Metro Manila: MRT/LRT lines - Part III [Archive]

Kiel

March 20th, 2005, 04:22 AM

Metro Manila: MRT/LRT Lines Part 1 - http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=96027
Metro Manila: MRT/LRT Lines Part 2 - http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=193651

P8.5-billion LRT-1 expansion approved
By Sandy Araneta
The Philippine Star 03/20/2005

Stalled for more than three years, a project to expand the passenger capacity of Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) was finally given the go signal.

Light Rail Transit Authority administrator Melquiades Robles recently issued a notice to proceed (NTP) to Sumitomo-Itochu Joint Venture (SJIV) after the LRTA board of directors approved the P8.5-billion capacity expansion project.

Robles issued the NTP last March 15 and gave the SJIV until the end of this month to start the project.

A loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will finance the project.

The primary goal of the project is to increase the
capacity of LRT-1 from 27,000 to 40,000 passengers an hour per route with the addition of 48 train cars.

LRT 1 has 91 cars but only 69 are operational.

Another goal of the project is to modernize the facilities of LRT-1 in preparation for the extension of the service from Baclaran in Parañaque City to Cavite.

"All outdated materials will be replaced," Robles said.

Trains currently run from Monumento in Caloocan City to Baclaran.

The LRTA also has plans for boosting revenues from the sale of advertising spaces within train stations.

Robles had earlier said the LRTA would invite bidders for a five-year contract to oversee the sale of the advertising spaces.

"We have set a floor price of P80 million. We could get more than that compared to the P25 million annually that we have been getting," he said.

Total non-rail revenue this year is expected to reach P145 million,

Revenue from rail operations is also expected to increase to P2.8 billion this year, up 70 percent from the P1.66 billion posted in 2004.

But the revenue increases apparently won’t be enough to put the LRTA in the black.

Robles said a P10 fare increase for both Lines 1 and 2 of the LRT is necessary to pay for maturing debts, estimated at P3.4 billion this year, and rises in power costs and other overhead.

Power accounts for around 30 percent of the rail system’s operations.

Train service at LRT Lines 1 and 2 will be suspended for four days, from March 24, Maundy Thursday, to March 27, Easter Sunday.

Robles said the LRTA will take advantage of the Holy Week break to inspect and repair their facilities.

He said the suspension of the service will not have an adverse effect on transportation in Metro Manila since most residents will either stay at home or go on vacation during the four days.

ryanr

March 20th, 2005, 08:22 AM

Great news...but hasnt this been approved already? They should start now...it has been delayed for a long time already.

sandrin

March 20th, 2005, 09:49 PM

$1.2-B MRT 7 project gets Neda OK
Inquirer News Service

THE $1.2-BILLION Metro Rail Transit 7 has been cleared by the National Economic and Development Authority as one of the government's priority projects, according to Economic Planning Secretary and Neda Director General Romulo Neri. Neri said the project no longer needed the first- and second-pass approvals as Malacañang had removed these hurdles to simplify the implementation process. The Department of Transportation and Communication said it would likely conduct a Swiss challenge for the railway project by the middle of the year. All unsolicited proposals for government projects have to be subjected to a Swiss challenge wherein the original proponent is given the right to match any better offer submitted by another interested group. An unsolicited offer, however, is not qualified for any government subsidy. Universal LRT Corp. submitted an unsolicited proposal for a mass transit project from San Jose, Bulacan, to North Edsa (to link up with the MRT 3), integrating it with land transport hubs and real estate development. Sources said officials of some of MRT 7's foreign investors, French firm Alstom and German firm Siemens, as well as certain prospective Israeli investors, were in town to look into the progress of the project. "We are ready to review the contract of MRT 7. In the contract they would present to us, we must ensure that the project is deficit-neutral and that the private group takes ridership risk and other refinements to protect the government's financial position," Neri said in an interview. The consortium is building a $1.2-billion, 22-kilometer integrated transport system comprised of a mass transit railway to run from San Jose in Bulacan to North Edsa, a depot for public vehicles like jeepneys and buses, and an eight-story car park. Slated for operations by 2009, MRT 7 is expected to move between 650,000 and 800,000 passengers daily. It would have 13 elevated stations and an underground (at the Quezon City memorial circle) station. The trains would run at a speed of 85 kilometers an hour compared to MRT 3's 60 kph. The Sy family, through SM Capital and BDO Capital, is also one of the major shareholders of Universal LRT together with the Go family of Equitable PCI Bank, Penta Capital, Japanese firm Premier Gold and EL International Corp. of businessman Eli Levin. The World Bank's investment arm, International Finance Corp., had committed to take a 30-percent stake in the project. Foreign contractors like Japan's Sumitomo Corp., France's Alstom, Germany's Siemens, China's CNTIC, and EEI Corp. of the Yuchengco family are also part of the consortium.

********
Imagine ang daming foreign investors...galing!

bustero

March 21st, 2005, 04:04 AM

The at grade sections of the mrt were done primarily for cost purposes and not just to keep the 0% grade.

Just a word for those who don't like the mrt, LRT 7 is led by the same guy who is the proponent to the mrt , eli levin. This guys a real operator and one who rubs a lot of people the wrong way too, that's why the mrt was delayed so much. Hopefully their designs will not be as shitty for lrt 7 as they are for mrt.

kennethologist

March 21st, 2005, 04:43 AM

absent-minded

March 21st, 2005, 06:54 AM

great news... good thing the QC Memorial Circle Station will be underground. and nice to know they're finally giving the go-ahead for the LRT-1 capacity expansion project.

Just a word for those who don't like the mrt, LRT 7 is led by the same guy who is the proponent to the mrt , eli levin. This guys a real operator and one who rubs a lot of people the wrong way too, that's why the mrt was delayed so much. Hopefully their designs will not be as shitty for lrt 7 as they are for mrt.

yeah... they mentioned that the proponents of the MRT-7 are the same guys behind MRT-3. but $2-B is a lot of money so let's just hope that it'll be enough to provide for a truly world class system. hopefully something as good as the Megatren or the original plans for the MRT-3. they did have great, ambitious plans for the original MRT-3 before it got corrupted and totally scaled down into what it is now...

ryanr

March 21st, 2005, 07:03 AM

Well, hopefully Eli Levin saw how good line 2 is compared to line 3 that he will develop something even better:D I'm not to worried though, Siemens is the contractor for the rolling stock so its gotta be good:) And as Lance said, $1.2B is a lot so we should expect it to be modern. And there are so many investors, it should be much better than line 3. Good that it is now a priority project, finally some more progress:okay:

and whoo hoo! They are doing what we wanted - underground for QC memorial circle.

absent-minded

March 21st, 2005, 07:20 AM

And as Lance said, $1.2B is a lot so we should expect it to be modern. And there are so many investors, it should be much better than line 3. Good that it is now a priority project, finally some more progress:okay:

oh yeah... oops!! hehe! it's $1.2B for the MRT itself. not $2B like I said in my last post. the additional $800M to total $2B should be for the mini-city at the northern end and the highway connecting to NLEX...

renell

March 21st, 2005, 08:03 AM

Man so much info... brain overload. I'll just clap, GMA's getting some delays with her MRTs/LRTs, but it's trickling :applause:

thomasian

March 21st, 2005, 08:40 AM

At least GMA eliminated the need for first and second pass approvals. :applause:

stephencua

March 21st, 2005, 10:41 AM

At least GMA eliminated the need for first and second pass approvals. :applause:

yup.. i hope that the construction would start at sometime soon..

thomasian

March 21st, 2005, 10:46 AM

Maybe not that soon but at least within this decade. :jk:

SKYLINEPIGEON

March 21st, 2005, 10:46 AM

red tape actually turns off investors gma was very good in eliminating succeding approvals, the project and together with the northrail, the new nlex will further improve the economic enhancement of northern luzon and spread the economic activites outside the metropolitan manila area

renell

March 21st, 2005, 10:49 AM

MetropolitanBoy

March 22nd, 2005, 03:14 AM

What about the connection between MRT and LRT from North EDSA to Monumento?

ryanr

March 22nd, 2005, 06:20 AM

Rail network P8.5-billion expansion to proceed

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is pushing through with its P8.5-billion capacity expansion project on March 31 after a five-year delay.

The government-owned rail operator last week issued to the Sumitomo-Itochu Joint Venture the notice to proceed for the upgrades on the 20-year old train facility.

Under the capacity expansion plan, the LRTA will acquire 12 new air-conditioned four-car trains and modern operations control devices. Additional trains are expected to increase LRT Line 1's passenger volume to 40,000 per hour per direction from the current 27,000.

The expansion also involves the purchase of additional fare collection equipment, monitors for surveillance within the stations and depot, and the enhancement of the existing signalling system.

The project was delayed due to anomalies in the bidding process as alleged by Marubeni, another Japanese company which lost during the bidding for the LRTA project.

Marubeni challenged the LRTA for rebidding, but project financier Japan Bank of International Cooperation said there was no ground to do another bidding which would just result in further delay.

The LRTA also faced financial delays due to the lack of counterpart funding amounting to P1.5 billion which will cover the project budget until 2007.

LRTA Administrator Mel Robles earlier said Congress has already allocated about P500 million in counterpart funding for the first two years. He said the balance of the fund may be sourced from internally generated funds or from domestic borrowing.

"LRTA's financial projections show that it can raise more than the amount between 2005 to 2007 not only from the fare of the riding public but also from the advertisements inside and on the trains, and on the platforms of LRT Line 1's 18 stations," the LRTA said.

The expansion project for the 16-kilometer LRT Line 1 will pave the way for the construction of the rail system's southern extension to Bacoor, Cavite.

It is part of the priority programs of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who tapped the Transportation department to help in decongesting Metro Manila.

"The President recognizes that an affordable, safe, and efficient mass transit system will boost the country's economy. As the LRT system moves people and products faster, so will the economy grow more vibrant," Mr. Robles said. -- Anna Barbara L. Lorenzo

renell

March 22nd, 2005, 06:53 AM

What about the connection between MRT and LRT from North EDSA to Monumento?

Yeah I've heard news linking it with 2005... then again, it was also connected with "2004" and "2003".... gotta keep them fingers crossed still. As for LRT1, it's all good :cheers:

pau_p1

March 22nd, 2005, 02:25 PM

ano ano kaya mga stations?!

let's see (my predictions sa mga stations for this line):

-San Jose Del Monte Bulacan
-Tala
-SM Fairvew (since its opening it became a transport hub that made this mall very succesfull)
-Lagro
-Fairlane/dahlia (critical area... parating traffic, daming commuters!)
-Fairview Market
-Litex/manggahan (nearest to the payatas dumpsite...one of the most depressed areas of QC... critical area.. super daming commuters!)
-Batasan (marami ding commuters from San Mateo)
-Don Antonio
-Tandang Sora
-UP/Philcoa
-QC Hall
-SM North Edsa

yeah... that's 13 stations... since araw araw akong nagcocommute through the whole stretch of commonwealth... i find these places the best locations for a station

hmmm.. isn't 13 stations too few in a very long line like MRT7? and how far in San Jose Del Monte would this be?

my guess would be
1. SM North EDSA
2. QC Halll
3. UP/Philcoa
4. Luzon Ave/Tandang Sora
5. Don Antonio
6. Batasan Hills/COA
7. Manggahan/Litex
8. Fairview Market
9. Dahlia/Caltex/Fairview Mall
10. Regalado cor Fairview Ave.
- a station for Lagro can be put in between 10 and 11
11. SM Fairview
- the space in between is too long... they can still put at least 2 stations in between 11 and 12
12. Tala/Malaria
13. Tungko - I assume that this will be the San Jose Del Monte end of line..

well... I hope this pushes thru soon... it would be easier for me to go home to Caloocan Bukid Area when this is done... :D

thomasian

March 22nd, 2005, 04:27 PM

Could this be also connected to the future Ayala Mall in North Triangle?

pau_p1

March 22nd, 2005, 08:43 PM

I guess that this should be... and that station must be a big one for it will be for two different lines (MRT4 and MRT7)

Francis20

March 22nd, 2005, 09:25 PM

wow! good news there for MRT 7 pushing thru. i hope it would look nice as LRT 2 with all those foreign big names on the fray of proponents. i used to commute din sa stretch na yan ng Commonwealth from N. Fairview hanggang Makati. i had to be on the road as early as 4 para di ma late sa 6 am work. haha...kung na nonostalgic nga ako, nag jojoyride ako mag-isa from Quezon ave to SM Fairview just to see how has the place fared. :D Finally!...sana mabawasan na ang mga holdapan, kc lesser na ang tao na gagamit ng buses.

absent-minded

March 23rd, 2005, 04:37 AM

hmmm.. isn't 13 stations too few in a very long line like MRT7? and how far in San Jose Del Monte would this be?

there are 13 elevated stations plus the one underground QC Memorial Circle/QC City Hall station, so a total of 14. 22-km/14 = 1.5-km in between stations. but yeah, parang ang konti nga pa rin... maybe the stations will be spaced out more in the northern end as it is in the outskirts of the metro... who knows... haha

I wonder when Ayala is planning to start the North Triangle Mall. Universal LRT should talk to Ayala so they can coordinate plans for a truly integrated terminal. it's weird how it's not gonna be connected to SM North Edsa instead though, as SM is one of the investors of Universal LRT, dba...?

ryanr

March 23rd, 2005, 07:21 AM

I guess that this should be... and that station must be a big one for it will be for two different lines (MRT4 and MRT7)

And also line 3, right?

dudz

March 23rd, 2005, 07:39 AM

isn't there a plan to build a subway along ayala avenue?

ryanr

March 23rd, 2005, 07:45 AM

^I think it has been cancelled because someone said that they closed off the connection in Ayala MRT 3 station.

renell

March 23rd, 2005, 09:10 AM

Well LRT2 has 13 stations, or something around that. Same goes for MRT3.

absent-minded

March 23rd, 2005, 10:54 AM

Well LRT2 has 13 stations, or something around that. Same goes for MRT3.

well, ummm, the LRT-2 is only 13km long. and according to UrbanRail.net, the MRT-3 currently has 13 stations over its 16.8km route. compared to the MRT-7, I guess the distance between each stop on these older lines are shorter. I believe the LRT-1 has even more stations for its length...

renell

March 23rd, 2005, 11:52 AM

Let's do the calculations shall we

LRT1 15kms 18 stations. Ratio 0.83:1
LRT2 13.8kms 11 stations. Ratio 1.245:1
MRT3 16.4kms 13 stations. Ratio 1.26:1

I got these here info from urbanrail, correct me if I'm wrong s.v.p.
MRT4 22.6kms 20 stations. Ratio 1.13:1

pau_p1

March 23rd, 2005, 02:48 PM

nice calculations there... hmmm.. so MRT4 has 20 stations huh.. and how many of these would interconnect with MRT7 stations?

absent-minded

March 25th, 2005, 03:25 AM

thanks for the calculations, renell...!!

looks like the LRT-1 has the most stations for it's length and the MRT-7 (1.57-km) has the least, out of the five lines... I wonder why the LRT-1 needed so many stations. and it's pretty funny. I remember looking down Taft Ave. from the car once and you could see the previous and next stations cause they were pretty close... haha!

IsaganiZenze

March 25th, 2005, 04:03 AM

i guess...when they opened LRT1 (a really long long time ago), they probably didn't really plan how demanding it would be.... i guess now that they have alot of info...they can just target the busiest areas.... well hopefully that's what they're doing :)

ThisFire

March 25th, 2005, 05:33 PM

all of this would be great, so nice to picture

bustero

March 26th, 2005, 04:55 AM

normandb

March 26th, 2005, 05:10 AM

ryanr

March 26th, 2005, 05:15 AM

The farther the train goes into the suburbs the less stations due to less density, the more it runs in the dense part of the city , the more stations specially if it a cross line which connects to so many other lines (trains,bus or jeepney)

Exactly...Line 1 has a lot of stations because it goes through some of the densest areas of Metro Manila.

kennethologist

March 26th, 2005, 07:59 PM

hmmm.. isn't 13 stations too few in a very long line like MRT7? and how far in San Jose Del Monte would this be?

my guess would be
1. SM North EDSA
2. QC Halll
3. UP/Philcoa
4. Luzon Ave/Tandang Sora
5. Don Antonio
6. Batasan Hills/COA
7. Manggahan/Litex
8. Fairview Market
9. Dahlia/Caltex/Fairview Mall
10. Regalado cor Fairview Ave.
- a station for Lagro can be put in between 10 and 11
11. SM Fairview
- the space in between is too long... they can still put at least 2 stations in between 11 and 12
12. Tala/Malaria
13. Tungko - I assume that this will be the San Jose Del Monte end of line..

well... I hope this pushes thru soon... it would be easier for me to go home to Caloocan Bukid Area when this is done... :D

hmmm.... there is another conflict... if it runs through regalado how will the train turn towards tala if regalado cor. quirino highway is a 90 degree turn? pano un? gigibain nila ung part ng SM para maka-turn ung train? ang sharp ng turn na un...

a00556425

March 27th, 2005, 01:55 AM

http://img167.exs.cx/img167/7946/lrtext5of.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
Is this Roxas BLVD.?

It will take a long time before this project is constructed. They first have to complete that capacity expansion project in order for it to be extended to Cavite. Three years delay just for the capacity expansion, so that means there could be a posibility that the extention be re-bidded and SNC-LAVALIN won't take part in it, adding a few more years to the delay.

The Study was completed in 1999, here we are in 2005 and it has yet to be constructed :sleepy: :sleepy: :sleepy:

ewh1

March 27th, 2005, 03:15 AM

federal

March 27th, 2005, 05:14 AM

federal

March 27th, 2005, 05:15 AM

naughtyins0mniac

March 29th, 2005, 01:04 PM

I was searching around Google and i came across this

SUBWAY PROPOSAL UNDER PASIG
It was some Fil-Am engineers proposal for a subway that would run along the pasig river

http://www.geocities.com/dapat_tapatt/subwayunderpasig.html

There is also some interesting tidbits.. Like when the MRT-3 was envisioned there were proposals to put in 16 Storey Skyscrapers on it

i read them all, sounds cool.. if that gets constructed, i hope the trains and the stations would look something like these[some sf trains]...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/naughtyins0mniac/manila/2f7a230e.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/naughtyins0mniac/manila/780241d0.jpg
copyright © 2005, naughtyins0mniac

davidwebb

March 29th, 2005, 08:02 PM

At last! Government gives go-signal for P8.5-B LRT-1 expansion project (http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200503300703.htm). I hope they finished it on time. :)

kiretoce

March 29th, 2005, 08:16 PM

Good news indeed! Although, my fingers shall remain crossed. :D

renell

March 30th, 2005, 08:08 AM

Well.. there's all this techincal and political jargon before associated with LRT1's extensions.

But the article says "It’s all systems go for the planned construction of the P8.5-billion ($156.2 million) Light Rail Transit-1 expansion project as the government has given the winning bidder the go-signal to start the project."

Like kiretoce it's fingers crossed if it really is the real deal

renell

March 31st, 2005, 09:48 AM

absent-minded

April 3rd, 2005, 03:46 AM

hey man, i found this map, look at Photo D, it's similar to the one you posted

hey, yeah... haha! I didn't notice that. I think it is the same rendering, except smaller.

I don't like how they designed it to have the overhead railways at the edge of Manila Bay though. they should put it on the center island or something instead... so it doesn't block the view of the bay from the road. I think it'd pretty awesome from up in the LRT if they built it like the rendering though! haha!!

renell

April 3rd, 2005, 08:30 AM

Hmm.... yeah that's true regarding the center island positioning of the LRT. But if you look at it, you're only gonna see the reclaimed land. When it reaches to the unclaimed land of Manila Bay, it goes quite further inland.

thomasian

April 4th, 2005, 10:55 AM

At least at some point there appears a view of Manila Bay and the stunning sunset.

ryanr

April 4th, 2005, 03:58 PM

renell is right, LRT 1 extention wont affect the view of Manila Bay to much since it is only along Roxas Blvd where there is reclaimed land.

some bad news...

Japan donor threatens to pull out loan for railway upgrade project

The Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC) has warned that further delay on the capacity expansion of the railway network would lead to the cancellation of the project loan.

"We cannot be held more accountable to the Japanese taxpayers on the usage of ODA [official development assistance] funds when these cannot be effectively and efficiently utilized for the project due to the extraordinary delays as those encountered under this project," said Osamu Murata, JBIC chief representative for the Philippines.

The JBIC is funding 85% of the P8.7-million capacity expansion of the railway project through the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA). It has already released 10% of the funding under a 20-month disbursement schedule.

The capacity expansion project, which involves acquisition of 12 four-car trains for the LRT-Line 1, has been delayed for five years. Causes of delay include the request of losing bidder Marubeni Corp. to rebid the project, which it lost to a fellow Japanese construction firm, Sumitomo Itochu. Mr. Murata said another 10-month delay would mean the cancellation of the entire JBIC loan, leaving the government with no means to fund the expansion.

The rail network needs to be expanded, which also involves modernizing equipment, to pave the way for the southern extension of the train network to Cavite. The extension is part of the current administration's agenda to decongest traffic in Metro Manila.

The LRTA board on March 15 cleared Sumitomo Itochu to proceed with the project, giving the company 15 days to start.

LRTA administrator Mel Robles assured the capacity expansion actually started on March 30.

"Sumitomo has started mobilization. It already sent consultants to the site when the expansion kicked off," Mr. Robles said in an interview.

He added that nothing can stop the expansion anymore, except if the Supreme Court intervenes.

Mr. Robles said the March 18 letter of Transport Undersecretary for Rail Guiling Mamondiong, who told the LRTA not to proceed with the project, has no bearing since the board had already cleared Sumitomo.

Mr. Mamondiong is chairman of the LRTA board. -- Anna Barbara L. Lorenzo

thomasian

April 4th, 2005, 04:10 PM

I hope JBIC won't cancel the loan or else the project will be delayed again (and again).

Lili

April 5th, 2005, 12:56 AM

Nakakatuwa ang mga developments! An efficient transportation system is really key to progress!

stephencua

April 14th, 2005, 04:28 AM

hey guys, heres an update on MRT-7

San Jose del Monte City officials support MRT 7

The Philippine Star 04/14/2005

Officials of San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan declared yesterday their full support for the MRT (Metro Rail Transit) 7 project.

Mayor Angelito Sarmiento, together with Vice Mayor Rey San Pedro and the city councilors, hailed the project’s integrated approach toward transportation and urban development.

In particular, Sarmiento welcomed the project’s property development component which will be located on a 194-hectare property in the city.

The MRT 7 project is a 21.5-kilometer rail project running from Tala in Caloocan City to San Jose del Monte City, passing through Commonwealth to North Avenue, EDSA and to the Marilao exit of the North Luzon Expressway.

The proposed property development component includes middle-income housing (medium to high-rise residences), a shopping mall to be built by the SM Group, and other amenities like schools, hospitals and recreational facilities.

This new city will be built on the old Manila Bank property in San Jose del Monte.

pau_p1

April 14th, 2005, 04:50 AM

hey... it will pass through the Marilao exit of the NLEX?.... how is that so?.... I can't picture how that would be.... or is the Marilao exit it is saying is the new highway to SJDM City?

absent-minded

April 14th, 2005, 05:00 AM

hey... it will pass through the Marilao exit of the NLEX?.... how is that so?.... I can't picture how that would be.... or is the Marilao exit it is saying is the new highway to SJDM City?

yeah... I was wondering too. maybe they're talking about the 17-km highway that'll connect the NLEX to the terminal in the new city. the never mentioned the MRT itself going through the NLEX before...

anyway, umm... I just saw this on the LRTA website now.

LRT set to bid out Ad Spaces
Source: The Philippine Star METRO, Saturday, 09 April 2005
Author: Sandy Araneta

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is set to bid out this month advertising spaces for both inside and outside the coaches and stations of Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2 in an effort to generate much-needed funds.

In an interview, LRTA Administrator Melquiades Robles said that they would be able to generate some P80 million in revenues for the LRTA from these as spaces.

Robles said the bidding shall take place at the LRTA office along Aurora Boulevard in Pasay City.

Line 1 is a 15-kilometer railway system while Line 2 is a 13.8-kilometer mass transit line that traverses five cities in Metro Manila, namely, Pasig, Marikina, Quezon City, San Juan and Manila, along the thoroughfares of Marcos Highway, Aurora Boulevard, Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard, Legarda and Recto Avenue.

Robles said they are expecting major companies to submit their respective bids as the LRT can serve as a rolling advertisement, giving maximum exposure for possible advertisers.

He said they have been looking for ways to generate income for the LRT, which would be used to facilitate its maintenance and pay obligations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
noooo...!!! they're covering up the nice, new Megatren!! oh well... we'll see. I hope they don't turn out too bad.

renell

April 14th, 2005, 11:07 AM

I don't know if it'll be any effective, say compared to the MRT3. Line 3 is on grade most of the time, and EDSA traffic helps publicity too. LRT2 isn't..... but what I find suprising is that it's only until now they're advertising inside the coaches.....

jbkayaker12

April 14th, 2005, 11:08 AM

Perhaps they will use the glass panels and not cover the entire body of the train similar to the ones I have seen here in Vegas on our buses and the monorail.

renell

April 14th, 2005, 11:15 AM

You mean..... translucent advertising? I'm not too sure if I prefer that over the ones done on MRT3. I still want to see where I'm passing by with a clean window.

jbkayaker12

April 14th, 2005, 11:28 AM

You mean..... translucent advertising? I'm not too sure if I prefer that over the ones done on MRT3. I still want to see where I'm passing by with a clean window.

I really dont care what you prefer anyway!!

renell

April 14th, 2005, 12:09 PM

That's just too bad really.

If you're gonna be a dickhead do it somewhere else.

mysaong03

April 16th, 2005, 05:30 PM

Japan fumes as generals retreat
Posted: 0:15 AM | Apr. 15, 2005

Victor Agustin
Inquirer News Service
AFTER voting yes, the two ex-generals heading the Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have withdrawn their approvals of the expansion of Line 1 of Metro Manila's overhead Light Rail Transit, prompting the Japanese financier to break protocol to express frustration over the "long and meaningless delay" in the 19-billion-yen project.
"As I have pointed out earlier, this project has extraordinarily and needlessly [been] delayed for the past several years," Osamu Murata, Philippine representative of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JIBC), said in a March 31 letter to Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.
"Sad to say, this project had already reached a point where JBIC can not anymore be held accountable to the Japanese taxpayers for the long and meaningless delay," Murata said.
Ebdane and his counterpart in the DoTC, Leandro Mendoza, had earlier ordered their respective representatives in the board of the Light Rail Transit Authority to withdraw their approvals to proceed with the award of the second bidding, amid reports that the Ombudsman was investigating it.
But the JBIC official denied any irregularities in the bidding process, which saw first-bidding winner Marubeni lose to another Japanese consortium, Sumitomo-Itochu, in the second bidding.
"JBIC had found nothing wrong with the bidding process as we have been involved in the various steps of the procurement process," Murata said.
The JBIC official has also written Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, urging the former chairman of the auditing firm of SGV & Co. to "take strong and prompt leadership" to break the impasse, in view of the September 2006 loan closing date.
Even the congressmen are getting in on the action.
On Monday, the House of Representatives committee on good government, chaired by Lakas Representative Arthur Defensor and backed by Representatives Danilo Suarez and Monico Puentevella, will hold a hearing on the project, after another hearing last month was conducted by Representative Augusto Baculio, chairman of the House committee on railways and roll-on, roll-off transport.
Funded by the concessional Obuchi Fund, the LRT 1 expansion project will acquire 12 new four-car trains, construct a crossover bridge that will connect the station on Doroteo Jose Street in manila with the new LRT station at the corner of Claro M. Recto Avenue and Rizal Avenue in Manila, install system-wide closed circuit television, and upgrade electrical and electronic communication network for the entire line.
Mendoza gets Supreme Court clearance
LAWYER Estelito Mendoza, who was solicitor general under Ferdinand Marcos, may continue representing tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan and his Allied Bank Corp. in the cases of sequestration of Marcos' ill-gotten wealth.
The Supreme Court en banc threw out an appeal by the Presidential Commission on Good Government asking that Mendoza, who has also been counsel for Joseph Estrada, be disqualified on grounds that he had "actively intervened" as counsel of the defunct Central Bank of the Philippines in the liquidation of General Bank during the martial law years under Marcos.
Tan's Allied Bank later bid for and acquired the failed GenBank.
"There is no charge against Mendoza that he advised the Central Bank on how to liquidate GenBank with an eye to later defending Tan, et al. of Allied Bank," the Supreme Court said.
It also noted that the Code of Professional Responsibility, which prohibits even "congruent-interest conflict," was adopted in 1988, two years after Mendoza stepped down as solicitor general.
Two Supreme Court justices, Carpio-Morales and Callejo, issued dissenting opinions, while Tinga and Sandoval-Gutierrez issued separate concurring opinions. Two other justices, Azcuna (ex-PCGG) and Chico-Nazario (formerly of the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court), abstained.
The lengthy Supreme Court decision, written by Justice Puno, is in itself an academic treatise on the history of the legal profession's code of ethics and how it applies to former government lawyers.
Back to law books
CABANATUAN CITY Regional Trial Court Judge Tomas Talavera has been fined P21,000 by the Supreme Court for gross ignorance of the law, upon the complaint of the Community Rural Bank of Guimba.
Talavera, without notifying the complainant rural bank, granted the assistant provincial prosecutor's motion for reinvestigation, and "effectively demolished" the Department of Justice's power and supervision over government prosecutors since then-secretary of justice Serafin Cuevas had already denied the petition for review filed by the accused, the Supreme Court said.
The prosecutor, Virgilio Caballero, subsequently reversed the previous fiscal's findings and, upon the judge's approval and without notifying the rural bank or its COO Olga Samson, withdrew the "estafa" [swindling] cases despite the judge already having previously issued warrants of arrest, no bail set, for the several accused.
Heard through the grapevine
THE Philippine Stock Exchange, in a break from tradition, is considering making the hitherto honorary position of chairman a salaried office upon the "request" of the present occupant, banker Peter Favila.
The planned additional expenditure is on top of the P7 million a year the PSE allocates for its full-time president, lawyer Francis Lim.
E-mail: cocktales_pdi@pldtdsl.net or cocktales_pdi@yahoo.com

absent-minded

April 17th, 2005, 02:07 AM

You mean..... translucent advertising? I'm not too sure if I prefer that over the ones done on MRT3. I still want to see where I'm passing by with a clean window.

I think you can still see through the windows with the advertising on them. I dunno how they do it or what material they use (I guess it's the transparent thing jbkayaker is talking about), but I do remember seeing them before. specifically on the BKK Skytrain. I was inside and you could see out of the trains through the windows but some trains had all these little tiny black dots on the insides of the window (you don't see the dots unless your sitting right beside the glass). I didn't know what they were until I realized it was the advertising that some coaches had on the outside... haha!

...construct a crossover bridge that will connect the station on Doroteo Jose Street in manila with the new LRT station at the corner of Claro M. Recto Avenue and Rizal Avenue in Manila...

umm, does that mean there'll be an interchange between LRT-1 and LRT-2???? sweeeeet!! approve the project now before they cancel the loan!!! 'ay nako... I just hope that once they finally approve this, there will be absolutely no anomalies whatsoever - given the long delays already...

renell

April 17th, 2005, 04:47 AM

I thought there's already something planned to connect Lines 1 and 2?:?

apiong

April 17th, 2005, 07:57 AM

I thought there's already something planned to connect Lines 1 and 2?:?

the walkway is there already (or I think its already operational) but what is lacking is the overhead pedestrian bridge to cross from the northbound side towards the southbound side of LRT Line 1.

queetz@home

April 18th, 2005, 02:38 AM

apiong

April 18th, 2005, 02:23 PM

So what does this mean? THe LRT extension by SNC Lavalin won't be built at all now?

pushing-through of the LRT-1 Expansion is one of the pre-requisites of JBIC for the loan of the LRT-1 Extension :bash:

normandb

April 18th, 2005, 02:43 PM

pushing-through of the LRT-1 Expansion is one of the pre-requisites of JBIC for the loan of the LRT-1 Extension :bash:

It will be built but the financing will not come from JBIC anymore.

stephencua

April 19th, 2005, 03:49 AM

i hope that they get the additional trains soon..

MRT consortium eyes purchase of additional trains
By Zinnia B. Dela Peña
The Philippine Star 04/19/2005

Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC) is eyeing the acquisition of more trains for the railway system that runs along the entire stretch of EDSA, a move intended to ensure better train maintenance and the safety of the riding public.

The MRTC consortium, which operates the MRT-3 railway system, consists mainly of the Fil-Estate Group, Anglo-Philippine Holdings Corp., Railco Investments, Sheridan LRT Holdings and DBH Inc., which together hold 77 percent of total stock.

Fil-Estate chairman Robert John Sobrepeña said the consortium’s priority at this time is the purchase of additional trains, rather than bidding for the second phase of the MRT-3. He said the MRT needs about 24 to 48 more trains as its ridership has already reached its full capacity 400,000 a day.

Sobrepeña said that there are even days when the MRT carries as much as 480,000 passengers a day.

"We already made a letter to the Department of Transportation and Communications. The government is studying it now. We are worried about the maintenance and availability of the trains," Sobrepeña said.

He said the government can "order the trains themselves or the MRTC can order it with them."

MRT-3 general manager Roberto Lastimoso said earlier that the railway system currently earns an average of P120 million a month, which is still not enough to cover its monthly debt servicing and operating expenses.

The MRT consortium had sought a meeting with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other concerned government agencies to discuss measures to adopt in fasttracking the development of the second phase of the railway project, which would extend the railway from North Avenue to Monumento and connecting with the light railway transit plying the Monumento-Baclaran route.

The DOTC had ruled that Phase 2 of the MRT-3 project should be subjected to a Swiss challenge or a bidding process. A Swiss challenge is a mechanism that allows other interested entities to submit offers that are better than that of the original proponent. The current operator, however, is allowed to adjust its proposal to beat that of the lowest bidder.

But the MRTC said it should be allowed to build the extension of the MRT-3 because this was part of the supplemental agreement it had entered into with the DOTC in 1999.

The DOJ however, came out with a ruling that the supplemental agreement entered by the MRTC and DOTC for the construction of the extension project had already lapsed. For this reason, the MRT Phase 2 project had to be subject to another public bidding.

queetz@home

April 19th, 2005, 04:35 AM

^ Oh for God's sake built that MRT 3 phase II already! Swiss challenge this and that, they should just have a contract signed ages ago including deadlines, fees, etc and be done with it. Isn't there no barrier in the end of the current MRT3 Line in Quezon City so some fool can accidentally drive the train towards it and come crashing down the street?

renell

April 19th, 2005, 04:39 AM

Well it'll come crashing down the street, but without the overhead power it'll stop, if it's still intact;)

federal

April 19th, 2005, 05:15 AM

jun_of

April 20th, 2005, 09:15 AM

From http://www.lrta.gov.ph/system_links.htm

The Missing Links: Now a Reality

Smooth flowing interconnectivity and accessibility towards the different modes of transportation best describes the way how travelling is today via the existing LRT/MRT lines. In places where trains intersect with other lines (e.g., EDSA-Taft, MRT 2 Araneta Cubao - MRT 3 Cubao and Recto-Doroteo Jose Stations) the provision of appropriate linkages is of primary importance the reason why these pedestrian linkages were made possible for the benefit of the riding public.

At EDSA-Taft, a footbridge and pedestrian walkway linking the LRT and MRT stations was opened in March 2003 to facilitate a hassle-free passenger interchange. The pedestrian link connecting LRT-EDSA to MRT-EDSA located outside the Metropoint Shopping Mall allows transferring passengers the option of another access to the two (2) LRT/MRT systems via the streets below. Aside from this, an overpass walkway has been built to allow passengers alighting at the west platform of EDSA station to transfer to the east side in going to the MRT-3 without having to go down the station. With these facilities, safety, security and mobility is assured.

Similar structures connecting Line 2 with Line 3 and the Recto elevated walkway linking MRT-2 Recto Station with Doroteo Jose Station of the LRT Line 1 System are now operational.

absent-minded

April 20th, 2005, 10:10 AM

holy sweeeet!! thanks for putting that up and welcome to the forums, jun_of...! the new walkways look awesome! astig talaga! especially the one at Araneta-Cubao... definitely a billion times better than the connection between LRT-1 and MRT-3! all the bridges are bright and open with lots of light and everything! awesome!!

I cannot wait to go home this July to joyride around Manila on the Megatren!! this just makes the wait even longer than it already is... ahh... haha!

they finally updated the LRTA website too... after a couple months already.

ryanr

April 20th, 2005, 02:16 PM

Oh good...new trains:) But they really need to finish the last phase of line 3. Its been delayed too long.

renell

April 20th, 2005, 02:27 PM

LRT1-LRT2 walkway pics needed:D

Having said that, it's good we can avoid the streets should we need a transfer. It's much faster, less hassle going up and down.

absent-minded

April 21st, 2005, 03:35 AM

what...?! hahaha!! didn't you guys click on the link to the LRTA article?? here you go...

LRT-1 and MRT-2

http://img210.echo.cx/img210/9288/18at.jpg
Elevated walkway connecting the Yellow Line and Purple Line

captions (by row, L-R)
[1] Recto elevated walkway as seen from afar.
[2] Temporary stairway connected to the east side of D.Jose Station
[3] Translucent roofing provide ample lighting for passengers
[4] Guards manning inspection area at an entrance to Recto Station

http://img210.echo.cx/img210/7931/20fr.jpg http://img248.echo.cx/img248/4762/59di.jpg http://img210.echo.cx/img210/9541/37wh.jpg http://img210.echo.cx/img210/2009/42cz.jpg

MRT-2 and MRT-3

captions (by row, L-R)
[1] Purple Line and Blue Line elevated walkway connecting Araneta Center - Cubao Station to Cubao Station of Line 3 passing through Araneta Coliseum and New Farmers Plaza
[2] A portion of the Gateway link connecting Farmer's Plaza to Araneta Coliseum
[3] Elevated walkway right beside the Araneta Coliseum
[4] Entrance to Araneta-Cubao Station of Line 2 from Gateway Mall

http://img210.echo.cx/img210/2100/19pg1.jpg http://img210.echo.cx/img210/6246/21if.jpg http://img158.echo.cx/img158/2023/36rw.jpg http://img158.echo.cx/img158/6318/49sh.jpg

pictures/captions - LRTA|The Missing Links: Now A Reality (http://www.lrta.gov.ph/system_links.htm)
img hosting - imageshack.ws (http://www.imageshack.ws)

pau_p1

April 21st, 2005, 04:16 AM

wow... those walkways.. look nice in the pictures... coz that walkway in EDSA stations actually doesn't look as clean as that....

absent-minded

April 21st, 2005, 04:37 AM

wow... those walkways.. look nice in the pictures... coz that walkway in EDSA stations actually doesn't look as clean as that....

haha! what do you mean...? like which walkway? the one that connects MRT-3 to MRT-2 going through Araneta Center?

renell

April 21st, 2005, 07:02 AM

..... I would think the Araneta link would be heaps nice, since it goes through numerous malls doesn't it?

It could be the Line's 1 and 3 link. I haven't heard good things about it, and photos as well:D

absent-minded is today's hero. :yes:

pau_p1

April 21st, 2005, 08:03 AM

ay.. mali!... I was thinking of a different footbridge.. hehehe... the LRT1 and MRT3 connection in EDSA....

kaya pala iba ang itsura... :D

jun_of

April 21st, 2005, 08:32 AM

When I was in Manila last month, I had the chance to ride the new LRT2, from the Gateway Mall to Recto and back. I was impressed. It was air conditioned, clean, and had a smooth ride. Nice way to go sightseeing. I'd say it's up there with the best systems of its kind in the world. Too bad we didn't have time, I would have liked to circle Manila by taking LRT1, then MRT2 back to Cubao. Maybe next time.

Here are some pics I took. No, I was not in either picture :) .

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid162/p20eb94d392514c32913f2715cccfba9b/f4b31124.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid162/p633977dc1c52841f75a15fc664caacc8/f4b3111e.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid162/pbdc05dcbc71074aac70e787f8c60b2ca/f4b31117.jpg

renell

April 21st, 2005, 10:00 AM

man, they obviously took details carefully in the construction of the stations, they even put a central island:D Perfect example of how our projects can be successful and ON TIME. I need no examples, everyone knows.

But it's good of you to take pics mr. jun, it's a rare occasion in LRT2 I'm told:)

ryanr

April 22nd, 2005, 04:29 AM

Thanks, Lance! The connection bridges look very nice, actually:) Looks like its quite a long walk from MRT 3 to MRT 2 in Araneta Center...

yeah, thanks jun. Looks like your pics are very open...didnt the guard see you?

renell

April 22nd, 2005, 04:57 AM

It says on the east side of Doroteo Jose there's a temporary steel walkway. Will that be replaced soon? thanks

tyronne

April 22nd, 2005, 07:29 AM

haha! buti pa si jun of... nakatakas sa mga guards LOL! those are good pix, by the way. thanks for sharing.

those walkways--ang linis tsaka simple lang. kahit hindi fancy, basta malinis ok na :)

jun_of

April 22nd, 2005, 07:40 AM

But it's good of you to take pics mr. jun, it's a rare occasion in LRT2 I'm told:)
Yeah, I read about those mean guards before. Good thing I had a pocket size camera with me, and made sure no guards were around when I took those pics.

ron_guevara

April 22nd, 2005, 07:48 AM

Wow, the LRT/MRT links are finally complete! Now I can take a joyride! :)

thomasian

April 22nd, 2005, 10:15 AM

I find the walkway connecting Gateway and Farmers incomplete looking because the floor is not tiled, but the roof is nice anyway.

mhe-ann

April 22nd, 2005, 11:17 AM

ang galing nman ni mr. jun. nice pics po.

absent-minded

April 23rd, 2005, 03:42 AM

thanks for those shots, jun! it's been quite some time since our last batch of pics. haha... I hope I'll be able to get a couple shots too next time I get to go on the MRT-2...

the Megatren project is truly awesome, and so I just really hope the LRTA maintains it properly...

@jun_of - were the stations and trains still nice and clean when you were there? btw, were there a lot of passengers?

absent-minded is today's hero. :yes:Thanks, Lance! The connection bridges look very nice, actually:) Looks like its quite a long walk from MRT 3 to MRT 2 in Araneta Center... hehehe! no problem...!

ay.. mali!... I was thinking of a different footbridge.. hehehe... the LRT1 and MRT3 connection in EDSA....

kaya pala iba ang itsura... :D haha! yeah... compared to these walkway connections, the LRT1-MRT3 walkway could be considered unacceptable...

It says on the east side of Doroteo Jose there's a temporary steel walkway. Will that be replaced soon? thanks yeah, I believe the temporary steel portion is the blue steel stairs that are seen in pic. 2 of the LRT-1/MRT-2 connection. so it's just the stairway connecting the east entrance of D. Jose Station to the concrete walkway that's missing. maybe they still have to figure out how to build that part since the D. Jose entrance is a bit lower than the walkway... haha...

queetz@home

April 23rd, 2005, 04:44 AM

Studies from North American transit systems show that ridership forecasts for any rapid transit system looses its appeal because of transfers(I can't remember the actual numbers). How long does it typically take to walk from one line to another? Judging by the diagrams, it seems that its quite a walk. Doesn't that affect the ridership? Or are Filipinos so used to it that it doesn't matter?

renell

April 23rd, 2005, 05:06 AM

rico

April 23rd, 2005, 06:41 PM

absent-minded

April 24th, 2005, 10:02 AM

olineil

April 24th, 2005, 10:35 AM

yeah I agree... the best facility would have been an actual interchange that integrates mutliple lines in a single station, but the MRT-2 and MRT-3 are owned and operated by different entities so I guess that's not possible. the next best thing is probably these walkways, and kahit papano, I believe they're a lot more convenient and a lot safer than having to go up and down who knows how many flights of stairs to get from platform to street level to platform again.

Im really amazed of the development of manilas Mrt system, considering the limited budget of our government, all the conveniences are being provided for the riding public. But I guess unless we become a 1st world country we cant ask for convenience like Singapore Mrt system. But the way they built Megatren really sets a benchmark for the next projects in our country. I heard its also driverless (same as Sinagpore NE line)? As far as i can remember there were not much big controversy about this project...correct me if im wrong. Imagine what we have achieved when everybody worked together...Peace be in our homeland.

wecky

April 24th, 2005, 10:38 AM

Why would they lose appeal? :?

Imo, not having direct transfers loses appeal. Indeed it can be a long walk, MRT3 to LRT2 in Cubao if I'm not mistaken cuts through Araneta. I remember in London underground there was this transfer which had something like 3-4 travellators.:D now that's pretty bad lol

I never thought that London underground is such a mess for any travellers with all interchanging lines ... besides the London underground is way more convenient for us to travel anywhere around the city. And it is way more clean, too. Been to several cities around Europe, and I can say that London underground is far cleaner, better-serviced, and easy to follow. Take note of million of tourists and locals using it everyday. It's more picturesue as well. Cheers!

renell

April 24th, 2005, 10:46 AM

Indeed it's full of long interchange walks, but I didn't say it was mess. I don't think it's picturesque though, that's another thing. But you do feel kind of going back time with those old, not often clean like newer stations.

wecky

April 24th, 2005, 10:55 AM

It will all depend which station are you referring, renell. Not all stations had a long interchange walks, I guess. And which London underground station looks old and not clean? Are you referring to the area within zones 1 and 2? or probably the area between zones 5 and 6? more especially stations of the London British Rail and not the underground?

wecky

April 24th, 2005, 01:46 PM

here's the London Underground map ...

http://www.oxfordtube.com/assets/london/underground_map.jpg

for other pics of london underground, you can google it!

mysaong03

April 25th, 2005, 02:48 PM

being a third world country is never an excuse to avail of (even just a pinch) first world services. these mrt developments are long overdue, & were never supposed to say THANK YOU!! to these builders coz its the primary obligation of the govt in the first place to serve us!!! the public always has the right to demand the BEST SERVICE coz we pay for it. the worse thing tho is conspiracy, bet govt & private on asking the latter to help in BOT infrastructures only to build crap things like MRT3!!! hello, asan ang justice don??? do we always hav to settle w/ that cliche statement "mabuti nang meron kesa wala???" duh!! sometimes u really cant blame me, coz this govt really sucks me dry sobra!!

thomasian

April 28th, 2005, 05:32 AM

Underneath the LRT-2.

I hope those plants live for a long time.
And there's also the infamous BUHAYIN ANG MAYNILA billboard.

Talk about beautifying Manila while raking in profits (which I hope is used for further beautification) from advertisements underneath the LRT.

http://www.geocities.com/csbrocks_hunter/Photo_042705_002x.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/csbrocks_hunter/Photo_042705_003x.jpg

mhe-ann

April 28th, 2005, 07:49 AM

"LA"?

pau_p1

April 28th, 2005, 08:20 AM

LA = Lito Atienza

thomasian

April 28th, 2005, 08:23 AM

The "LA" of MayniLA means Lito Atienza.

What an ingenius way to advertise a name. :)

mhe-ann

April 28th, 2005, 09:45 AM

ok. thanks. same as what I'm thinking but I'm not sure earlier.

renell

April 28th, 2005, 10:42 AM

The higher those poles, they look better don't they? With LRT1 you had this claustrophobic feeling it was gonna fall on you....:D

thomasian

April 28th, 2005, 10:54 AM

I hope the billboards underneath LRT-2 withstand the strong winds of typhoons.

But we'll see when the rainy season comes.

pau_p1

April 28th, 2005, 10:54 AM

yeah... plus LRT2 plied on a wider avenue... that's why the road didn't become as dark as Avenida Rizal and Taft

ryanr

April 28th, 2005, 01:24 PM

I know...Taft is really dark and claustrophobic. Have they beautified Taft more?

They should plant crawling plants on the pilars of the MRTs (all lines)

renell

April 28th, 2005, 03:28 PM

Well.... I believe they have in parts, where it's now pedetrianised, but last time i turned left from Osmena, into the intersection with Taft, there wasn't much difference.

Lili

April 28th, 2005, 05:55 PM

I never thought that London underground is such a mess for any travellers with all interchanging lines ... besides the London underground is way more convenient for us to travel anywhere around the city. And it is way more clean, too. Been to several cities around Europe, and I can say that London underground is far cleaner, better-serviced, and easy to follow. Take note of million of tourists and locals using it everyday. It's more picturesue as well. Cheers!

I can agree with you there. The London Underground is far cleaner than the NY Subway system. Quite messy and discombobulated but still the fastest way to get around the city and its boroughs.

ThisFire

April 29th, 2005, 05:56 AM

Check out Toronto's TTC Subway, you'll be impressed

renell

April 29th, 2005, 11:57 AM

@wecky, i'd like to say that i didn't say the whole system, but rather certain areas of it (i think it was st john wood where i frequented and it wasnt the best looking) have a dash of nostalgia with it. peace.

kiretoce

April 29th, 2005, 04:46 PM

Check out Toronto's TTC Subway, you'll be impressed

I agree! Toronto's subway system impressed me a lot! Clean, well lit and easy to navigate around the city. :)

ThisFire

April 29th, 2005, 06:12 PM

and the bus system too!

rico

April 29th, 2005, 08:00 PM

I agree! Toronto's subway system impressed me a lot! Clean, well lit and easy to navigate around the city. :)
Because they only have two lines. :)

absent-minded

April 30th, 2005, 03:31 AM

@rico - haha!

I've never seen Toronto's public transpo facilities, but afaik, Vancouver doesn't have the best system in the world... it's quite modern and everything, but a pain in the butt to get around in.

anyways, umm... did you guys read about SM planning to invest in the $1.2B MRT-7 project with Siemens? I know they already are investors (or at least according to old news articles), but I dunno what they're planning to do now. it was just a short little bit in ABS-CBNNews's daily stock market article thingy. with SM's recent IPO, they could finance the entire thing!! haha! I hope we see more news on the new line. I wonder when construction will start...

ryanr

April 30th, 2005, 05:34 AM

Because they only have two lines. :)

:lol: good point.

Yeah, Vancouver doesnt have a sufficient and extensive mass transportation.

Construction of line 7 will start by the end of this year, right? or at least early 2006

queetz@home

April 30th, 2005, 08:37 AM

^ You got that right! Vancouver's transit system is a joke and the way they allocate the priorities and funding for expansion projects is practically criminal. :ohno:

renell

April 30th, 2005, 01:51 PM

@absent, I've read about SM being the financier for one MRT line, and apparently it will stop in or near their malls. It was line 8 i think it was. Or could you be talking about something else?

ryanr

April 30th, 2005, 03:12 PM

@renell - SM is financing line 7;) It is close to SM City North EDSA (but actually starts at Ayala's North Triangle) and ends in SM Fairview.

thomasian

April 30th, 2005, 04:12 PM

That's weird, SM should be connecting it to SM North EDSA since they're one of the financiers. Oh well, maybe it'll be connected to both SM North Edsa and Ayala North Triangle.

Francis20

April 30th, 2005, 07:08 PM

Would MRT 7 end at North Triangle Mall? I don't think that was the plan. Too lazy to scan the earlier posts. Ideally, it should indeed be at SM North EDSA since SM will be one of the players. But if not, it still has SM Marilao and SM Fairview at the other end.

rico

April 30th, 2005, 07:40 PM

Francis20

April 30th, 2005, 07:46 PM

yep. im very sure with that Rico.

rico

April 30th, 2005, 07:53 PM

yep. im very sure with that Rico.
Oh sorry. I thought it only connects SM City North EDSA and SM Fairview. I didn't know it goes farther west to Marilao as posted here before.
The MRT 7 project is a 21.5-kilometer rail project running from Tala in Caloocan City to San Jose del Monte City, passing through Commonwealth to North Avenue, EDSA and to the Marilao exit of the North Luzon Expressway.
:)

renell

May 2nd, 2005, 09:00 AM

Hmmm..... I wouldn't mind some TV's in those trains lol... even if they're all SM ads lol, but that would be sweet regardless. heheheeh:D But before..... how is it going with the papers and all?

queetz@home

May 4th, 2005, 03:52 AM

Is there a map of MRT 7 somewhere so we can actually see what it looks like? I'm sorry if this was shown already but be nice if they are readily available for viewing...

absent-minded

May 4th, 2005, 08:58 AM

Is there a map of MRT 7 somewhere so we can actually see what it looks like? I'm sorry if this was shown already but be nice if they are readily available for viewing...

they haven't released a route map yet... I don't think anyone's come up with a map themselves either. the stuff in the news doesn't really give enough information as to where exactly the MRT will pass through right now...

stephencua

May 12th, 2005, 03:37 AM

LRT, MRT seek P10 fare increase
By Sandy Araneta
The Philippine Star 05/12/2005

LRT and MRT fares may soon go up as well.

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and the Metro Rail Transit Authority (MRTA) are both seeking a P10 fare hike, citing rising costs.

LRTA Administrator Melquiades Robles said the increase should have been granted by Malacañang last year but it never transpired for unknown reasons.

On the other hand, MRTA assistant secretary Roberto Lastimoso said their agency can keep up with increasing prices of spare parts and other operational costs only until July.

Lastimoso said they are forced to slow operations because their trains are already in need of new parts.

The MRTA’s passenger trains cover most of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, or EDSA, one of Metro Manila’s main arteries.

Robles hopes they will be able to raise fares next month. Their Baclaran-to-Monumento line is old, he said, and requires constant maintenance.

Train parts are imported, Robles added, and prices for these parts have been going up steadily.

The train fare hike petitions come on the heels of a two-peso hike in jeepney and bus fares, which were sought due to rising fuel prices.

apiong

May 23rd, 2005, 02:31 PM

In an exclusive special report aired at TV Patrol World (23 May 2005, ABS-CBN Channel 2 Manila, Philippines), it was disclosed by a former consultant to the LRT-2 construction that the foundation of the columns, particularly of the one along the Lambingan Bridge (Sta. Mesa, Manila) was sinking and claims of a serious error in the construction of the said foundation column, maybe to save cost and/or expedite the construction schedule...

The alledged sinking support column due to a defective foundation construction
http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Capture_0001.jpg

Alleged effects of the corrective measures done by the LRTA to prevent further sinking
http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Capture_0002.jpg

The supposed proper depth of a good foundation (it is bored all the way to the bedrock)
http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Capture_0003.jpg

The apparent current implementation of the said foundation... it only reached up to the clay layer...
http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Capture_0004.jpg

They even showed an animation of what could happen if the foundation sinks and eventually leading to the failure of the support column
http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Capture_0005.jpg

The said section of the LRT-2 sank 47 millimeters within 10 months last 2001
http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Capture_0006.jpg

Animation of the supposed corrective measure implemented by the LRTA
http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Capture_0007.jpg

According to the LRTA, they strengthened the underlying clay layer within the vicinity of the foundation with concrete slurry
http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Capture_0008.jpg

The incriminating documents showing the depth of the foundations
http://www.pwetko.org/gallery/albums/userpics/Capture_0009.jpg

part two of the special report will follow tomorrow (24 May 2005)...

ryanr

May 23rd, 2005, 02:41 PM

:eek: God, no! They better do something about it before disaster occurs.
Well, duh...they have to make the concrete support go all the way to the bedrock. not just clay! :rant:

queetz@home

May 23rd, 2005, 08:19 PM

Who is the contractor for LRT2 again? Specifically the guideway. They can't be THAT stupid to allow such shoddy construction for an elevated LRT system servicing hundreds of thousands of people a day. I think the corrective action is good enough....until Manila gets hit by a major groundshaking...

apiong

May 24th, 2005, 02:49 AM

In an apparent rebuttal to the report made by ABS-CBN last night, GMA 7's Unang Hirit interviewed LRTA Administrator Melquiades A. Robles, assuring the public that based from the contractors (Hanjin of Korea) and experts that the foundations of LRT-2 are safe and constructed to spec. It is just this single foundation column (pier 161) out of the 800+ columns of the LRT-2 that was observed to have settled during the construction period (2001) so the high-tech approach to rectify the situation was used (stabilization of foundation). Since then, there was no settlement observed and the public is assured that continuous monitoring is being done, and in the event that something was indeed been overlooked based on the designs, the contrator is still liable, i.e. construction warranty.

thomasian

May 24th, 2005, 07:36 AM

Yeah, I'm still "jueteng", I mean waiting for part two of the report in TV Patrol.
But the report also said that the "supposedly corrective measures" done to that column had weakened the Lambingan Bridge, the roadway underneath that segment of LRT II. Oh well, it can be further clarified by the next report.

BTW, that segment is located along Aurora blvd. at the boundary of Manila, San Juan and QC. The sinking pier #161 is located at the foot of Lambingan Bridge and running underneath it is the San Juan river.

absent-minded

May 25th, 2005, 04:45 AM

I saw it last night too... it was pretty surprising and worrying. just when we all thought MRT-2 was the best thing that happened to the Philippine mass rail transit. haha

yeah, the LRTA officials did make an assurance that they've corrected the issue. and now that apiong's explained it, I'm pretty confident it will be fine. I want to know why they did that in the first place though...

Yeah, I'm still "jueteng", I mean waiting for part two of the report in TV Patrol.

ahahaha!!

BTW, that segment is located along Aurora blvd. at the boundary of Manila, San Juan and QC. The sinking pier #161 is located at the foot of Lambingan Bridge and running underneath it is the San Juan river.

yeah... I think it should be somewhere around J. Ruiz or Gilmore stations. surely between SM Centerpoint and EDSA.

pau_p1

May 25th, 2005, 06:02 AM

I was googling on the Malaysia's MOnorail and saw this picture... it shows how beautifully they've made of the median island underneath the rail tracks... I hope we'd do the same for EDSA's median....

http://www.monorails.org/webpix%202/KL41ice.jpg

federal

May 25th, 2005, 07:04 AM

Yeah. This is Station Bukit Bintang of KL Monorail. Very beautiful indeed although the stations are quite hot even though with the tent-like bubongs...

stephencua

May 25th, 2005, 07:46 AM

tsk tsk.. the way that ABS-CBN is portraying the damage to the structure is like its going to collapse any minute.. that might scare off all riders..

shouldnt they verify their sources first before coming out with something like this?

Wisarut

May 25th, 2005, 10:23 AM

Well, For the case of KL Monorail, it is very bumpy ride ... sobumpy that The Malaysian company who produces that Monorial Rolling Stocs should as more shock absorbers into the system ...

thomasian

May 25th, 2005, 10:37 AM

It doesn't look like it can carry a lot of passengers.

federal

May 25th, 2005, 11:21 AM

Yeah.. Sikip. Light loads lang... two cars

apiong

May 26th, 2005, 08:16 AM

http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2005&mon=05&dd=26&file=7

DoTC seeks dialogue with JBIC exec
Posted: 3:15 AM | May 26, 2005

Inquirer News Service

printable version email a story write the editor feedback

THE Department of Transportation and Communications will put on hold a plan to lodge a formal protest against the country representative of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JIBC) in the Philippines, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said.

The department said last week that it would formally protest against JBIC country representative Osamu Murata with the Japanese embassy in Manila and at the JBIC headquarters in Tokyo "for his inappropriate behavior."

Mendoza said he would hold a dialogue with Murata before resorting to any drastic action.

The JBIC, the country's largest soft loan creditor and donor, finances about 60 percent of foreign-assisted projects in the Philippines.

The DoTC has accused Murata of "belligerent behavior" and complicity with irregularities related to the P31.5-billion Line 2 project of the Light Rail Transit Authority, which is now under congressional investigation.

Transportation and Communications Assistant Secretary Roberto Castañares, who wrote a strongly worded letter to Murata on May 11, later denied accusing Murata of any irregularity. He also denied saying he wanted Murata declared persona non grata. He also said he did not seek Murata's replacement.

"While we complain of his harsh treatment of DoTC, we would rather solve the matter in a professional manner," Castañares said in a letter to the Inquirer, reacting to a May 18 story, which was attributed to him.

In his letter to Murata, Castañares asked about "a grand conspiracy to cover up irregularities, his deafening silence and apparent tolerance on irregularities committed by Japanese contractors."

He also criticized Murata for "shouting at and scolding" Undersecretary Guiling Mamondiong "for not endorsing the capex project," referring to an P11-billion capacity expansion of the LRT Line 1.

Mamondiong also wrote to the Inquirer to deny being scolded by Murata. He said he and Murata had "a heated argument."

"This happened sometime in March when Mr. Murata, at the top of his voice, called from Japan, waking up Mamondiong who answered his call and then accused him of delaying the implementation of the project," he said in the letter.

Mamondiong said he became upset and also "raised my voice to stress my point." Clarissa Batino, with INQ7.net

http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2005&mon=05&dd=18&file=2

DoTC accuses JBIC exec of irregularity
Posted: 0:31 AM | May 18, 2005

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

printable version email a story write the editor feedback

THE DEPARTMENT of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) has accused the Philippine representative of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation of inappropriate behavior and complicity in the alleged overpricing of the P31.5-billion Line 2 overhead train project of the Light Rail Transit Authority, a department official said.

The DoTC will file a diplomatic protest against Osamu Murata, chief representative of JBIC, the country's largest soft-loan creditor and donor, financing about 60 percent of foreign-assisted projects, Transportation and Communication Assistant Secretary Robert Castañares said in an interview.

Castañares also said Murata should be declared persona non grata and should be replaced by the JBIC as its representative in the Philippines.

"I believe that we have had enough of your bullying and constant threat of canceling our loan if we fail to follow your wishes," said Castañares, quoting his own letter to Murata dated May 11. "Please consider this letter as a formal protest against your belligerent behavior."

Murata strongly denied he was involved in any irregularity.

"The DoTC lacks the understanding on how the JIBC operates," Murata said in an interview.

Castañares said that in the next few days the DoTC would lodge a formal protest with the Japanese embassy and the JBIC governor at his head office in Japan.

He said the department was not hitting the JBIC as an institution but only its country representative.

Congress is looking at the overpricing of some of the components of the Line 2 project of the Light Rail Transit Authority and irregularities on the selection of contractors. This is why, said Castañares, the DoTC is carefully evaluating other variation orders related to Line 2.

Castañares said 160 variation orders had been booked as early as 2003 but were never submitted to the DoTC for approval.

The Line 2 runs from Santolan Road in Pasig City to Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila.

There are 160 variations or changes to the original design of Line 2 worth P500 million that Murata was pushing for but which the DoTC did not approve after sensing supposed irregularities.

Castañares in his letter asked Murata whether "there was a grand conspiracy to cover up the irregularities in the remaining variation orders."

He said the DoTC had been circumspect in approving projects, especially those deemed not really crucial, to help ease the government's funding problem.

"Most of the variation orders are unjustifiable," said the DoTC assistant secretary. "The government is, in effect, being made to pay for the inefficiency, incompetence and negligence of certain people."

Murata said he would answer the DoTC's letter point by point.

"I have not read the letter carefully," he said, adding he had been in Cebu City monitoring a project. "We need to check the facts first then we would reply to the letter."

Castañares claimed that Murata had engaged in inappropriate behavior by trying to discredit Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza.

Castañares also accused Murata of displaying hostile behavior toward DoTC Undersecretary Guiling Mamondiong.

In his May 11 letter, copies of which he furnished the Japanese ambassador and ranking Philippine officials, Castañares claimed that Murata had been trying to malign Mendoza by writing letters to several lawmakers, implying that the secretary was an incapable official.

Castañares also claimed that Murata called up Undersecretary Mamondiong at his residence at about 11 p.m. and "ordered his [Mamondiong's] wife to wake him up ... [Mamondiong was] shouted at and scolded for not endorsing the capex project."

The capital expenditure project is the P11-billion, JBIC-funded capacity expansion of the Line 1 of the Light Rail Transit, which the DoTC had suspended for lack of budget.

Murata denied badmouthing Mendoza or any DoTC official. He also said he called up Mamondiong on his mobile phone at 10 p.m. about two months ago. "I even expressed my apologies for calling very late at night. I didn't shout at him," he said.

Castañares said the DoTC was curious about Murata's "deafening silence and apparent tolerance on irregularities committed by Japanese contractors" related to the Line 2 controversies.

Murata said it was the obligation of the DoTC to report to the JBIC any irregularity in a JIBC-funded project.

"It is the executing agency that must inform the JBIC of such irregularities," Murata said. "Up to now, we have not received any official information on these alleged anomalies. The JBIC is taking a strong stand against bribery and corruption." With INQ7.net

queetz@home

May 26th, 2005, 09:00 AM

absent-minded

May 27th, 2005, 04:32 AM

I actually like the way they are waiting to get this issue cleared up before they start on the capex project for LRT-1. the old line really does need this upgrade, but if it's going to be corrupted and everything's gonna end up in shambles, they might as well not do it. the Philippine gov't isn't getting this money free... it's a loan the country has to pay back and as such no one wants half the amount to be going out to corrupt officials from Japan or the Philippines or wherever. the JBIC should answer to these allegations and not try to shut up the DOTC officials, as they seem to be doing, just because they, being the creditors, have the power to do so... I'm not saying I believe the JBIC is wrong or that the DOTC is right. all I care is that they either get this settled so that things can be done right or cancel the project entirely so as the country doesn't waste any more money on another NAIA-3.

ryanr

June 5th, 2005, 07:10 AM

LRT, MRT brace for 1 M passengers
By Sandy Araneta
The Philippine Star 06/05/2005

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) and the Metro Rail Transit Authority (MRTA) are finalizing preparations for the start of the new school year as they expect to accommodate almost a million passengers for the opening of classes tomorrow.

Both heads of the two rail systems said they have been preparing security and safety precautions as well as making plans to address expected and unexpected problems that may take place during the opening of classes and the days to follow.

In a phone interview yesterday, LRTA Administrator Melquiades Robles said they expects 500,000 passengers to take both Lines 1 and 2 of LRT when schools start tomorrow.

Robles said that while there would be no extension in the schedule of operations of the LRT trains (5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.), the LRTA would maximize the use of the trains.

The LRTA chief will be making rounds of the stations starting at 5 a.m. tomorrow inspecting Line 1 and Line 2 of the LRT to make sure the coaches are safe, secure and problem-free.

He earlier instructed LRTA civil security officer, retired Navy commander Ernesto Garzon, to come up with an action plan for the train operations.

Robles said more passengers would mean more potential incidents of theft, accidents, and chaos.

"This is why, as an agency that deals directly with providing a vital service to our people, the LRTA has to be prepared for any eventuality. The action plan has been disseminated to all our drivers, security guards, ticket tellers and even janitors. Relevant parts of the action plan are released to the public because we also want the general riding public to do their share in making their ride safe and secure," he said.

Robles has ordered security personnel to be more vigilant and alert at the busy stations of EDSA, Gil Puyat, Monumento, Carriedo, Blumentritt, 5th Avenue, and D. Jose on Line 1; and Recto, Legarda, V. Mapa, Cubao, Katipunan, and Santolan on Line 2.

He directed that more "skip trains," which would bypass terminals, be prepared for deployment to busy stations during the rush hour and emergency situations.

Robles said the cleaning crew has been told not only to keep their assigned work areas clean, but also to report any untoward incident and unusual behavior of certain persons to security personnel.

He said LRTA’s security personnel and guards have been trained in crowd control during loading and unloading as well as guiding passengers in case of breakdowns and delays.

Robles said increased visibility from the rail police as provided by PNP-Regional Action Unit would be a deterrent against criminals. They would also be available to assist passengers should the need arise, he said.

Robles said an significant increase in train passengers should be expected, especially when the fare increase for passenger jeepneys and buses are implemented.

For his part, MRTA administrator Assistant Secretary Roberto Lastimoso said they are expecting an estimated 420,000 persons riding the MRT trains from morning till evening.

Among the preparations made this year was putting up a special lane for the disabled, pregnant women and senior citizens at the North Avenue teminal.

Lastimoso also said that by the first week of June, more ticket issuing machines would be installed at busy MRT stations, including North Avenue, Cubao, Shaw Boulevard, Ayala and Pasay, so commuters can enter the stations faster.

This is also the reason why rates have been adjusted, doing away with the 50 centavos from the old fares.

Lastimoso explained that the machines had been calibrated to take in only one peso, five peso and 10 peso coins as well as paper bills, and not 25 centavo coins.

He said during peak season, the MRTA runs 21 "three-car trains," or a total of 63 cars for the entire day.

There is an interval of three minutes per train that arrives at each station.

During the off-peak season, the MRTA only uses 18 three-car trains, or 54 cars per day.

Lastimoso said MRTA engineers are constantly monitoring trains and doing maintenance work on the trains and tracks.

Lastimoso said the MRTA also added security for this year’s school opening.

He said they will be deploying at each MRT stations two security guards from private agencies, three K-9 units and one policeman at the inspection booth.

stephencua

June 7th, 2005, 04:59 AM

taken from inq7.net.. (this was a longer column, i only took the parts that would be of interest to our forum)

Goad governance
Posted: 2:48 AM | Jun. 07, 2005

Conrado R. Banal III
Inquirer News Service

TO PUMP up the spirit in business, apparently as a counter to surveys showing her sagging rating, Gloriaetta is going on an investment promo tour of Asia.

I think that the business sector really likes such a trip more than all the photo-op out-of-town trips she has been busy with lately.

Despite the bad news on her rating, we are gaining a little momentum in the economy. Investors are still interested in this country.

For instance, a group cannot wait to invest some $1.2 billion in the railway and highway system, under the Metro Rail Transit 7 project.

The group is known as the Universal LRT Corp., or ULC, and they are in the final stage of the long (very, very long?) process of getting government approval.

Word is out that the National Economic and Development Authority is going to the next -- and final -- stage of a Swiss challenge.

Now that has nothing to do with secret bank accounts or chocolates or wristwatches. In the "Swiss challenge," you have to beat the offer of ULC to the government to steal the railway-highway project from ULC.

But nobody really knows if the practice came from Switzerland.

* * *

ANYWAY, such is the news that can boost confidence in business. Gloriaetta has declared that, from now on, she would pay attention to infrastructure. This is always good for the economy.

That railway project, for instance, runs from North Avenue in Quezon City, all the way to San Jose del Monte town in the province of Bulacan, just north of Manila. Then, a 40-kilometer highway links the railway to the North Expressway at Marilao town in Bulacan.

That's like opening up thousands of hectares of idle raw land to development. And it is the beauty of infrastructure. Roads and airports and piers and railways always have this ability to generate a lot of other businesses.

From what I gathered, the ULC project itself has a real estate component, worth about $500 million, to develop San Jose del Monte into a new urban center.

And all that, mind you, without any cost to the government!

* * *

LIKE other railway ventures abroad, this one by ULC is actually a real estate play, more than a transport venture.

You see, railways hardly make money anywhere in the world. The proponents just make up for the loss in the railway venture, by linking it to property development.

Real estate development is the biggest reason behind ULC's position that Metro Rail Transit 7 (MRT-7) can run without any subsidy from the government.

Whether or not the railway business goes well, the ULC has the real estate venture to rely on for the revenues to pay off the entire project.

And here is the good news to the guys down here in my barangay: the MRT-7 railway-highway project will absorb a lot of traffic from the EDSA highway.

There ... no more ugly pink wire fences!

Mango

June 22nd, 2005, 02:53 AM

Taken from manilatimes.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Govt to subsidize new train line for a decade

By Darwin G. Amojelar, Researcher

THE government will subsidize for 10 years passenger fares for the planned line 7 of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT 7), according to a document obtained by The Manila Times.

The subsidy will reach $1.25 billion, the document showed.

The government will no longer pay “capacity fees” annually for 25 years as provided in the original proposal for the MRT 7 project.

“Instead, the government will be obligated to shoulder the regulatory fare support averaging $113.82 million for the first 10 years of project operation or a total of $1.252 billion,” the document said.

The “regulatory fare support” is the difference between the economic fare and the actual fare multiplied by the actual ridership.

The economic fare is the rate, which, if implemented on the projected ridership will render the MRT 7 project viable.

However, this economic fare is too high, prompting the proponent, Universal LRT Corp. Ltd. (ULC), to seek an “actual fare” which is based on the average imposed by Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1, LRT 2 and MRT 3.

“Hence the difference between the economic fare and actual fare will in effect be ‘guaranteed’ by government through a performance undertaking,” the document explained.

Based on its financial runs presented in a June 9 meeting, the ULC proposed an actual fare for MRT 7 of P20 each passenger and an economic fare of P80.56.

This means that the government will shoulder some P60.56 a passenger.

In the same document, Jonathan Uy, director of the NEDA Public Investment Staff was quoted as saying during a June 14 meeting that the actual fare was set at low levels, thus raising the amount of “regulatory fare support” the government will have to assume.

Uy said this would become an issue since there was no fare sensitivity analysis done for such proposal.

Manuel A. Reyes, a representative of the ULC, was quoted as saying the actual fare was derived from the averages fares being imposed by LRT 1 and 2 and MRT 3.

Reyes said it is unfair if MRT 7 will be imposing a higher fare than what the others require, adding it is the government’s responsibility to impose the proper fare for all lines.

The same document said that during the first 10 years, the government will have no share in farebox revenues.

The ULC projected that revenues from transfer ridership will amount to between $6.4 million and $12.2 million, while advertising revenues will reach from $1.20 million to $1.60 million. Income on land share is expected to reach $4.4 million to $11.6 million, while land development revenues are seen amounting to between $31 million and $168 million.

The proposal comes at a time when the government is hard-pressed wiping its budget deficit by 2010. It also runs counter to a government policy of extending no financial subsidy similar to what operators of existing light transits enjoy.

MRT 7 will cost $1.2 billion, and will have a 22-kilometer elevated track running from Tala in Novaliches to North Avenue corner EDSA passing through Lagro, Fairview, Commonwealth Avenue before joining MRT Line 3 in North Avenue.

The project is intended to serve commuters to and from the north of Metro Manila, including Novaliches, Fairview, Caloocan and Bulacan, and involves the construction of a 17-km asphalt private road at the Marilao Exit of the North Luzon Expressway that would terminate at the intermodal terminal in Tala.

bustero

June 22nd, 2005, 05:23 AM

Naku this looks like it's going to get stuck in controversy. May subsidy kasi. Hope it gets thru!

Mango

June 22nd, 2005, 06:01 AM

^Yeah, it's one of those news you read with a **sigh**....

renell

June 22nd, 2005, 09:46 AM

well... i'm trying to be positive, and for me there's no controversy until there is one:D and i don't read anything yet.

absent-minded

June 23rd, 2005, 02:18 AM

well... i'm trying to be positive, and for me there's no controversy until there is one:D and i don't read anything yet.

ahahahaha!!

I read the article yesterday but I don't get the technical stuff it tries to explain. it doesn't sound too good though. I hope this isn't going to get in the way of the development of MRT-7.

btw, I wonder if MRT-7 is going to be like the crappy MRT-3 or the nice MRT-2 megatren. I hope it's the latter but it's supposedly the same developer of the MRT-3 so you never know. can't wait to see plans from ULC...

dancethingy

June 23rd, 2005, 01:45 PM

Hi Guys, my name is Ben and I just recently moved to the Philippines from Chicago. I'm here till i decide its time to go back to sweet home Chicago. I decided to move back because I want to get to know my country of origin.
Im currently in Quezon City near UP Diliman. Thinking of getting second degree. As you all know Chicago is one the best places in the world for Public Trans. (well kinda) so naturally i'm one who is very fond of public trans.
Please don't get mad, but could someone summarize to me all the MRT/LRT projects going on around the country. I mean i see MRT3, then MRT2, and now MRT7, i'm kinda confused. Where are all these projects in terms of their development. I hope to Holy Heaven that they all get built. I think good public trans can solve so much of the countries trans problems. It would be so GREAT for them to put a station at tandang sora, please let it happen.

pau_p1

June 24th, 2005, 04:14 AM

LRT1, LRT2 and MRT3 are all operational. LRT1 runs from Caloocan to Paranaque via Avenida Rizal and Taft Avenue. LRT2 which is newest runs from Pasig to Manila via Aurora Blvd, Magsaysay Avenue, Legarda and Recto Blvd. MRT3 runs from Quezon City to Pasay via EDSA.

MRT7 is still in the drawing boards and hopefully it will get built in the next months. This will run from Caloocan North to Quezon City via Commonwealth Ave and North Ave. there used to be a list of stations from a city map and it appears that there would be a station in Tandang Sora or in Luzon...also I think there would be some link from the Tandang Sora station to the LRT2 in Pasig....

bustero

June 24th, 2005, 06:06 AM

Hi Ben,
You can go to the lrta.gov.ph and pnr.gov.ph sites. The main root site gov.ph will lead you too them to if you press on the transportation link on the side.

These should give you a good overview.

If you want to find out where the new ones are, click here:
http://www.neda.gov.ph/odamon/projectslist.asp?GroupName=Subsector&GroupVar=Transportation

They list all the diff projects under review , just go sort out the mass transit ones. They include, upgrade, extension and totally new ones. line 4, line 7 and line 8.

north rail is not in it as it's beginning.
southrail should be there or in the funding section.

tyronne

June 27th, 2005, 08:24 PM

long read but it's worth it :)

Decongesting EDSA
By Mary Ann Reyes
The Philippine Star 06/27/2005

The country is finally inching closer to what could be the biggest foreign investment in recent years that will not only rid EDSA of its mammoth traffic jams but also decongest the metropolis.

The government and the private sector are in the final stretch of an agreement for the construction of Metro Railway Transit-7 (MRT-7) running from Quezon City to Bulacan, a multibillion-dollar project that badly needs the imprimatur of the investment community.

President Arroyo has directed the government agencies concerned to iron out remaining kinks that are delaying the final approval of MRT-7, a proposed inter-modal transport system whose concept is unmatched worldwide.

The directive was given during a courtesy call by the project proponents, which include European, Israeli and Japanese investors, all of whom have committed to support Philippine infrastructure development regardless of the political uncertainties.

Proponents of MRT-7, which will go all the way from SM City on North Avenue in Quezon City (the final destination of the existing EDSA MRT-3) to San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, include the biggest names in the world transportation business such as Siemens of Germany, Alstom Corp. of France, CRCC/China Railway, as well as a powercast in the local business community that includes the SM Group, businessman George Go, to name a few, constituting Universal LRT Corp. (ULC).

ULC submitted its preliminary proposal for MRT-7 as early as August 2000 and has since then been in close collaboration with government. After several modifications, the project was given first pass approval on March 26, 2004. The project had evolved from a simple rail system to a complex transportation intermodal project with interchanges and convenient transfer stations to the other existing rail projects.

And at the suggestion of government, an urban center component was added that will see the creation of a new city in San Jose del Monte. Already, a 194-hectare property was acquired by the proponent and negotiations are in progress for the acquisition of an additional adjacent 313 hectares. Thus, in addition to the $1.2 billion investment in the transport system, another $1 billion will be invested for real estate development, making MRT 7 one of the biggest investments in the country to date.

The Transportation Component

The MRT 7-SM Line will be undertaken under a built-gradual transfer-operate-and maintain (BGTOM) scheme over a 25-year period, which the Department of Justice said fully complies with the requirements of the BOT law.

Much ado has been made about the support that will be required of government during the first 11 years of the concession period as a credit enhancement facility. What is not being given much weight and consideration though is the fact that the government stands to earn as much as $2.5 billion from the project, not to mention the downstream and upstream benefits on the economy. Studies have also shown that the country will save as much as $2.4 billion over the life of the project in terms of fuel savings.

There is no doubt that the country needs a transportation project that would relieve Metro Manila’s roads and provide a fast and affordable transportation system that would enable commuters to work in the metropolis’ commercial centers and still reside out-of-town where land and housing costs are low. Decongestion of the metropolis has become a must to make Metro Manila livable.

It is also a given that investment in infrastructure is vital to any country’s growth. Danny Leipziger, director for financial, private sector and infrastructure of the World Bank, noted that under-investment in infrastructure hampers long-term economic growth and competitiveness. Infrastructure investment is necessary to increase income levels and improve income equality in developing countries. Infrastructure development also tends to benefit the poor the most since they are the ones least able to afford alternatives.

Deficit-Neutral Project

A rail transit system, without a doubt, is expensive. However, it is safe, efficient, provides a reliable and predictable transportation at great savings in terms of foreign exchange on fuel, not to mention traffic-less. It also safeguards the environment from pollution, which not only deteriorates quality of life but will also entail the taxpayers huge cost in terms of health services.

Thus, nowhere in the world does a rail system operate without some kind of support from government. In the case of MRT 7 though, the project is envisioned to be deficit-neutral from government’s perspective. Apart from a share in farebox revenues, government will be able to generate income from other sources which would not be otherwise available without the project like pre-completion tax earnings, tax generation throughout the 25-year concession period resulting from the economic activity generated from the $1.2 billion transportation and $1 billion real estate undertakings, government revenue from the sale or lease of its real estate rights, state’s share in commercial development and advertising revenues, and sale of land procured by the proponent and allocated to government (around 20 percent share for the state).

While the projected government fare support is estimated at $1.2 billion in the worse and next to impossible scenario of government zero revenues, project proponents estimate that government will receive as much as $3.7 billion over the concession period. Thus, unlike the other lines which are being supported and subsidized by government with no chance of recovery, in MRT 7, not only will the government be reimbursed for whatever support it may advance, it will also receive net profits amounting to $2.5 million.

And unlike the other lines, the investors of MRT 7 are taking all the risks upfront and will complete the project prior to any possible assistance by the government. According to the proponents, government will have no operating and maintenance risks, no ridership risks, no construction or completion risks. Whatever government support will be needed is clearly recoverable from the revenues that will accrue to the state from the project and other developments brought about by it.

To assure the doubting Thomases in government as to revenues, the draft agreement included a provision whereby government has the option of either taking 20 percent of the net profits after tax or 20 percent of the land acquired by the proponent for the project. And to ensure that real estate development will actually take place, the proponents have identified reputable partners and those which have strong track record in this field. The SM Group for instance has agreed to undertake the development of the San Jose del Monte, Bulacan property.

Gov’t Final Ok Seen

As early as March 3, 2005, Socio-economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri, in a letter to DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza, noted that government is ready to negotiate the MRT Line 7 unsolicited proposal provided that the private proponent categorically express in writing its concurrence to the following: first, that the project be deficit neutral on government’s perspective; second, that government shall not bear any commercial/ridership risk; and third, that the national government will not pay any of the private proponent’s taxes. All these, the proponents have already agreed to, according to Universal LRT Corp. managing director Eli Levin.

Following this development from government, the DOTC has informed Levin last March 16 that the ICC Cabinet Committee has given instructions to commence in-depth negotiations on the details of the concession agreement and to initiate preparations for the Swiss Challenge phase of the process, which is expected to commence in the next few months.

It is expected that a final contract with government will be arrived at before the end of the year with financial closing estimated end-of 2006. Construction thus will begin first quarter of 2007 and end three years later.

With all issues finally put to rest, decongesting EDSA of traffic caused by the ubiquitous bus terminals –there are around 23 provincial bus stations along EDSA –will no longer be an (exhaust) pipe dream.

source: http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200506270405.htm

stephencua

June 28th, 2005, 03:40 AM

great find tyronne!!! :applause: :righton:
finally very positive news about this.. hopefully the northrail construction will also push thru..

absent-minded

June 28th, 2005, 11:19 AM

sweeet! hopefully, though, this project will really aleviate the heavy PUB traffic on EDSA once completed. they thought the MRT-3 would help, and it somewhat has since it opened, but it alone isn't enough. I'm sure though that an integrated railway and highway system with the MRT-3, MRT-7, LRT-6, the Northrail and the Southrail as well as the C-6 Road, the Skyway, EDSA, the NLEX and SLEX completed in the future will totally eliminate traffic jams in Metro Manila. more than that, it will definitely provide for growth in the rural/suburban communities outside the big cities...

obviously, we are still a far, far cry from accomplishing that, but just imagine... haha! w-o-w... that is an unbelievably long backbone and sort of a "growth corridor" spanning a huge part of Luzon!

dancethingy

June 28th, 2005, 09:03 PM

OH God please let it happen, PLEASE.

2xplicit

July 3rd, 2005, 06:33 PM

tyronne

July 3rd, 2005, 06:50 PM

ust a thought.. maybe things would work out better if the metro manila area had a more streamlined transit system.. Dito buy a ticket to the Skytrain (our LRT/MRt) and use the same one for the bus and Seabus (a small ferry which crosses from downtown to North Vancouver).. I know it would affect many pero then I think I could really decongest Metro Manila.. Here in Vancouver the places we normaly travel to everyday is either similar in distance to traveling around metro Manila, the only difference is wala pang insang oras and pag travel papunta downtown.. ust a thought =/..

same here in san francisco. you can use a single ticket (within the time indicated on the ticket) for transfer. the problem back home is, if im not mistaken, buses in MM are operated by private companies. if there was only one entity managing the buses and mrt/lrt then i think that would be ok.

by the way, welcome to SSC Philippines :wave: just curious, is your "J" key not functioning? :colgate:

queetz@home

July 3rd, 2005, 06:54 PM

ust a thought.. maybe things would work out better if the metro manila area had a more streamlined transit system.. Dito buy a ticket to the Skytrain (our LRT/MRt) and use the same one for the bus and Seabus (a small ferry which crosses from downtown to North Vancouver).. I know it would affect many pero then I think I could really decongest Metro Manila.. Here in Vancouver the places we normaly travel to everyday is either similar in distance to traveling around metro Manila, the only difference is wala pang insang oras and pag travel papunta downtown.. ust a thought =/..

Of course, things would work out better for Vancouver if they would build the RAV Line the same way they built the MRT and LRT lines in Metro Manila, which are all elevated instead of tunneled, and use the rest of the funds to even expand the Skytrain in other parts of the region so more people would be able to give up their cars for transit. In that way, Vancouver would be decongested as well... ;)

olineil

July 3rd, 2005, 08:06 PM

Unified Ticket System is usually the way to go once we reach a first World level.

Here in Singapore - MRT (2 ccompanies), LRT(same 2 comp), Buses (same 2 comp) use a unified ticket system. The contactless ticketing system is being ran by a separate company (EZlink).

The structure would be:

SMRT/SLRT-------------------------| EZlink

SBS Transit(MRT/LRT)---------------| EZlink

SBS Transit(BUS)--------------------| EZlink

SMRT(BUS)--------------------------| EZlink

so this really streamlines everything.

dancethingy

July 3rd, 2005, 08:22 PM

"don't visit the Philippines!!!! This country is full of S&%$@t!!!!!"

What!?!?!?!?!?!

I'm not forcing you to change it, I just want you to know that i don't appreciate and so do probably most of the people in this forum, especially those residing in the Philippines. You are no help to our people if you degrade our current state of affairs without offering any constructive criticism. You're simply adding salt on wound.

bustero

July 4th, 2005, 04:47 AM

what???

pau_p1

July 4th, 2005, 05:28 AM

I think he's being selfish... and I think he's too brainwashed by the other government where he currently lives that he doesn't care of his own nation.... he's not thinking that the government is way different from the natural resources and activities the country can provide.... sobra siguro nagandahan sa singapore na singliit ng Quezon City.... hehehe....

normandb

July 4th, 2005, 05:54 AM

renell

July 4th, 2005, 06:41 AM

:lol: we're all S&%$@t!!!!! :D

a unified transport ticketing system would be hard with the different operators. but I guess LRTA could make a deal with one of the big operators.

pau_p1

July 6th, 2005, 12:06 PM

guys... have you heard of the incident that halted the operation of MRT this morning? A dead guard is found on the rails near Guadalupe station... it halted operation of the MRT from Shaw station to Taft station...

because of this I had to bring a car on the way to office because of too many passengers on EDSA cor Shaw... and when I passed by the area near the San Carlos Seminary... I saw the CSI people there.. hehehe... not sure kung katulad ng CSI sa US.. hehee....

stephencua

July 6th, 2005, 12:11 PM

yup.. biktima ako dun e.. i also had to ride a car to work knina.. kawawa nman yung guy..

pau_p1

July 6th, 2005, 12:19 PM

yup... di ko nga lang sure.. kung ano ang nangyari talaga sa kanya... according sa uncle ko na nakarinig ng news.. nasira pa raw ata yung tren na nakasagasa sa guard...

2xplicit

July 6th, 2005, 04:49 PM

same here in san francisco. you can use a single ticket (within the time indicated on the ticket) for transfer. the problem back home is, if im not mistaken, buses in MM are operated by private companies. if there was only one entity managing the buses and mrt/lrt then i think that would be ok.

by the way, welcome to SSC Philippines :wave: just curious, is your "J" key not functioning? :colgate:

hahah yeah.. I've had to use our old crappy windows 98 computer hahah.. both the seven and "j" key are pretty tricky to use hahaha..

I'm really sadened by the situation of pinas at the moment, more rallys=the further our country goes down the drain :( ..

olineil

July 7th, 2005, 04:00 AM

Ok guys I changed my signature, but nothing hurts more than the truth. I am very patriotic to our country I am just sour sopping coz after all this years ive been outside the country, still hoping for a better future for my family, then here goes all those stupid politicians. Really makes me flame out.

Anyway I changed my signature and sorry for the whole Philippines and Filipino forumers from the provinces but im not sorry for Manila at all!!!!

1more thing, im not brainwashed here in SG. Truth is i was brainwashed ther sa pinas for the 1st 23years of my life, thinking that the "4 corners of the shithole" im in was actually a very good life already, but alas! as soon as i got out of the country and saw how other Governments work for their people (philippines is the other way around), the brainwash was removed.

Now back to Topic...

bustero

July 7th, 2005, 05:37 AM

shit how did that sikyo get run over , he fell on the tracks! yikes! I think eventually they should put that system they have in singapore and are installing in other major cities na may plexiglass wall on the platform that opens sabay sa door. that really should be standard safety device, pag madami tao or may naghabulan you really can't tell if someone might get pushed accidentally on the track!

I think the unified system with the lrt is underway na diba. Is this what you guys are talking about ?

thomasian

July 7th, 2005, 05:58 AM

he didn't fell on the tracks. he was actually making the regular track inspection on the at-grade section of the rails in between stations.

bustero

July 7th, 2005, 05:59 AM

ngek tapos tinamaan ng tren, naku naman para pala siyang sinagasaan ng pison!

pau_p1

July 7th, 2005, 06:30 AM

it occurred around 5:30am.. he was a new guard.. he was making rounds.. checking the tracks without wearing a reflective jacket... when he was hit by an empty train (except for the driver)... maybe he thought he was strolling in the park while walking by the tracks...

thomasian

July 7th, 2005, 06:42 AM

Ok, so he was new. But he should have been more cautious while making rounds in the tracks.

Mango

July 8th, 2005, 04:13 AM

Taken from manilabulletin
DoTC gets back MRT 4 project from the freezer

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) is giving the Mass Rail Transit (MRT) line 4 project another chance at seeing implementation as it currently reviews plans for the urban light railway project.

DoTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza said his office is currently studying the project and has not totally abandoned the proposal given by the French consortium.

MRT Line 4 is a 22-kilometer elevated-double track carriageway that would cover the 15.1 kilometer Phase 1 running from Old Bilibid Prison in Manila to Batasan in Quezon City while Phase 2 covers the Batasan area to San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.

The project is expected to have a capacity of 550,000 per day when completed.

The MRT 4 consortium, composed of Bouygues-Jaylon International (Phils) Inc. — SOFRETU, was conferred the status of original proponent by the DoTC through an endorsement made by former Secretary Jesus B. Garcia Jr. to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

Teresita Fernandez Laumond, chairman and president of Javlon International (Phils) Inc. recently made a thorough presentation in Malacañang of the project’s main features such as engineering plans and designs, time-table and financing scheme.

Laumond said the meeting was in reaction to repeated appeals made by the MRT line 4 consortium to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and concerned agencies to finally issue a decision on the railway line project proposal submitted to the DoTC as early as Dec. 12, 1994.

About a year after it received the MRT line 4 proposal, the DoTC has conferred to the consortium an "original proponent" status in May 1995, and Nov. 16, which the same agency reaffirmed in July 2001.

On the other hand, NEDA granted the MRT 4 project "first pass approval" in Jan. 28, 1998 or seven years ago.

It will be recalled that the French proposal has lost its "original status" with the lapse of the prescribed 18 months validity period.

"This implies the proponent of MRT 4 lost its original proponent status and is reverted to its previous status as a proponent to the build-operate-transfer (BOT) law," according to the Department of Justice (DoJ).

The DoJ opined that the proposal was no longer valid as the financial and technical aspects of the project was submitted by the French consortium 10 years ago.

Mendoza said that they are now evaluating the proposal and the technical working group of the DoTC noted some deficiencies in the technical proposal of the French consortium.

Earlier, Representative Jacinto Paras of Negros Occidental said an immediate inquiry is needed in the problem of the MRT 4.

"Immediate action of Congress is needed so that proper recommendation, in aid of legislation, may be made and the interest of the general public protected." (Lynda B. Valencia)

pau_p1

July 8th, 2005, 05:34 AM

hmmm... I hope this would materialize soon... it would definitely help we residents of the north.. :D especially when MRT7 is built... MRT 4 will continue our connection to Manila

thomasian

July 8th, 2005, 12:05 PM

when was that article written? it didn't mention LRT-7 which had alignment conflicts with LRT-4.

renell

July 8th, 2005, 01:10 PM

^ Perhaps it will be thawed on the basis that this alignment conflict will be resolved.

sugarboy

July 8th, 2005, 03:04 PM

what do you guys have to say about all the advertisements posted on LRT and MRT properties? boon or bane?

OtAkAw

July 8th, 2005, 05:40 PM

Mango

July 8th, 2005, 06:46 PM

when was that article written? it didn't mention LRT-7 which had alignment conflicts with LRT-4.

July 8 2005 :)

thomasian

July 9th, 2005, 05:33 AM

July 8 2005 :)
Ah... ok. Thanks.

what do you guys have to say about all the advertisements posted on LRT and MRT properties? boon or bane?
I think a few advertisements won't hurt, if that translates to extra income for the proper operation and maintenance of the trains, then that would be fine.

Magmumulto nyan yan sigurado...
Wala naman tayong magagawa kung ganon ang mangyayari.
Let's just pray for his soul.

absent-minded

July 12th, 2005, 01:53 PM

yay... good thing the LRT-4 hasn't been completely shelved. pero grabe, ang tagal naman niyan. haha! I take it though that the investors are still quite interested!

what do you guys have to say about all the advertisements posted on LRT and MRT properties? boon or bane?

they're a bane to me. but they don't have to be. I like how they probably earn extra income for the LRTA and the MRTC, like aaron said, but I just hate the way they're so dang ugly. they just look so cheap the way the banners are hung on the posts with those thin metal bars and stuff. they should have some standardized, completely built up box thing para mas polido at maganda. the ones "stickered" onto the outsides of the MRT-3 aren't too bad though... I just hope they don't do it on the Megatren. hahaha!

thomasian

July 12th, 2005, 02:00 PM

Yeah, the Megatren looks to good to be wrapped in ads.

pau_p1

July 13th, 2005, 04:06 AM

I think if they'd attach ads to the Megatran, it should only be allowed on the glass windows.. like what they had for Singapore's MRT....

thomasian

July 13th, 2005, 11:21 AM

Okay, but that's destroys the view. Well not really destroys the view but lessens it because the ads are sort of see-thru anyway. But still, the view is not crystal clear.

Maybe the whole height of the piers or columns supporting the Megatren could be wrapped in ads instead.

dancethingy

July 13th, 2005, 03:57 PM

Anybody here been to Chicago? I like how they advertise on their trains. Very classy. But most of the advertising are health promotion stuff, like "Peanut butter is good for you," or "Pomegranate juice, 100% good for the heart," or "have you been tested for syphillis?"

Solblanc

July 13th, 2005, 07:01 PM

tigidig14

July 13th, 2005, 07:46 PM

i go to chgo evry once and then, there commercial in the train is ok, mediocre. but i like the advertisement they have in newyork subway heading to new jersey. its a hologram of gm cars, i think its corvette, (i think or some gm's car ) by the wall of the subway. as you pass thorough the subway the wall becomes a big hologram or tv. perty kewl actually, its like when u do a cartun and u flip the page from top to bottom. i dont know hu tot of it, (subway wall) but its very clever.

thomasian

July 14th, 2005, 06:57 AM

well, the megatren doesn't have a nice view to begin with... :D

But it does have a good view of Manila, Makati, Ortigas, Quezon City and the Eastwood Skyline.

stephencua

July 15th, 2005, 03:21 AM

taken from manila bulletin www.mb.com.ph

LRT 2 extension projects still under careful study, says DoTC

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) is still studying if and when to pursue the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 2 extension from Pasig to Antipolo City in Rizal province.

"We are still studying if the construction of the LRT 2 extension will help in the economic viability of the country," said Guiling Mamondiong, Undersecretary for Rail Transport.

"The same is true with the proposed extension of LRT 2 to Divisoria," he added.

The 13.8 kilometer LRT 2 railway is presently operating from Santolan in Pasig City to Recto station in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

In 2004, the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is seeking R8 billion in loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to extend Line 2 from Santolan to Cogeo in Antipolo City.

DoTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza said the assistance from the Japanese government is in line with the country’s Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP), which seeks to accelerate infrastructure development.

The loan will be a new one with the same concessional terms as the previous one (Line 2). It will have a two percent interest for three packages payable in 30 years with a 10-year grace period.

A feasibility study on the traffic volume, technical engineering, financial and technical feasibility of extending the LRT 2 project from Santolan all the way to Cogeo in Antipolo has already been validated.

The need to have an LRT line going to Cogeo has been decided to address the mass transit needs of the expanding population in suburban Antipolo, most of whom work in Metro Manila.

Under the LRT 2 network that would extend to eastern section of the Rizal province, there are two alternative route options. The first alternative route will be along the junction of Sumulong Highway and Marcos Highway.

The proposed route alignment will occupy the median part of the Marcos Highway along its entire length.

The length of this route alignment is about 5.75 kilometers and could link the northeastern Rizal towns to Metro Manila through the Marikina-San MateoMontalban and the Taytay-Cainta-Pasig routes.

The second alternative will make use of the Sumulong Highway, passing through A. Bonifacio Avenue and Sumulong Highway in Marikina.

The DoTC study, however, stated that the Marcos Highway route is more viable based on technical engineering and cost consideration.

The study likewise noted that locating an LRT line through the Sumulong Highway would require substantial property acquisitions to give way to LRT carriageway structure, stations and utilities.

The main drawback identified on the Marcos Highway alignment is the heavy flooding in the area which could be aggravated during the construction.

Semi-elevated structures shall be adopted in depressed areas where flooding normally occurs. On the other hand, the at-grade level structures shall be used wherever possible being cheaper and easier to construct.

A total of three stations are proposed – Rodriguez Avenue. Imelda Avenue and Sumulong Highway.

It will be constructed for a three-car operations, but will include provisions for expanded fleet operations in the future.

In case an LRT system is constructed in the area, the rehabilitation of its drainage system would intend to push up the project’s capital cost.

DoTC attested that the proposed extension of the LRT 2 to the eastern fringes is consistent with the urban growth strategy for Metro Manila. (Lynda B. Valencia-PNA)

whyte

July 24th, 2005, 10:09 AM

^ good news indeed. an extension up to MASINAG only would be very beneficial.

A total of three stations are proposed – Rodriguez Avenue. Imelda Avenue and Sumulong Highway.

the planned rodriguez ave and imelda ave station would be likened to MRT ORTIGAS and MRT SHAW. LOL (though i really believe that it could have been better if MRT ortigas was built on the deep excavation near SEC bldg.)

id rather like to see a STA LUCIA station* (imelda ave) and a MASINAG STATION (sumulong)

* or somewhere between LIGAYA and STA LCUIA area.there are a number vacant lots there.

Solblanc

July 24th, 2005, 05:19 PM

I'm guessing that they really don't want to acquire private lands, considering the LRT-1 south extension fiasco where some guy got ahold of the exact plan of the route and started acquiring all the properties in the area only to sell it to the government at a substantially higher price...

dancethingy

July 25th, 2005, 06:45 PM

Hi tigidig 14, you're right about the CTA advertising, but hey the message is good for people. Chicago's CTA is in big time financial trouble right now. If the CTA collapses, so will Chicago i'm sure of it. People tend to underestimate the massive benefits of public transportation, but I think most Chicagoans are starting to realize this. This is why i keep telling people here in Metro Manila that the future of this country lies in an complex, efficient, safe, and accessible public transportation.

Rence

July 28th, 2005, 09:56 AM

absent-minded

August 4th, 2005, 05:28 AM

:bash: They should see conduct a complete and an extensive study whether or not the LRT and MRT structure are safe for the commuting public.

In an ABS-CBN report said that parts of LRT going to Santolan station were not designed properly by the contractors
yeah, that was discussed in this thread just recently. the LRTA has said that the contractors already remedied those problems. and I think some of our forumers confirmed that what they did was okay...

anyway, here are some pics I finally got to take when I went on the LRT-2 the other day. hehe... nothing you guys haven't seen before though, nothing special. my mom had to go to Intercon for a seminar so I just went with her and her friend. I "forced" my mom to take the MRTs so we parked the car at SM Sta. Mesa. hahaha! I didn't bother taking pics of the MRT-3 though. :sleepy: hehehehe

I'm not very good with photography, so pasensya na lang. haha and the guard on the platform level did warn me about the LRTA's policy. but yeah, here goes...

V. Mapa Station from street level. crappy shot...
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/1559/img0012vh.jpg

South Entrance
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/7798/img0023im.jpg

at the Platform. I wasn't able to get any shots on the Concourse Level.
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/8901/img0033fq.jpg

I think the trains just left. oh and the LED signs were working properly. I dunno why the bottom half doesn't show up on the pictures...
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/6941/img0047rf.jpg

this is pretty blurry. that was the guard...
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/8535/img0058lf.jpg

the refurbished SM Sta. Mesa from the Platform Level. mostly done. the color's actually quite nice! and the interior is being worked on too and the parts that are done look nice!
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/5787/img0068tf.jpg

Megatren. I love you!! hahahaha
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/310/img0099ar.jpg

inside the first car facing the front. I couldn't shoot behind me cause the guard was there. haha! the trains were quite full but still very roomy. that was around lunch time... when we transferred to the MRT-3, grabe... :runaway:
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/5387/img0101bt.jpg

yeah... that's all... haha I'll try to get better pictures next time.

Edmundtanso

August 4th, 2005, 05:37 AM

Sm Sta Mesa is painted red? that cool!

absent-minded

August 4th, 2005, 05:53 AM

Sm Sta Mesa is painted red? that cool!
yeah... diba may nagpost na dati? I think it was aaron...??

renell

August 4th, 2005, 08:54 AM

a lot of people wearing white... :D anyways that LRT logo besides V. Mapa.. hmm... pretty new to me..

richard fischer

August 4th, 2005, 11:42 AM

hi absent minded,
very nice shots there ! congratulations from a professional photographer ! nice to see how clean the lrt - 2 is. how are the other ones ?
rds. philpal

tyronne

August 4th, 2005, 08:06 PM

good job, absent_minded :okay: thanks for sharing.

mysaong03

August 4th, 2005, 08:40 PM

absent, did u notice any slowdown on the train speed while its running?? coz my ciz used to complain bout it.. its much mcuh slower daw compared to MRT or LRT!!! totoo bato?? coz when i tried it one time, sobrang bagal nga nya!!

thomasian

August 5th, 2005, 06:23 AM

A reason for the slowdowns is that the train you're in is very close to the earlier one.
But with or without those slowdowns, MegaTren is still slower than MRT.\
I don't know why this is the case because the maximum speed of the MegaTren is supposedly higher than that of the MRT.

What I like about the MegaTren is that it accelerates and stops gently, that I can stand in the train without holding-on to the safety handrails or anything for the whole duration of the ride. Mas astig kasi yun eh,I just stand infront of the door enjoying the view without ever having to hold on the handrails.

Pero sa MRT, good luck sayo pag ginawa mo yun, titilapon ka sa bilis ng pag a-accelerate at pag stop nung train.

Francis20

August 5th, 2005, 07:04 AM

nice photos there @ Absent!
I love LRT2 as well.
Renell, are those signs new? They look good imo.
And yeah, did u say LRT slows down? MRT3 does that pretty often. Especially during rush hours when the preceding train is still on the next station. They run pretty close, that sometimes it will take only 1 minute before the next train comes in...and jam packed pa rin ang mga tao. Ive never seen this happen sa LRT2.

mysaong03

August 5th, 2005, 08:43 PM

aaron, noh, talagang mabagal lang daw... im referring to its low rate of speed throughout its entire run. & in the case of MRT3, that speed is ideal for me coz everyone riding them are always on a rush, so it indeed serves its purpose right...yun nga lang, always look for a handrail to hold on before anythin else :D & stand near the aircon blower, malamig!! :)

ryanr

August 5th, 2005, 09:39 PM

a lot of people wearing white... :D anyways that LRT logo besides V. Mapa.. hmm... pretty new to me..

Thats coz its a popular line among students, since it goes straight to the heart of the university belt. Great photos, Lance:)

absent-minded

August 6th, 2005, 01:07 PM

thanks guys! haha!

yeah... when the trains get full, it's usually filled up with a lot of students. kaya puro naka uniform... hehe

and about the speed of the Megatren. I dunno. I also noticed that it felt slower than the MRT-3, but then I was like... maybe it's because the tracks so much higher up so you don't see nearby buildings and cars on the road going by so fast like you do along EDSA on the MRT. instead the view along most of the route of the LRT-2 is little houses further away the distant Makati and Ortigas skylines... also, if you're in between two stations (where the train goes at regular speed) and a train from the opposite direction passes by parang masmabilis dumaan ung tren kaysa sa pag sa MRT-3. I dunno. that's what I think... hehe!

and like aaron said, the stopping and going on the Megatren is sooooooo much smoother you don't really have to hold on when you're standing up. the MRT-3 is really rough and when you're standing up during rush hour, it's really annoying when you lean over onto other people. nakakatakot kasi baka magalit ung mga matataray... haha! and there aren't so many poles to hold on...

_zner_

August 6th, 2005, 01:50 PM

absent-minded

August 6th, 2005, 06:25 PM

katipunan - Lrt2 is so so beautiful..... its way ahead... i like it... its like the ambiance in kuala lumpur.... very hightech... it impressed me the most....

(just tried it awhile ago.. but to bad... they dont allow to take us some picture... but ive got 2 pix with my classmates and they almost confiscated my cellfone.... waaah... i was not really imformed about that....)

hehe... yeah, but I still don't understand why they enforce that policy.

anyway, I've heard Katipunan Station is really nice from a lot of people. I only went through it on the way to Santolan once last year but I didn't get off the train. why is it so nice...?? I should go there sometime.

dudz

August 6th, 2005, 07:19 PM

galing naman, lance:okay:. did you use a digicam here? i'm dying to take photos of the megatren with a digicam. and also its great views, mostly south (ortigas, makati, eastwood). another unique thing about the megatren is the trains are just one car, kaya pag pa-curve ang track, enjoy tingnan ang harap o ang likod:D

thomasian

August 7th, 2005, 12:22 PM

Apir tayo dyan... :okay: na-aaliw din akong tingnan yung buong kahabaan nung train pag dumadaan sa curve.

absent-minded

August 8th, 2005, 05:57 PM

thanks dudz! :) yeah, I used a digicam... hehe! if you want to take pictures inside the trains, go at night on a weekend. one time I went, mga 9:00 pa lang konti na lang ang tao. no one's really standing in the aisles anymore so you can get a good shot of the entire train from end to end or when it curves. haha! I didn't have a camera then though. I wanna go again one day and take better pictures...

and yeah, you get views of quite a number of different skylines on the Megatren. ang ganda nga sobra eh! haha nung sumakay ako last year okay sana kumuha nung wala pang sumasakay sa LRT-2. but now it's harder to take shots during the day... dudz or aaron can probably do it though! haha!

bustero

August 9th, 2005, 05:55 AM

Absent minded malapit ka na mag pearlfarm , have a good time, sarap niyan. be sure to stop by eden to, really super cool place:)

thomasian

August 9th, 2005, 07:03 AM

thanks dudz! :)

and yeah, you get views of quite a number of different skylines on the Megatren. ang ganda nga sobra eh! haha nung sumakay ako last year okay sana kumuha nung wala pang sumasakay sa LRT-2. but now it's harder to take shots during the day... dudz or aaron can probably do it though! haha!

I'm not sure if I can do it. But I'll really try. I hope I won't end up in jail, haha :colgate:

bustero

August 11th, 2005, 05:09 AM

Vol. XIX, No. 12
Thursday, August 11, 2005 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Today’s Headline

BY KERLYN G. BAUTISTA, Reporter
Gov’t to pay P1-billion debts for MRT upkeep

The government plans to pay by next year about P1 billion in arrears to Japanese railway contractor Sumitomo Corp. if only to keep in operation the heavily indebted Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3) on EDSA.

Early this year Sumitomo already warned that it would stop all its maintenance service to MRT-3 unless the government pays its debts dating back to 2003.

As of end-June, the government owed the Japanese contractor maintenance charges totaling $21 million or P1.176 billion (P56:$1).

Railway officials said the P1 billion would come from the proposed P11-billion budget for 2006 of the Department of Transportation and Communication, as endorsed by Malacañang.

Officials said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recommended this during the cabinet meeting earlier this week, as well as P5-billion budget for upgrading existing airports.

Aside from the $21 million due Sumitomo, the government also owes $38.3 million in equity and $1 million in staff and administration charges to the Sobrepeña-led Metro Rail Transit Corp., as well as $17.7 million in insurance charges to the Government Service Insurance System.

By yearend, the government is estimated to owe creditors, suppliers, and contractors around $126 million for MRT-3 operations.

MRT-3, a 13-station railway system, also pays real estate taxes to the governments of Quezon City, Pasig City, Makati City, and Pasay City.

Paying the Sumitomo debt through the national budget was the state’s last option. Initially, government had wanted to pay out its MRT-3 debts with fare revenues deposited in escrow at the Philippine National Bank.

But its deal with the MRT-3 contractor provides that fare revenues must first pay for debts to the railway builder, and only surpluses can be used to pay for Sumitomo’s maintenance fees as well as insurance charges.

MRT-3 reportedly makes P125 million to P130 million monthly from its daily rider volume of about 400,000. But monthly expenses subsidized by government reportedly total P210 million.

Large government subsidies to keep MRT-3 running have been attributed to the reluctance of Malacañang to increase fares, to protect the riding public.

absent-minded

August 11th, 2005, 05:43 AM

is this all because of the crappy deal the gov't signed into for its construction? I remember reading about how the contract for the MRT-3 will end up to be extremely disadvantageous to the govt. this one was not built under a BOT scheme, right? what was this one called...?

the govt should force the MRTC to pay up taxes to the various LGUs they owe too though. hopefully the LRT-2 isn't in the same mess. will the gov't have to pay the contractors of that one anything under the BOT contract?

Absent minded malapit ka na mag pearlfarm , have a good time, sarap niyan. be sure to stop by eden to, really super cool place:)hehehe.. thanks bustero!! =D I'll tell my dad about Eden - the one that was just posted in the Davao thread, dba? cuz he's the one that's planning everything...

I'm not sure if I can do it. But I'll really try. I hope I won't end up in jail, haha :Dhahahahahaha!!! yeah... I wonder what the penalty is if they actually "arrest/charge" somebody for that. good luck though aaron!! hehe =D I hope I get to ride the LRT-2 again too before I leave. haha

Mango

August 13th, 2005, 05:39 AM

MRT 3 cuts tickets, not fares

First posted 00:04am (Mla time) Aug 13, 2005
By Abigail L. Ho, Clarissa Batino
Inquirer News Service

Editor's Note: Published on Page A19 of the August 13, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE NEXT time you take the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT 3) on Edsa, don't be surprised to get only half a ticket. It will be enough to get you from one point to another. Just don't insert them into the automated fare collection machines.

A critical shortage of tickets has prompted MRT 3 management to cut into two most of the old tickets and reuse these as manual passes for train rides, MRT 3 General Manager Roberto Lastimoso said.

Lastimoso said the railway agency had been using old, cut up tickets for those traveling a P14-route.

Holders of these tickets pass through manual gates instead of the electronic gates. So far, the MRT 3 has cut 50,000 tickets.

"We are using the very old tickets that are no longer accepted by the machine. We cut them in half and issue them to those buying P14 tickets because this is where the bulk is," said the MRT 3 chief in an interview.

Lastimoso said 40 percent of MRT 3's ridership buy the P14-ticket. Almost all the tickets being cut and used as manual pass are GMA tickets. MRT 3 has about half-a-million of the passes.

Commuters will have to present the tickets to the guard at their point of origin and drop them in dropboxes at their destination.

"We cannot avoid that there are those who may want to cheat. But it's just P1 so we just ask them to pay the difference," he explained. MRT charges a fare ranging from P9 to P15.

Last month, the MRT 3 started using tickets bearing the face of ousted President Estrada but pulled out the electronic cards after the agency reportedly got into trouble with Malacañang.

The pullout of 400,000 Estrada electronic cards in mid-July immediately led to a shortage of tickets. Lastimoso said the agency needed 800,000 tickets a day so it won't have to retrieve from the machines.

But lately, only 245,000 tickets are usable. "So we retrieve our tickets four times a day. Even that is not enough so we resorted to cutting the old ones."

MRT 3, which carries about 420,000 passengers each day, is hard-pressed for funds, according to Lastimoso, which was why it has a hard time financing even the production of the electronic cards.

The agency is seeking a P20-million budget for a one-year supply of tickets but often, the budget gets channeled to items like salaries and other operational expenses.

"We will soon get the delivery of the first batch of the 800,000 tickets we ordered. Maybe, we can get half of that by the second week of September," he said.

Winning bidder Digicom will print 800,000 cards for P10 million.
=============

To economize, they should print chewing gum-size single journey tickets, and retain the ID size for the value passes/tickets.
And personally, I don't like the idea of putting somebody's face on these passes.

olineil

August 13th, 2005, 06:03 AM

dudz

August 13th, 2005, 06:47 AM

thomasian

August 13th, 2005, 07:21 AM

You know whats the problem here.... stop printing tickets that bare the stupid face of the president. In this manner even if the president is removed or finally finished his/her term they wont have to change the tickets. How stupid are this people. They keep on saying lack of funds, but they dont do something to cut down cost. Sighhh...... :no:

The tickets are already full of advertisements, how come all those ads doesn't help in making money for the tickets?

Francis20

August 14th, 2005, 07:18 AM

cutting the ticket really sounds ridiculous to me. ive seen that myself, but was never issued with one anyway. i was wondering what happened to the tickets. yun pala, cost cutting. kaya pati ticket, na cut din. sigh...i also have seen papers na ginawang ticket. so you have to show it to the guards para maka exit. kakaasar din minsan. one thing they could do is...remove some of the expectator employees. then change them into vending machines para mabawasan ang haba ng queue pag rush hour. lalo na sa cubao at Taft. 3 or 2 lines lang nag iisue ng ticket. kasamaang palad pag wala kang stored value ticket. mas ayos sugro kung kagaya ng LRT2, me mga vending machines. maikli lang ang pila. less human intervention.

thomasian

August 14th, 2005, 09:28 AM

Yeah, I've had those "papers" used as tickets. Although I still haven't seen the half-tickets. Those paper tickets that you show on the guard makes the MRT and the Philippines look so poor, ano na lang sasabihin ng mga foreigners pag nakita nila yun.

Mango

August 14th, 2005, 10:08 AM

I saw those ticket vending machine in Cubao MRT3 station. I wonder why these aren't being utilised yet?

olineil

August 14th, 2005, 07:17 PM

I guess this is just 1 example of a project by the Good president Fidel Ramos and handed over to Estrada after succession just to be eventually Raped and stripped naked with corruption of the Estradas, that even the skin is gone...Sighhh.........

dudz

August 15th, 2005, 04:18 PM

experienced first hand the inconvenience of the ticket shortage. i think it's more critical than what was published. at some entry points (mine is shaw) they don't issue tickets anymore (not even the half ticket), they don't ask you to pay either (payment is done at your exit point), you just enter through the manual gates. i always have the stored value ticket but unlucky me this time i didn't have. now the problem is at the exit point (mine is taft)... with only two ticket(payment) windows open for these passengers and at rush hour, my exit was delayed by half hour, maybe longer for others as more trains with more passengers arrive:ohno:

Mango

August 15th, 2005, 04:27 PM

So how is the system for paying? You just say your entry point upon exit and pay?

dudz

August 15th, 2005, 05:02 PM

that's right, mango. you have to say your entry point, pay the fare and you're actually given a whole ticket:uh: (old one, couldn't distinguish it anymore) which you'll use to get through the electronic gates. didn't notice anything done with the ticket before it was handed to me though. but i paid the full fare from shaw. hmmm...

Mango

August 15th, 2005, 05:11 PM

hmmm...I can sense that you're up to something...:D
hope the rest are not doing it yet LOL!

bustero

August 15th, 2005, 07:03 PM

Sa totoo lang kasi ang mure masyado ng lrt/mrt natin, it's like 25us Cents! Pambihirang presyo, how do you pay for a system which cost 500million $ with 25cents. That's a lot of riders.

Mango

August 15th, 2005, 07:12 PM

I think the original plan is to make the MRT fare the same as bus fare to attract ridership. Then after a certain period of time(which is already overdue), they will increase it pero ewan ko ano na nangyari...

mysaong03

August 15th, 2005, 09:59 PM

the proponents of the mrt3 project probably didnt expect the peso devaluation to be this lowww, so even theyve adjusted the fares minus the inflation & devaluation, lugi parin talaga :(

mgian_21

August 22nd, 2005, 10:00 AM

hey man, i found this map, look at Photo D, it's similar to the one you posted
http://www.lrta.gov.ph/projects/photos/Line1_SouthExt/Line1_SouthExt_01.jpg

just only 10 stations, how about Pulang lupa? next before zapote...............

las pinas have proposed only 3 stations i hink i should be 5 stations

las pinas station isn't it pulang lupa?

_zner_

August 22nd, 2005, 03:35 PM

i hope they could update the ticket system in mrt3 like lrt2... coz its very modern..

stephencua

August 23rd, 2005, 03:20 AM

ei guys, read all about it!!! :D taken from inq7.net..

MRT, LRT start midnight run

First posted 00:05am (Mla time) Aug 23, 2005
By Edson C. Tandoc Jr.
Inquirer News Service

Editor's Note: Published on page A19 of the August 23, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

PLANNING an all-night party or coming home late from overtime work? Use the railway systems instead of your cars.

The three railways systems in Metro Manila now operate until midnight, said the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC).

The Metro Rail Transit 3 and Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 open at 5:30 a.m. and used to close at 9:30 p.m.

The extended operation started Monday as the department’s answer to the energy conservation efforts of the government, DOTC spokesperson Gen. Thompson Lantion said.

President Macapagal-Arroyo had asked the public to conserve energy amid rising global oil prices. Part of this conservation drive is to promote the use of mass transport systems.

Savings

Instead of using their cars late in the evening, motorists are advised to use the railway systems instead and save on gas.

In a statement, DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza said the extended schedule would be implemented temporarily to determine if the volume of riders would be enough to enable the railways to sustain operations until midnight.

“We will evaluate the ridership volume for several weeks before we decide if we will push through with the scheme on a more permanent basis,” Lantion also told the Inquirer.

Lantion said the new schedule would encourage commuters to patronize midnight operations and ensure its continued implementation.

The DOTC also assured commuters that they would beef up security measures during these extended hours of operation to ensure the safety of passengers.

bustero

August 23rd, 2005, 04:18 AM

Ha beat me to the punch! good development though, now you can go somewhere and ride it back late at night:)

renell

August 24th, 2005, 09:16 AM

it is a good idea, maybe somewhere else but MM though. I mean it might not be as widespread as urban legends go but there's still a pretty good chance you can be mugged in Metro Manila's streets. Nevertheless I shouldn't judge it before it's been given a fair-go

bagel

August 24th, 2005, 10:59 AM

The midnight train is only as good as the connecting transportation. I hope that jeepneys, taxis, trikes will be there to take LRT/MRT passengers the last mile to their houses.

stephencua

August 24th, 2005, 11:34 AM

Ha beat me to the punch! good development though, now you can go somewhere and ride it back late at night:)

hahaha.. :) sori dude.. :)

bustero

August 24th, 2005, 02:36 PM

OK lang better than it not getting posted!!!:)

Francis20

August 24th, 2005, 02:52 PM

yeah, i heard about this from a friend. but yesterday...they haven't officially started the midnight last train yet. i mean yesterday. pero it's really late at night...part 10 na ata or near 11 pm. bk nag aadjust pa. i dunno if that would mean 12 mn from Tart/N Ave or Santolan/Recto. hopefully it is. maraming beses na akong kelangang sumakay ng bus from cubao to guadalupe dahil closed na MRT at minsan at from Legarda to Cubao...which is very tedious, tiring...at risky. i never thought what you usually take from Recto to Cubao by 15 min via LRT2 can be travelled via jeepney in more than 30 minutes. mausok pa.

Francis20

August 24th, 2005, 02:54 PM

about the ticketing system, taka nga din ako when the MRT people decided na sa destination na lang bayad ng mga sumasakay. pano yun? ginagawa din kasi yun sa cubao. now how would they know who comes from where?

at sobrang dami na rin ng 1/2 tickets. ganun na ba kahirap MRT? dapat nga i increase na ang pamasahe. they started off with higher fare (erap's time) , pero konti lang sumakay so eventually binaba para i patronize ng masa.

few days ago, nakabili na ako ng stored value ticket sa Guadalupe. It looked new. Malamang na deliver na ng supplier ang mga tickets. hehe...

Mango

September 3rd, 2005, 04:00 AM

DOTC bares new MRT, LRT schedule

The Philippine Star 09/03/2005

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza has announced the revised service schedule of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines that took effect last night.

In a statement, Mendoza said the MRT Line 3 (MRT-3) service from North Avenue terminal to Taft Avenue terminal (southbound) starts at 5:30 a.m. The first train from Taft Avenue going to North Avenue (northbound) also leaves at 5:30 a.m.

The last train leaves North Avenue going to Taft Avenue (southbound) at 10:36 p.m. while the last trip from Taft Avenue to North Avenue (northbound) is at 11:05 p.m.

For LRT Line 1, the first trip from Baclaran terminal to Monumento terminal leaves at 5 a.m.. The first train from Monumento to Baclaran also leaves at 5 a.m.

The last trip from Baclaran to Monumento and vice-versa will be at 10:30 p.m.

For LRT Line 2, the first train from Santolan terminal to Recto terminal and vice-versa leaves at 5 a.m.

The last trip from Santolan to Recto will be at 10:30 p.m., while the last trip from Recto to Santolan will be at 11 p.m. — Sandy Araneta

Francis20

September 3rd, 2005, 11:33 AM

ok na rin yung sked. better than before. kasi konti na rin ang passengers pag near midnight. na mali nga lang kami last time. we stayed out late, hoping n me MRT at LRT pa. kaso pag holiday at weekends pala di applicable yung mga bagong sked.

dancethingy

September 5th, 2005, 07:08 PM

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Govt approves MRT-7

By Darwin G. Amojelar, Reporter

THE Metro Rail Transit line 7 (MRT-7) has been “approved in principle,” government sources said.

Officials of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) added that the draft of the contract agreement is being reviewed by the Department of Finance. They said the DOF is looking into the project to see if it is “deficit neutral.”

Guiling A. Mamondiong, Department of Transportation undersecretary said that after the DOF finds the project deficit neutral, the NEDA-Investment Coordinating Committee will again evaluate the project for final approval.

He said the project will be approved before the year ends.

Earlier, the Manila Times reported that the government will subsidize for 10 years passenger fares for the planned MRT 7, reaching $1.25 billion.

Based on its financial runs presented in a June 9 meeting, the proponent Universal LRT Corp. Ltd. proposed an actual fare of P20 a passenger and an economic fare of P80.56.This means that the government will shoulder the P60.56 balance.

Universal LRT, however, said the so-called subsidy payment will be collected by the government from other income sources such as tax revenues from real-estate development, advertising, commercial development of the stations and the share of the government in gross revenues.

Universal LRT’s projected passenger revenues are valued at $10 million to $20 million; transfer ridership, $6.4 million to $12.2 million; advertising, $1.20 million to $1.60 million; income on land share, $4.4 million to $11.6 million; income tax, $40 million; other project taxes, $5 million; and land development, $31 million to $168 million.

The proposal comes at a time when the government is hard-pressed wiping its budget deficit by 2010. It also runs counter to a government policy of extending no financial subsidy similar to what operators of existing light transits enjoy.

MRT 7 will cost $1.2 billion, and will have a 22-kilometer elevated track running from Tala in Novaliches to North Avenue corner EDSA passing through Lagro, Fairview, Commonwealth Avenue before joining MRT Line 3 in North Avenue.

The project is intended to serve commuters to and from the north of Metro Manila, including Novaliches, Fairview, Caloocan and Bulacan, and involves the construction of a 17-km asphalt private road at the Marilao Exit of the North Luzon Expressway that would terminate at the intermodal terminal in Tala.