Voith (www.voith.com)— a family-owned multi-national corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with headquarters in Germany — has won an order to modernise 27 trains used in the Philippines capital Manila.

In order to manage current and future passenger volumes, Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) decided to modernise the propulsion system of its second-generation rail vehicles, dating from 1999.

Voith will replace the traction and auxiliary inverters, as well as the vehicle control systems. The project will be completed in 2020.

LRMC operates and maintains the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) in Manila, running from Roosevelt station in the north to Baclaran station in the south.

The 20.7km LRT-1 system currently has 20 stations, and more than 400,000 people use it every day. There are plans to extend the line to the south, with eight more stations.

Founded in 1867, Voith today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of 4.2 billion euros and locations in over 60 countries world-wide, making it one of Europe’s largest family-owned companies.