Trains topbill transport shift

Rail services will be the focus of the revamped public transportation system as the nation strives to rise from the interruption caused by the pandemic, Department of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

Tugade told Daily Tribune among the important developments in the DoTr’s transition to a “new normal” is the deployment of additional trains to serve more returning workers across Metro Manila.

“There will be more trains coming, including that of the Philippine National Railways (PNR), which we have procured from Indonesia. The DoTr railway sector has also increased its trains in its existing lines,” Tugade revealed.

Currently, the Metro Rail Transit 3 has 19 trains with 57 train cars; PNR has eight train sets with 28 train cars; Light Railway Transit-1 has 28 train sets with 98 train cars; while Light Railway Transit-2 has five train sets with 20 train cars.

Despite delays caused by the pandemic, Tugade remains optimistic that the flagship projects will still be completed as planned. The DoTr resumed utility relocation works and specified limited works across 13 rail projects despite strict quarantine protocols.

Sturdier tracks

As a result, the rail replacement works for the MRT-3 is expected to be completed by September this year, several months ahead of its February 2021 target completion date.

The government-imposed coronavirus lockdown, one of the longest and tightest quarantine restrictions in the world, has so far revealed that the country’s mass transportation sector needs an overhaul and that its shutdown could pose an irreparable harm in the economy.

The DoTr is thus preparing itself to modernize the transportation systems to adapt to the “new normal.” The DoTr secretary told the

Daily Tribune by email that the effort involves technology-driven, integrated and sustainable initiatives that “will not only address disease transmission but will revolutionize road transport to become efficient, reliable, environment-friendly and safe.”

Meanwhile, the construction of the Common Station Project, which will link four rail lines — MRT-3, LRT-1, MRT-7, and the Metro Manila Subway Project, is also making progress at 15 percent completion for Area A or the Design and Build of Common Station and LRT-1 Viaduct.

The Common Station Atrium or Area B is already completed as of December 2019, while construction at Area C which is the MRT-7 North Avenue Station is still ongoing. The MRT-7 Project, on the other hand, is now 52 percent complete.

EDSA gets new look

According to Tugade, the transition to a “new normal” also paves the way for “major changes in the polluted, noisy and congested EDSA.”

In transforming Metro Manila’s major thoroughfare, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is opening 31 new city bus routes as part of its route rationalization scheme.

The buses observe regular schedule dispatching and maintaining fixed headways for a more efficient management of trips, and should only board and alight passengers on identified stops.

The DoTr will also introduce the

EDSA Carousel from Monumento in Caloocan to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in Parañaque City. This will have 550 assigned bus units, which will traverse on dedicated lanes in the median lane of EDSA that will separate from private cars.

Operators are now required to install fare collection systems to make transport more convenient and less susceptible to coronavirus transmission.

Two-wheel option

The DoTr, in coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), has also started the construction of bicycle lanes along EDSA.

“This initiative, along with the ongoing modernization of the of the public transport system, will ensure that the mobility of people is prioritized over the movement of cars,” Tugade said.

“It is hoped that through these initiatives we will not only improve connectivity but more importantly shape the mindset and behavior of Filipinos towards commuting — that this will become the preferred transport mode,” he added.

While it recognized that the volume of private vehicles plying along EDSA is contributory to traffic, Tugade maintained that they cannot impinge on the citizens’ right to ownership and use their private vehicles.

There will be more trains coming, including that of the Philippine National Railways, which we have procured from Indonesia

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PNR MORE trains of the Philippine National Railways are expected to roll under the plan to make locomotives the chief mode of public transport.