of LRT 1: Malvar in Caloocan (between Monumento and Balintawak), Roosevelt (also to be called Munoz) and North Avenue (as connection to MRT Blue Line) in Quezon City. These stations are currently being build and are due to be opened to public before end of this year. 

See below a simple map that shows the LRT Yellow Line:

Follow the LRT1 Route around Metro Manila and see the nearest attractions through our interactive map.

Future Projects
There are plans to extend the LRT going south from the Baclaran Station to Bacoor Cavite. The proposed stations will pass by three key cities stretching almost 12 kilometers: Paranaque (Redemptorist, Manila International Airport, Asia World, Ninoy Aquino, Dr. Santos), Las Pinas (Manuyo Uno, unspecified station), Bacoor (Zapote, Talaba, Niog) 

The Trip
All stations are elevated above the road unlike MRT and LRT Line 2 stations which have underground and level stations. The stations have relatively the same setup which makes it easier for commuters to remember the steps in order to ride the MRT. There's the entrance to the station (where inspection happens), ticket booths, the entrance to the platform, and the platform itself. Once you have bought a ticket, next step is to proceed to the platform. The train coach for women is separate from men to prevent harassment. 

Safety Guidelines
When riding in the LRT, one should take note that some things may not be brought inside the platform for security reasons, such as: inflated balloons, large luggages, any open bottles or cans, quantity of fluids such as chemicals, pesticides, andgasolines , as well as pointed objects. Due to the Rizal Day bombings, security was heightened. One cannot ride the LRT under influence of restricted drugs or alcohol or insane as these may cause some harm to the innocent passengers. Inside the platform, make sure to pay attention tosignages and warnings to avoid any commotion or confrontation from the security guards.

As always, be careful with your belongings, particularly valuables such as wallets and jewelry, as this is a public transportation.

During rush hour, the volume of passengers double or triple; this happens between 6 to 9 in the morning and 5 to 8 in the evening. It is advisable, that if time still permits, to be earlier or postpone the trip until after the rush hour. Women also have their own separate train coach to prevent harassment from occurring due to some reported cases and also, injuries due to physical contact during rush hour.

For other information, one can visit the Manila Light Rail Transit website.

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