Commuter Woes: The Government’s Plans for Public Transportation
Feb 4, 2016 • Abu Poblete
4. The MRT-7
The Metro Rail Transit Line 7 will be led by the San Miguel Corporation, and is worth approximately $1.54 billion (P50.4 billion). The transit will be 22.8 km long with 14 stations from North Avenue to San Jose del Monte, along with a 22-km road that will connect to North Luzon Expressway’s Bocaue exit. The construction of the rail system is set to start in mid-2016.
The DOTC the bidding for the South Line of the North-South Railway Project (NSRP) this January. According to the DOTC, the winning bidder will be in charge of designing, constructing, financing, operating and maintaining the 56-kilometer Commuter Rail service (for daily riders on the Tutuban, Manila to Calamba and Laguna route), the 478-kilometer Long-Haul Rail service (for travelers on the Tutuban, Manila to Legazpi, Albay route), the 58 kilometers from Calamba, Laguna to Batangas City, Batangas, and the 117 kilometers from Legazpi, Albay to Matnog, Sorsogon.
3. Speed limiters for Public Utility Buses
Via moneygizmo.net
Public Utility Buses will be installed with speed limiters this year to reduce the number of speed-related vehicular accidents, which have increased exponentially in recent years. The speed limiter will have a maximum of 60 km/h for buses on EDSA, and a maximum of 80 km/h for those on expressways like the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, South Luzon Expressway and Southern Tagalog Arterial Road.
Buses without limiters will not be registered or allowed to franchise by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. PUB operators who don’t install the limiters will be fined a maximum of P100,000 and have their franchises suspended. The driver of buses without speed limiters or their operators will be fined P50,000. The driver will have their license suspended for a month while first-time offender franchises will be suspended for three months. People who tamper with the limiters will be fined P30,000 as well as a six month to three year imprisonment.
2. Rerailing of LRT-1 and the erection of LRT-6
Via mb.com.ph
The LRT is getting a major upgrade as well, and that upgrade is called the LRT Line 6 project, planned to connect Bacoor with Dasmarinas.
The bidding of the 19-kilometer trail system is scheduled on February 15 at the Crowne Plaza Manila Gallery in Ortigas. Once the bidder has been chosen, the LRT-6 will have seven stations: Niyog, Tirona, Imus, Daang Hari, Salitran, Congressional Avenue and Governor’s Drive. This new line is expected to lessen the vehicular traffic in Cavite and make commuting easier by improving passenger mobility, and to improve the economic reach of the region.
The 29-kilometer northbound LRT rail tracks will also get a makeover starting April this year as the Light Rail Manila Corporation will replace the track from Baclaran to 5th Avenue. The tracks are expected to arrive in April, according to LRMC engineering director Rudy Chansuyco, and the project is expected to finish by the end of 2017. The tracks will greatly improve the train system because they will “cover the systematic replacements of rails and other rail components to keep the LRT-1 line functioning at optimum quality and enable train speed to be increased from 40 kph (km per hour) to 60 kph.”
Chansuyco also said that the LRMC is in the process of rehabilitating its elevators and escalators, renovating the stations and restoring old trains still in use.
1. The P140-million MRT improvement plan
Via mb.com.ph
The DOTC promises MRT-3 passengers that they will have a much better riding experience on the rail line this year. The DOTC says that new industrial fans, UPS batteries, traction motors, platform edge doors, security fences, noice barriers, improved escalators, power supply and signaling system, and the procurement of new coaches should be expected to be in place before the Presidential term of PNoy ends in May.
Another DOTC promise that we can only hope they will deliver on is the brand new train, which is expected to be operational by March of this year. The DOTC has conducted tests on this new train and they plan to use it by the first quarter. Besides the one new train, 48 more coaches are expected to be delivered by January 2017.
What are your thoughts on the government’s plans for public transportation? Sound off in the comments below!
1 comment
This article does a great job of shedding light on the DOTC’s plans to tackle Metro Manila’s traffic issues. It’s refreshing to see such a detailed breakdown of the strategies being considered to alleviate congestion in one of the busiest cities. The insights provided are both informative and thought-provoking, offering hope that these initiatives could bring much-needed relief to commuters. Thanks for keeping us informed on these important developments—it’s encouraging to know that efforts are being made to address such a critical issue!