Proposed monorail needs several alignments
The raw data of the proposed monorail transit study revealed that there are several alignments needed for the planned 12-kilometer transport system in Cebu City.
Few of the alignments are from Pardo through N. Bacalso Avenue; General Maxilom Avenue and Escario Street; business line between Ayala-run Cebu Business Park and Cebu IT Park; uptown and Talamban area.
PhilTram Transportation Consortium Corp. Public Relations Officer Cerwin Eviota said these alignments are among the options that will be stipulated in the prefeasibility study that will be completed next month.
“PhilTram Transportation Consortium, Inc. revealed these places are among the options it has considered for the planned 12-kilometer Metro Cebu Monorail. The line may either run from SRP to Mandaue City, or a loop within Cebu City, but it will all depend on where the monorail can best serve the Cebuanos,” reads the press release sent to The FREEMAN.
Eviota said the company took the information from the raw data that Frenchrun Systra Philippines presented recently from a pre-feasibility study that focused on ridership forecast, traffic and business case.
He said PhilTram intends to pursue an alignment for the monorail that will serve the best number of passengers and help alleviate the worsening traffic situation in the city.
Eviota, however, said the proposed alignments have yet to be finalized once the study by Systra is finished by February 2018 and the pre-feasibility study will be completed next month.
He said Philtram officials visited City Hall last Wednesday to discuss the status of the project.
City Administrator Nigel Paul Villarete said Philtram updated the city government on the identification of the alignments of the project.
Villarete added Philtram has also identified its probable financing mechanism for the implementation of the project in case they decide to proceed with the submission of a concrete proposal.
For the city, the preference is to work on alignments that will directly connect and serve the residents of the city, Villarete said.
He, however, declined to specify the city’s recommended alignment since it is the concern of Philtram for now.
“Preference is on alignments that accrues higher economic benefits as compared to financial revenues,” he said.
Villarete said financial and institutional proposal should conform to the country’s existing legal and regulatory framework.
He said Philtram assured that it will continue to update the city government on the update of the project.
Eviota said there are engineers from China Railway Engineering Consulting Group that will come to Cebu by midNovember to inspect the proposed alignments and narrow down to what will be technically feasible.