Manila LRT Systems

The 6 days we were there we were quite dependent on the LRT Systems but we have to queue not for the tickets but to get into the station where we have to be luggage and personal checked by security guards.

The Manila Light Rail Transit System, popularly known as the LRT, is the main metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. There are two lines to the LRT: LRT-1, called the Yellow Line, and LRT-2, called the Purple Line. Although the system is referred to as a "light rail" system, arguably because the network is mostly elevated, the system is more akin to a rapid transit (metro) system. The Manila LRT is the first metro system in Southeast Asia, built earlier than the Singapore MRT by three years. The system is not related to the Manila Metro Rail Transit System, or the Blue Line, which forms a completely different but linked system.

The LRT by itself consists of two lines: the Yellow Line and the Purple Line. The Yellow Line consists of eighteen stations in a general north-south direction over 15 kilometers of fully elevated track. The line commences at Baclaran and ends in Monumento. The Purple Line consists of eleven stations in a general east-west direction over 13.8 kilometers of mostly elevated track, with Katipunan station lying underground. The line commences at Recto and ends in Santolan. Overall, the network has 29 stations over 28.8 kilometers of track, passing through the cities of Caloocan, Manila, Marikina, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City, and San Juan. Although only two stations exist as interchange stations between the Yellow and Purple Lines, namely, Doroteo Jose and Recto stations, Araneta Center-Cubao (marked as Cubao on the map) and EDSA stations also serve as interchange stations between the LRT network and the Blue Line. The network also has six terminal stations: Baclaran, Central Terminal and Monumento stations for the Yellow Line; and Recto, Araneta Center-Cubao and Santolan stations for the Purple Line. All terminal stations have been designated as transport hubs, where commuters can take other forms of public transport to areas to and from the station. Both lines are open from 5:00 am PST (UTC+8) until 9:30 pm for the Yellow Line and until 10:00 pm for the Purple Line. On weekends, the Purple Line operates on a shortened schedule from 6:00 am until 8:00 pm. Special schedules, if necessary, are announced via the PA system in every station and on the LRTA website.