Metro Manila LRT and MRT Lines - Compiled Threads [Archive] - Page 17

3cr

January 2nd, 2008, 12:02 AM

MRT-7 gets green light
Emil Jurado
Manila Standard
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=emilJurado_jan1_2008

After six long years and having gone through the bureaucratic wringer at the Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of Justice and National Economic Development Authority headed by the President herself, and after having hurdled the “Swiss Challenge” of the build-operate-transfer aspect of the $3.3-billion MRT-7 project, finally the Neda gave its green light for the project to push through—but not without so many stiff conditions.

The MRT-7 project includes a rail and road component costing $1.3 billion. It also has a real estate component, with Henry Sy’s SM and Andrew Tan’s Megaworld, costing another $2 billion. Thus far, this has been the biggest infrastructure project under the Arroyo incumbency.

Among the conditions slapped by the Cabinet-level Neda for the approval of the project is a more than $300-million performance bond, assurance that the real estate components are free from liens, and other assurances in the contract that in case of default, the government can recover from its real estate components.

Knowing Eli Levin, the main proponent of the MRT-7 project, and main proponent of MRT-3, I am sure that the MRT-7 will be able to hurdle all these. He’s not a newcomer when it comes to the bureaucracy and to all imposed by authorities to assure the people that the government is not grossly disadvantaged.

While the MRT-7 project is mainly that of Universal LRT Corp. and EL Entreprises of Eli Levin, it brings together the resources of SM Group of Companies of Henry Sy, Andrew Tan’s Megaworld Corp., International Finance Corp., the private funding of the World Bank, and other internationally known and reputable infrastructure builders in Europe and the US.

The scheme calls for a 20-km highway that will link the North Triangle area in Quezon City through Tala, Bulacan from the North Expressway, with San Jose del Monte in Bulacan to interconnect with MRT-3.

The MRT-7 may well be called a legacy of President Arroyo once it starts, probably by the end of 2008. It is a project that aims to decongest Edsa and to enable commuters to connect with existing MRT projects in Metro Manila.

The best part of it all is that MRT-7 will come at no cost to the government. It will be undertaken under the BOT scheme.

xoelts

January 2nd, 2008, 04:48 AM

whats MRT & LRT how they differ?....

Mojacko

January 2nd, 2008, 05:04 AM

whats MRT & LRT how they differ?....

The LRT, operated by the Light Rail Transit Authority, covers the Yellow and Purple Lines. The Yellow Line is the original LRT, running from Baclaran, passing over Taft Avenue, crossing the Pasig River, then covering Rizal Avenue before ending at Monumento. The Purple Line runs from Santolan, Marikina, then passes through Cubao and Sta. Mesa before hitting C.M. Recto (intersecting with the Yellow Line between Carriedo and D. Jose).

Meanwhile, the MRT (also casually referred to as the "Metrostar Express"), operated by the Metro Rail Transit Corporation, covers the Blue Line - covering much of EDSA from North Avenue (connecting with TriNoMa Mall) down to Taft Avenue (connecting with the Yellow LRT Line via MetroPoint Mall).

Hope this helps.

ericlucky290

January 2nd, 2008, 05:12 AM

Bakit ba, gusto nila underground eh, naawa sila saten, para makatikim din naman daw tayo ng underground trains. :lol:

Pwede na yung Katipunan Station, atleast underground station talaga yon. It is so cool to watch the train from Santolan going to the terminal, parang subway talaga.:lol:

le Reine

January 2nd, 2008, 05:15 AM

^^oo nga, at ang lamig sa katipunan station. wala namang aircon dun diba? :lol:

brownman

January 2nd, 2008, 06:05 AM

so which line is proposed to be entirely underground/subway type? i'm getting excited with this.

OT: yung circle line ng MRT dito sa Singapore is on it's way to open on 2010. their stations are ultra modern. I saw one rendering of the Museum station with all it's water feature and all that. It's pretty amazing.

queetz@home

January 2nd, 2008, 10:52 AM

http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view_article.php?article_id=109808

By Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:02pm (Mla time) 01/01/2008

MANILA, Philippines - The government buyout of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT3) will take place as soon as contentious details such as remaining rights of some of the private investors are resolved, the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) said.

(article continued at link above)

Hmm, this is interesting. Contrary to the editorials of the Philippine Star, it looks like the DOTC does indeed have the public's best interest at heart. The article does say that the DOTC wants to do this buyout correct and rushing it would mean they could buy the MRT3 phase one but cannot have the "rights" for future expansion. If the DOTC does get what it wants, which includes the rights to future expansion, then they can indeed assign it to another consortium, which logically speaking for the sake of sanity, the LRTA. Hence if the DOTC succeeds, we would indeed have the seamless MRT/LRT loop connection that we all want which would enable someone to take the MRT station from, say from Quezon Ave station and get off at the LRT station, say at Vito Cruz without leaving the train... :yes:

And once again, the anti-Gloria Arroyo Administration media personalities such as the Philippine Star editorial writer has been proven to be full of sh*t! Basically, if you want to do something such as buyout the MRT3, its better to do it right the first time even if it takes longer. Not only will a successful buyout including rights to a future expansion would mean a seamless connection between the tracks of the MRT/LRT lines, it would also mean a possible extension of MRT3 to places like SM MOA...

youdamiren

January 2nd, 2008, 12:27 PM

MRT-7 gets green light
Emil Jurado
Manila Standard
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=emilJurado_jan1_2008

The MRT-7 may well be called a legacy of President Arroyo once it starts, probably by the end of 2008. It is a project that aims to decongest Edsa and to enable commuters to connect with existing MRT projects in Metro Manila.

The best part of it all is that MRT-7 will come at no cost to the government. It will be undertaken under the BOT scheme.

I am excited about this. It is not however, sure, whether, this could start by the end of 2008.

Is this the only infrastructure legacy of Arroyo Adminisration?

le Reine

January 2nd, 2008, 01:12 PM

thanks marieantoinette, in that case they should just go underground in the locations that they can't pass through above ground to save as much money as they can. If this were the case this would be the first underground rail-line in the Philippines correct?WEll, perhaps. Some members have seen a big space before going to ayala station, MRT. They think that this might be the allocated space for the underground line. PLease read the previous pages of this thread and you'll see how the plans have changed.

oh yeah ur right, thanks man. :)
Man? I'm a "woman." :okay:

Bakit ba, gusto nila underground eh, naawa sila saten, para makatikim din naman daw tayo ng underground trains. :lol:

Actually, metro-manila is prone to flooding and underground ways are not so good (in the near future, unless excellent piping was installed). It's really difficult to erect deep poles for a "light-transit" in highways that should be open 24/7. It would cause chaotic traffic. Doing it underground simply borrows holes, that's it. If they are deep enough, it's more obstacle-free.
so which line is proposed to be entirely underground/subway type? i'm getting excited with this.

OT: yung circle line ng MRT dito sa Singapore is on it's way to open on 2010. their stations are ultra modern. I saw one rendering of the Museum station with all it's water feature and all that. It's pretty amazing.
WEll, that underground line is not yet sure. We have stopped receiving news since last year, so we assumed that it is already scrapped.

Hmm, this is interesting. Contrary to the editorials of the Philippine Star, it looks like the DOTC does indeed have the public's best interest at heart. The article does say that the DOTC wants to do this buyout correct and rushing it would mean they could buy the MRT3 phase one but cannot have the "rights" for future expansion. If the DOTC does get what it wants, which includes the rights to future expansion, then they can indeed assign it to another consortium, which logically speaking for the sake of sanity, the LRTA. Hence if the DOTC succeeds, we would indeed have the seamless MRT/LRT loop connection that we all want which would enable someone to take the MRT station from, say from Quezon Ave station and get off at the LRT station, say at Vito Cruz without leaving the train... :yes:

And once again, the anti-Gloria Arroyo Administration media personalities such as the Philippine Star editorial writer has been proven to be full of sh*t! Basically, if you want to do something such as buyout the MRT3, its better to do it right the first time even if it takes longer. Not only will a successful buyout including rights to a future expansion would mean a seamless connection between the tracks of the MRT/LRT lines, it would also mean a possible extension of MRT3 to places like SM MOA...Hmm... Yes it sounds laudable. BUT I have this reservation in me. WHY on Earth would a buyout mean that the government would not still fully own it? It confuses me. It sounds stupid to buy the corporation and yet after buying the whole of it, the corporation still has a say in things? How has that happened? IT sounds to complicated. Would someone please explain it to us, or at least to me? Thank you.

I am excited about this. It is not however, sure, whether, this could start by the end of 2008.

Is this the only infrastructure legacy of Arroyo Adminisration?Certainly not.

queetz@home

January 2nd, 2008, 01:21 PM

Hmm... Yes it sounds laudable. BUT I have this reservation in me. WHY on Earth would a buyout mean that the government would not still fully own it? It confuses me. It sounds stupid to buy the corporation and yet after buying the whole of it, the corporation still has a say in things? How has that happened? IT sounds to complicated. Would someone please explain it to us, or at least to me? Thank you.

Without having to see the actual paperwork, I can only speculate why but the most probable reason is the buyout agreed at this point between the government and the MRTC only covers the existing line, which is phase 1. The issue in question is the rights for phase 2, which the MTRC hasn't fully given up yet as they seem to have stated late last year. Not sure why they won't want to give that up and who knows what goes on behind close doors. While buying out the existing line will indeed mean savings, that means the existing MRT3 that you see today will remain that way pretty much forever, or until such a time that the MRTC gives up the rights to extend it.

Its really all legal mumbo jumbo and I can only suspect the MRTC is just trying to play hardball and try to get more from the deal. Pure greed really and it remains to be seen which side caves in. I for one would like the MRTC to be blown off the face of the earth given how they f*cked up the MRT3 at the first place....

le Reine

January 2nd, 2008, 01:26 PM

Hmmm... I see. If you're right then damn those MRTC peeps! They still have the gall to fight for their rights with re phase 2 to when they can't even do anything to implement it. And not to mention the mess that they've done with MRT itself. urrrghh... Now it makes me really mad. Let's see how it progresses then.

manchowyin

January 2nd, 2008, 04:04 PM

Hmm... Yes it sounds laudable. BUT I have this reservation in me. WHY on Earth would a buyout mean that the government would not still fully own it? It confuses me. It sounds stupid to buy the corporation and yet after buying the whole of it, the corporation still has a say in things? How has that happened? IT sounds to complicated. Would someone please explain it to us, or at least to me? Thank you.

Certainly not.

The Inquirer article referred to earlier continues:

But late last year, Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), which put up the MRT3, said it would still be involved in future expansion even after the government buys out the build-lease-transfer (BLT) contract for the existing infrastructure.

Robert John Sobrepeña, MRTC and Fil-Estate Corp. chair, explained: "MRTC is a single purpose company. And the only right and assets of the MRTC is the phase 1."

"All the rights--phase 2, capacity expansion, development rights--it's not with the MRTC (after the buy out). (The government) had to assign that (to another consortium) at the beginning as a condition of the international lenders," he added.

That other consortium, he explained, has the right to take part in future expansion plans. The government, however, said it wanted complete control of the MRT3."

le Reine

January 2nd, 2008, 04:16 PM

^^hmm... so the government needs to buyout 2 consortiums in that case which would be costly. Hmm... thanks for the article. I have to ask one more thing. Why did the government at the time of FVR opted to build the MRT just in North Ave and not extended it until Monumento? I'm still puzzled until now. And at presents it seems that this same predicament is still hounding the government even when it is willing to buy the whole thing out. I guess we have to review and change some provisions in the BOT law.

Solblanc

January 2nd, 2008, 05:07 PM

The Inquirer article referred to earlier continues:

But late last year, Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), which put up the MRT3, said it would still be involved in future expansion even after the government buys out the build-lease-transfer (BLT) contract for the existing infrastructure.

Robert John Sobrepeña, MRTC and Fil-Estate Corp. chair, explained: "MRTC is a single purpose company. And the only right and assets of the MRTC is the phase 1."

"All the rights--phase 2, capacity expansion, development rights--it's not with the MRTC (after the buy out). (The government) had to assign that (to another consortium) at the beginning as a condition of the international lenders," he added.

That other consortium, he explained, has the right to take part in future expansion plans. The government, however, said it wanted complete control of the MRT3."

Waittasec... I thought that one of the reasons why this buyout was happening was because the BOT contract contains some mumbo-jumbo that says that the consortium has until 2006/2007 or something to carry out the planned expansion, and if the consortium fails to do so, then the government can bid out the expansion work to any third party.

bustero

January 2nd, 2008, 05:48 PM

AH-7Raja

January 2nd, 2008, 06:12 PM

good news ito...

@marieantonneitte, sorry i didn't know... :)

le Reine

January 2nd, 2008, 06:43 PM

Thanks xp/marieantoinette

Phase 2 for all intents and purposes is defacto dead since it's lrt line 1 which is being extended, bids are on going, right!

The rights they refer to are not neccesarily these.

Unfortunately Philstar is on the right track with regards to the obstacles this current deal has. Just look at the track record of the key player and see what other interesting deals they've gotten into and this will give you a clue as to the motivations of the belligerent player.I see. I almost forgot that one. Hmm... things are getting complicated and it seems that "they" want it to remain like that to "their" advantage. Sinasabi ko na nga ba. There is something fishy.

good news ito...

@marieantonneitte, sorry i didn't know... :)ahaha... I hope you understood what I meant by that. :lol:

AH-7Raja

January 2nd, 2008, 06:56 PM

kind of... atleast i got some idea... :D

filcan

January 3rd, 2008, 03:28 AM

Bakit ba, gusto nila underground eh, naawa sila saten, para makatikim din naman daw tayo ng underground trains. :lol:

Actually, metro-manila is prone to flooding and underground ways are not so good (in the near future, unless excellent piping was installed). It's really difficult to erect deep poles for a "light-transit" in highways that should be open 24/7. It would cause chaotic traffic. Doing it underground simply borrows holes, that's it. If they are deep enough, it's more obstacle-free.

natikim ko na mga underground trains...lasang BORING...lol. Wala namang view chaka madilim lagi. Build na lang sa taas...pero ayusin lang yung view:laugh:

manchowyin

January 3rd, 2008, 04:12 AM

Unfortunately Philstar is on the right track with regards to the obstacles this current deal has. Just look at the track record of the key player and see what other interesting deals they've gotten into and this will give you a clue as to the motivations of the belligerent player.

Sorry I am not that well informed on the political side of this, but what I glean from what people are saying (including Philstar) is that the main player--and main obstacle--is in that post because some political debt is being paid, is that right? This is the reason he has not been replaced in spite of his dismal performance, I gather?

If my reading is right, is there any hope, then, that he will be replaced, whether this year, or next?

bustero

January 3rd, 2008, 06:09 AM

^^you are correct, unfortunately he and the band of generals which supported the EDSA 2 coup are basically untouchable, how many posts for example are held by generals? how many rotations in cabinet level posts has the current DOE sec had ( he must be extremely qualified to sit on all these jobs !!!) i doubt if this administration will see them off, let's hope but would not bet on it. anyway they only have a few weeks left to operationalize their buy out agreement (btw it's not neccesarily a corporate buyout but one of securities).

le Reine

January 3rd, 2008, 06:14 AM

^^that's what I'm lamenting too in the graft and corruption thread. :lol: because of that edsa 2, we are now facing these incompetent, inefficient and stupid generals. whoopps... Now you know the reason why I'm not going to post here anymore. :lol:

dancethingy

January 3rd, 2008, 07:38 AM

^^ Its all too shameful to know that the same generals whose job it is to protect this country are the same generals who today are working to bring it down from within. Im beginning to lose all hope.

queetz@home

January 3rd, 2008, 08:59 AM

Well conspiracy theories aside, as long as LRT1 extension begins soon, we should be happy for that. After all, I doubt they would be able to reach North Avenue by 2010 so perhaps a change in government, which is what all these naysayers are wanting anyways, will move the MRT3 buyout forward. I just hope the contract for the winning bidder does give them some flexibility to alter the North Avenue terminus from a seperate station to linking the tracks. If it saves money to connect instead of building a separate station, I wouldn't mind the winning contractor to be paid with the savings as long as we have the seamless ride.

I agree with XP that it boggles the mind why the MRT3 wasn't built to go all the way to Monumento at the first place. If its the urgency to have a portion of the line operating sooner, then fine open up phase 1 but continue on constructing phase 2. Plus phasing projects such as these has screwed so many cities in so many countries due to political mumbo jumbo and economic swings.

manchowyin

January 3rd, 2008, 01:29 PM

leechtat

January 3rd, 2008, 06:29 PM

kasama nasunog yung baclaran lrt station stairs kanina... grabe, natupok ang galleria... nasunog ang mga warehouse nung mga chinese... nakakalugi... some people lost 6 million worth of stocks and receivables...

OT: grabe 2 days lang ako hindi nag-ssc, andami ko namiss... kakapagod...

anyhow, @xp, i thought that its seems kind of weird. thanks for clarifying that its an obsolete plan.

i'm excited that in my lifetime i will see that mrt7 get built. let's see if the groundbreaking is by 4thQ of 2008.

just a thought, would that mean that the north ave station of mrt will have 2 lines converging at it.. lrt1 and mrt 7? right ba?

nonetheless, it would surely bolster the qc-cbd performance in years to come.. with 2 international airports in its reach...

le Reine

January 3rd, 2008, 06:53 PM

^^what happened to LRT 1?

yes. but not only 2 stations but three: mrt 3, mrt 7 and lrt 1

ericlucky290

January 4th, 2008, 04:49 AM

By Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 09:50pm (Mla time) 01/04/2008

MANILA, Philippines -- The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) said it may have lost 175,000 of its 375,000 daily passengers for Line1 due to the fire that hit a shopping complex near its Baclaran station Thursday evening.

"We are still assessing the losses. The full line (Baclaran to Monumento) serves 375,000 passengers on a regular work day. Today, we closed some stations to prevent danger to passengers due to the heat, the smoke, and the possible damage to facilities. Because of this we may have served 200,000 passengers at most," LRTA spokesperson Jinky
Jorgio told the Inquirer in a telephone interview.

Jorgio said the fire was still ongoing at 6 p.m. Because of this, LRTA may have to keep LRT line 1 operations limited from Monumento to Gil Puyat (southbound) and Vito Cruz to Monumento (northbound) until Friday.

"We hope the situation improves so we can have better operations tomorrow. But for public safety we have to check the affected stations. We have unconfirmed reports that a signal transmitter was damaged, plus some windows," Jorgio said.

Earlier, LRTA issued an advisory that as of 4 p.m. Thursday, the fire at the shopping mall near the Baclaran station was "contained."

This meant that firefighters had prevented the fire from spreading but had not totally put out the flames.

Train personnel had begun checking the safety and security of the power lines which were turned off since 10 a.m. due to the said fire.

LRTA said then that the windows of three offices -- the Public Relations Office, the Train Operator's Office and Train Operator's Lounge -- were destroyed as the fire went near their side.

The fire at Galleria Mall in Baclaran started at around 5a.m. Windy weather fanned the flames and brought smoke to LRTA's Baclaran station up to the next station at EDSA Taft.

At 10 a.m., while firefighters fought the flames, the elevated rail network's administration cut off power lines servicing the Baclaran, EDSA, and Libertad stations to contain any damages that might result from the fire.

queetz@home

January 4th, 2008, 10:58 AM

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/75259/Govt-investor-group-to-ready-contract-for-MRT-7

Gov't, investor group to ready contract for MRT-7
01/04/2008 | 04:03 PM
Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us

The Philippine government is set to ready the contract which will govern the $1.2-billion Metro Rail Transit 7, after its proponent agreed to the four conditions set down by the government for the implementation of the project.

MRT-7 will traverse North Avenue to Commonwealth Avenue.

In an interview, acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos that a letter came to his office on Thursday from the Universal LRT Corp. accepting the conditions.

“It's all systems go with respect to preparing the contract. We expect that within the year a contract for the implementation of the project will be signed by ULC, Department of Finance and the Department of Transportation and Communication," he said.

The three parties will also be tasked to formulate the contract.

Santos said that the proposal of the ULC stated that it will finish the construction of the project three years within the effectivity of the contract.

Earlier NEDA laid down four conditions for the project through. These were:

a. An estimated $120-million performance bond or 10 percent on the rail and road system investment;

b. A 10-percent, or about $220 million, three-year rolling performance bond on the scheduled real estate and commercial development component of the project.

c. That ULC will be required to contractually undertake to accomplish the committed real estate development as programmed in the business plan. The real estate component of the project is expected to cost as much as $2.2 billion.

d. Step-in rights for the government anytime during the project life should ULC fail to implement the real estate and commercial development based on its business plan.

The proposed MRT 7, which will serve commuters to and from north of Metro Manila and Bulacan has been a subject of a Swiss Challenge, but no other parties submitted proposals for the project.

Costing $1.2 billion, the mass transit component of the project has a 22-kilometer elevated track, running from Tala, Novaliches, to North Avenue corner EDSA, passing through Lagro, Fairview, and Commonwealth Avenue before joining MRT Line 3 on North Avenue.

ULC investors include the Sy family of SM group, Siemens Group, International Finance Corp., Yuchengco Group, George Go group, China Railway and a Japanese investor. - Cheryl Arcibal, GMANews.TV

kennethologist

January 4th, 2008, 08:00 PM

^^ yay! i love it! i love it!

Raven83

January 5th, 2008, 05:15 PM

PositiveThinker

January 5th, 2008, 06:06 PM

Wait I'm not ensirely about the full components of the deal. It pretty tells much only about the construction. But how about maintenance and operation? Will the government still has to subsidize it's operation like MRT3?
or everything is shouldered by the private sector?. Who will provide the $1.2B? the government? private entities? foreign loan again?

ULC a consortium will shoulder the $1.2B. It is a BOT so No money will be spent by the government.... Very interesting Isn't It?....:banana:

le Reine

January 5th, 2008, 06:53 PM

^^but how about the operation? will the government subsidize it or ulc would get it from their business plan? mrt was also bot, right?

leechtat

January 5th, 2008, 08:07 PM

^^ i think the operating costs is stipulated in the business plan

edit: see this article (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/jan/05/yehey/business/20080105bus2.html)

it's stated that "Tax revenues from the operations will be used to fund railway operations."

leechtat

January 6th, 2008, 09:03 AM

look at the article.. its way back in 2005.. plans for mrt7
http://www.gov.ph/news/default.asp?i=10088

<hr>

SM malls to rise along MRT 7 line
THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2005 | TRANSPORTATION

MANILA, June 9 (PNA) -– Malls will be constructed along the stretch of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 7 as Henry Sy, majority owner of SM Prime Holdings Inc., the country’s leading shopping-mall developer, is planning to put up these structures in one of the four stations of the rail system.

”SM Malls that will be constructed in MRT 7 will help decongest Metro Manila,” said Roberto Castanares, assistant secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Castanares said the railway will provide a more efficient and safer alternative mode of transportation for people and goods.

The proposed 20-kilometer MRT 7 will start at SM City in EDSA and will run through Commonwealth Avenue up to Quirino Avenue and ends at San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.

A highway will connect the line from San Jose del Monte to North Luzon Expressway (NLE) at Marilao for a total of 40 kilometers.

Costing about 1.2 billion US dollars, the infrastructure project was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) last year.

The development of MRT 7 is in support of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s agenda to modernize and to have efficient mass transport system in the country.

Castanares said the SM mall is part of the proposed 500-hectare estate that would be developed by the consortium proposing the MRT 7 at Tala, Novaliches into a residential and shopping area.

The consortium, besides SM Investments Corp. and BDO Capital and Investment Group controlled by Sy, includes Yuchengco-owned EEI Corp., Universal LRT Corp. Ltd., Penta Capital Management Corp., France Alstom Transport, and Germany’s Siemens.

He also said that the vital part of the project is the establishment of a rail bus transfer hub in Novaliches that would connect MRT 7 to MRT 3 in EDSA and eventually to LRT 1.

The bus-rail transfer hub, also known as the international terminal, is estimated to cost a total of P900 million including land acquisition, construction of a mall (not SM) and the carpark building.

Commercial development is expected to be completed in 2010.

MRT 7 and the 500-hectare residential and shopping area will be built under a build-transfer-operate-maintain arrangement.

The government will pay the MRT 7 consortium for 10 to 15 years, with a grace period of five to seven years, for the construction of the railway and development of the estate. (PNA)

see this article as well.. (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/jan/05/yehey/business/20080105bus2.html)

manchowyin

January 6th, 2008, 09:12 AM

What "contentious issues"?
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
Original article at The Philippine Star
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2008010539

Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza recently explained his department’s apparent foot-dragging in supporting government’s move to refinance its obligations on the EDSA MRT project.

Refinancing this obligation, incurred during the Ramos administration at high dollar-denominated rates, would generate over $480 million in interest savings.

Mendoza says there are “contentious issues” which he first wants resolved, including the involvement of the MRT consortium in the building of Phase 2 of the EDSA MRT project (the extension from Quezon City’s North Triangle to Caloocan’s Monumento).

Unfortunately, Mendoza’s response was not received by the public well. For one, taxpayers are unnecessarily shouldering the burden of the delay, paying interest cost of $1.3 million per week. So far, that’s $20.8 million or P854.5 million since the plan should have been put in place 16 weeks ago. This does not include the fare subsidies which even those not taking the MRT are shelling out.

Second ground for the collective dismay: the alleged “reason” apparently does not exist. No less than Bob Sobrepena, chair of the private consortium that built the MRT, said MRTC only has rights and assets in Phase I which means they have nothing to do with Phase II. In short, there is no reason for DOTC to further delay refinancing.

There is the wisdom in the finance department’s move to initiate the refinancing of the dollar-denominated debt which we taxpayers are paying at about 14 to 16 percent per annum. That debt can now be refinanced with peso borrowings at a much-reduced five to six percent per annum or perhaps even lower.

Every Filipino is longing for some piece of good economic news. This rare opportunity to refinance a debt that could generate $480 million plus in savings for us, and which could stop the bleeding of our pockets could have been one such news.

le Reine

January 6th, 2008, 09:40 AM

^^hmm... see, there is something wrong with that Mendoza I'm telling you.

3cr

January 6th, 2008, 09:46 AM

What do we make of this apparently inutile Leandro Mendoza! Such a joke he should be canned! :bash: :bash: :bash:

Rights issue holds back MRT3 buyout, DOTC says
By Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:02pm (Mla time) 01/01/2008

MANILA, Philippines - The government buyout of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT3) will take place as soon as contentious details such as remaining rights of some of the private investors are resolved, the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) said.

DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza said in a briefing that the government wanted a complete buyout, with the private consortium of owners no longer involved in future expansion.

But late last year, Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), which put up the MRT3, said it would still be involved in future expansion even after the government buys out the build-lease-transfer (BLT) contract for the existing infrastructure.

Robert John Sobrepeña, MRTC and Fil-Estate Corp. chair, explained: "MRTC is a single purpose company. And the only right and assets of the MRTC is the phase 1."

"All the rights--phase 2, capacity expansion, development rights--it's not with the MRTC (after the buy out). (The government) had to assign that (to another consortium) at the beginning as a condition of the international lenders," he added.

That other consortium, he explained, has the right to take part in future expansion plans. The government, however, said it wanted complete control of the MRT3.

The buyout plan is expected to help the government save on fare subsidies and interest payments to Metro Rail Transit.

The government shells out at least P6.8 billion every year to subsidize the operations of MRT3, which stretches from Taft Avenue in Pasay City to North Avenue in Quezon City.

MRT3 commuters pay only P15 each for the entire stretch of the rail, with the government subsidizing P45 of the total fare of P60.

^^^^
What "contentious issues"?
By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
Original article at The Philippine Star
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2008010539

Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza recently explained his department’s apparent foot-dragging in supporting government’s move to refinance its obligations on the EDSA MRT project.

Refinancing this obligation, incurred during the Ramos administration at high dollar-denominated rates, would generate over $480 million in interest savings.

Mendoza says there are “contentious issues” which he first wants resolved, including the involvement of the MRT consortium in the building of Phase 2 of the EDSA MRT project (the extension from Quezon City’s North Triangle to Caloocan’s Monumento).

Unfortunately, Mendoza’s response was not received by the public well. For one, taxpayers are unnecessarily shouldering the burden of the delay, paying interest cost of $1.3 million per week. So far, that’s $20.8 million or P854.5 million since the plan should have been put in place 16 weeks ago. This does not include the fare subsidies which even those not taking the MRT are shelling out.

Second ground for the collective dismay: the alleged “reason” apparently does not exist. No less than Bob Sobrepena, chair of the private consortium that built the MRT, said MRTC only has rights and assets in Phase I which means they have nothing to do with Phase II. In short, there is no reason for DOTC to further delay refinancing.

There is the wisdom in the finance department’s move to initiate the refinancing of the dollar-denominated debt which we taxpayers are paying at about 14 to 16 percent per annum. That debt can now be refinanced with peso borrowings at a much-reduced five to six percent per annum or perhaps even lower.

Every Filipino is longing for some piece of good economic news. This rare opportunity to refinance a debt that could generate $480 million plus in savings for us, and which could stop the bleeding of our pockets could have been one such news.

chocolato1000

January 6th, 2008, 02:55 PM

DOTC ang kapal ng mukha. :bash:

le Reine

January 6th, 2008, 04:44 PM

@Boe: As what bustero was saying on the previous pages. Man, I bet he would be a better secratary than that joke we call Mendoza.

3cr

January 6th, 2008, 09:37 PM

^^ You betcha! We're really just getting tired and irritated with the incompetence and rightly so. If the gov't is a business Mendoza would have been canned already. We really need better and more qualified public officials.

dancethingy

January 6th, 2008, 10:25 PM

this is what bothers me. Does the president need majority congressional votes in order to assign certain people in government positions like the united states?

How thick of this man to hold up such a win-win deal.

AH-7Raja

January 7th, 2008, 03:53 AM

holy crap

dancethingy

January 7th, 2008, 06:46 AM

we're left to pray for divine intervention once again
who wants to start a prayer circle for mrt/lrt?

chocolato1000

January 7th, 2008, 07:37 AM

yan ang problema kapag puros "recycled" ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno. si mendoza, atienza, reyes, atbp. sigurado ako si esperon may posisyon din yan after mag-retire...can you call them competitive when their positions are not earned based on merits?

diz

January 7th, 2008, 10:02 AM

he must be thick in the noggin to hold up such a darn deal.

IsaganiZenze

January 7th, 2008, 01:24 PM

maybe he's not getting enough out of the deal and wants to squeeze every cent out of it before he agrees? just a thought....

youdamiren

January 7th, 2008, 04:14 PM

3 firms prequalify for LRTA north extension project
01/07/2008 | 03:41 PM

Three groups have pre-qualified to bid for the P6.3-billion north extension project of the Light Rail Transit Authority, government officials said Monday.

Only DMCI-EEI First Balfour Consortium, FF Cruz & Co., and Cavite Ideal Int’l Construction & Development Corp. prequalified out of the 20 companies initially interested in the project.

The extension project will connect the LRT Line 1 and the Metro Rail Transit-3 through a 7.71-kilometer line from the Monumento station of LRT-1 to North Avenue of MRT 3. Two new stations will be added tot the line - Balintawak and Roosevelt - and a terminal station at Line 1 North Avenue station.

Construction is scheduled to start in May or June of 2008. The project is expected to be completed by 2010.

The entire railway project extension was divided into three packages. Package A, which is worth P2.8 billion, involves the construction of the foundation and the viaduct. Package B, meanwhile, involves the construction of the three stations estimated to cost P830 million. Package C is worth P2 billion. The last package involves the electro-mechanical components of the railway extension project.

Package A was split into two components.

LRTA corporate secretary and consultant to the administrator Hernando Cabrera said yesterday that the opening of technical proposals for packages A1, A2 and B will be held on March 19, 20 and 21. While the financial component of the bid documents for packages A1, A2 and B will be opened on April 15.

The LRTA will open the technical proposals for package C on April 1 and the financial bid documents on May 6.

Funding of the project will be taken from the debt-paper sale of state-owned National Development Co., amounting to P4.6 billion. The remaining P1.67 billion will be obtained through the national government's budget. - GMANews.TV

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/75559/3-firms-prequalify-for-LRTA-north-extension-project

bustero

January 9th, 2008, 05:30 AM

^^tagal pa nito sana mabuksan na ang bids

ericlucky290

January 9th, 2008, 10:14 PM

LRT earns P2.4B from 172M passengers (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20080110-111419/LRT-earns-P24B-from-172M-passengers)

By Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:30:00 01/10/2008

MANILA, Philippines – The Light Rail Transit Authority earned more than P2.4 billion last year, up by more than 10 percent from 2006.

The agency said in a report that last year’s net sales for the LRT Line 1 which runs from Monumento to Baclaran and vice versa reached P1.7 billion, 7.12 percent higher than the P1.6 billion reported last year.

On the other hand, the LRT Line 2 (Recto to Santolan and vice versa) registered P747 million for 2007, 16.56 percent more than the P641 million reported in 2006.

Last year’s total ridership reached 172 million, up 8.8 percent from the 158 million recorded in 2006.

Of the total volume for 2007, Line 1 registered 119 million passengers, up 7.7 percent from 2006. Line 2 posted 53 million, 11.27 percent more than 2006.

LRTA administrator Mel Robles attributed the higher income and ridership to the increased capacity of Line 1 following expansion work and the purchase of new trains.

“The passenger volume and income have been increasing for the past three years, even without a fare increase. We have not set a new target for 2008 but the volume will most likely be higher,” he said.

The administrator said that the LRTA is continuing expansion work with the P5.9 billion northward expansion as the priority project.

kiretoce

January 11th, 2008, 05:24 AM

Edsa MRT breakthrough (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=alvinCapino_jan11_2008)

Finance Secretary Gary Teves had some good news to share when we talked to him over our daily radio program “Karambola sa dwIZ” last Wednesday.

The main reason for the interview was for him to shed light on the government’s moves to lower tariffs on oil imports in the wake of skyrocketing prices of petroleum in the world market. Teves clarified that contrary to expectations, the price reduction from the one percent reduction in tariff would take effect not immediately but at the end of the month.

I also took advantage of the interview to ask the finance chief for an update on the planned refinancing of the Edsa MRT project which I wrote about in this column that same day.

“Karambola” scored a scoop of sorts. We learned firsthand that the government, i.e., the finance and transportation departments, is close to signing a memorandum of agreement with the Metro Rail Transit Corp., the private consortium that built the Edsa-MRT line during the Ramos administration.

If things go well, Secretary Teves believes the signing should be taking place today, Friday, if it had not already been done yesterday.

And when that MoA is finally signed, that would be a major breakthrough.

It will be good news to the close to one million Filipinos who commute along Edsa daily, many of them using the MRT line that is already loading beyond its passenger capacity.

When that MoA is signed, the Arroyo administration—through the finance department—would have taken an important move to save the country hundreds of millions of dollars in interest payments. This is more than enough to fund the improvement of the present line and extend it to Caloocan, where it can be interconnected with the LRT Line 1.

By the last estimate, the projected savings could reach $485 million, or P19.78 billion based on current exchange rate.

The projected savings will come from an early pre-payment of the dollar-denominated obligation of the government to MRTC which was inked at about 15 to 16 percent per annum at the time the system was built.

The obligation can then be refinanced using a peso-denominated loan at the much-cheaper rate of about 5 to 6 percent per annum.

When that MoA is finally signed, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would be underscoring the major gains of her administration—the strength of our economic fundamentals. The refinancing of the Edsa-MRT project is among the several dollar-denominated obligations that the Arroyo administration is pre-paying, generating huge savings for our coffers in the process.

This can only be done at a time when the peso is strong, when the balance of payments is tilted in our favor, and the vaults of the Bangko Sentral are teeming with greenbacks from confident foreign investors and overseas workers’ remittances.

When that MoA is finally signed, Secretary Teves will be giving Filipino taxpayers a major respite from paying the fare subsidy for those who ride the MRT. The move will also save the credit standing of the government and avert a major dent in our reputation in the international investor community. It is a known fact that the government is already in arrears in that obligation. The MoA should save the day for the Philippine government.

When that MoA is finally signed, Secretary Teves and Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza would have given Edsa commuters an important gift —the chance to dream again for a much-improved service along the busiest corridor in the metropolis. The $485 million that will be generated by the refinancing scheme sparks hope that money would be available to fund an extension of the line to complete the Edsa-Rizal Avenue-Taft Avenue loop and the purchase of new and better trains.

At the end of the day, President Arroyo will have the chance to establish an important legacy in the transportation sector. This could be a much-improved MRT line that is interconnected with Line 1.

This would be one of the best gifts that the Arroyo administration can give to the close to one million metro commuters who ride that system daily. That means close to one million Filipinos can experience the positive impact of that transportation sector legacy first hand.

And if that legacy ever materializes, the improved Edsa MRT shall be a constant and concrete reminder to all of us of a time when the economic fundamentals of the country had actually been good. And that the Arroyo administration was quick to tap the opportunities which the sound economic fundamentals brought about.

manchowyin

January 11th, 2008, 05:54 AM

Wonderful news, indeed! Congratulations to the daily commuters!

stephencua

January 11th, 2008, 06:06 AM

wow.. cant wait for that news to be formally announced..

queetz@home

January 11th, 2008, 08:44 AM

Dang! This is awesome news! And take note of the source...the Manila Standard. The bearer of good news for the administration and the country as a whole unlike the Inquirer and Philippine Star which acts like the bad guy media company from the James Bond movie, Tomorrow Never Dies. I too can't wait for the formal announcement and honestly won't celebrate until then as counting chicks before they hatch is never a good thing. But nonetheless, this is quite a positive news to come out regarding this project since it shows that something is being done.

stephencua

January 11th, 2008, 09:27 AM

^^ thats right.. il celebrate for the news but i wont get too worked up till there i can see actual new work being done.. we've been burned too many times by press releases..

leechtat

January 11th, 2008, 10:45 AM

^^ that's correct.. im not being pessimistic but i would really start hopping for joy when i see the dirt's been excavated..

brownman

January 11th, 2008, 11:49 AM

That's another glimmer of hope for our dying beliefs that these kind of infrastructures would become a reality. But then again, it's not always good to give it all out our confidence that it will actually materialize. Leave reservations, and just wait for the groundbreaking to take place.

3cr

January 12th, 2008, 04:22 AM

Here's something to rejoice about... :)

LRT fare hike stopped
Increase non-rail revenues instead, GMA orders
Manila Bulletin
http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN20080112114116.html

Commuters using the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system will not be bothered by any fare increase in the next few months and possibly even until 2010 as President Arroyo heeded the clamor of fixed wage earners for the maintenance of the current fare schedule.

Luzon Urban Beltway (LUB) chief Secretary Edgardo D. Pamintuan said Mrs. Arroyo had ordered Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Administrator Melquiades Robles to put in the back burner any plan to increase LRT fares.

Pamintuan said the President, aware of the economic impact of the high cost of transportation to fixed and daily wage earners, instructed the LRTA to increase its non-rail revenue as source of additional income while enhancing the productivity and efficiency of the light rail system.

"This directive is part of the efforts of the government to provide affordable and efficient mass transport services system to the public," he said.

Pamintuan, as LUB head, directs the development of government infrastructure projects in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mindoro and Marinduque provinces and in the National Capital Region (NCR).

He is also in charge of nine rail projects.

Five of these projects are under LRTA.

The LRT1 North Extension will traverse EDSA connecting LRT1 at Monumento to MRT3 at North Avenue while the LRT1 South Extension will extend the existing tracks from Baclaran to Bacoor in Cavite.

LRT2 East Extension will extend the MRT2 from Santolan in Pasig City to Masinag Junction in Antipolo, Rizal. These extension projects will start this year and are expected to be finished in 2010.

On the other hand, the LRT1 Airport Link will extend the LRT1 system from Baclaran Station to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the MRT 7 will be a railway system from Tala, Caloocan City to North Avenue.

According to Pamintuan, these rail projects will not only decongest Metro Manila but will also provide faster, more efficient and pollution-free mass transport system for the seamless movement of goods, services and people.

nayki

January 12th, 2008, 05:10 AM

Illegal settlers living under the Light Railway Transit (LRT)given ultimatum after the 30-hour blaze in Baclaran mall

Wednesday, January 09, 2008 11:04:53

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Pasay City Mayor Peewee Trinidad give four days ultimatum to illegal settlers and vendors living under the Light Railway Transit (LRT) stations, particularly that in Baclaran station, to leave and remove their shanties in the area, afterwhich a clearing operation will follow.

Light Railway Transit (LRT) Administrator Mel Robles sought the assistance of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando in clearing up the LRT stations of squatters and illegal vendors and stalls to avoid a recurrence of the mishap.

30 hours before “fire out”

The four-day ultimatum was issued as an aftermath of the blaze that consumed the Galleria Baclaran Shopping Mall and destroyed an estimated P90 million worth of properties and P1.5 loss of revenue for the LRT due to the delay and stoppage of LRT operation from Vito Cruz station to Baclaran station.

The thirty hour blaze reached “Task Force Echo” alarm before it was finally declared “fire out” by the Bureau of Fire Protection. Heavy traffic and the narrow roads further caused the delay of the immediate entry of fire trucks’ to the site. People and bystanders also flocked to witness the blaze while fire trucks had to get water from other areas due to unavailability of fire hydrants in the surrounding nearby areas.

http://www.withnews.org/upimages/files/200801/187675-0.jpg

_______________________________________________________________________________

Kudos to MMDA and Pasay City Mayor Peewee Trinidad, the shanties and side walk stalls in the LRT Baclaran station and Depot are already demolished yesterday. The area now is cleaner and more secure. Mayor Trinidad should maintain this area shantie-free, to compensate his negligence in this issue for years.

odyssey

January 12th, 2008, 10:38 PM

Below is a positive turn of events for the extension of EDSA MRT to connect with LRT1:

http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Business&p=49&type=2&sec=27&aid=2008011225

Hope at last
HIDDEN AGENDA By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
Sunday, January 13, 2008

We got word last Friday from our sources in the financial community that the memorandum of agreement for the refinancing of the government’s EDSA MRT obligation has finally been signed last Thursday.

The signatories to the agreement were Finance Secretary Gary Teves and Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza for the government, and a senior officer of the Metro Rail Transport Corporation (MRTC) for the private sector consortium that built and funded the construction of the EDSA MRT in the 1990s.

Good news, at last!

Hope at last for the nearly one million masses who commute daily along the country’s busiest thoroughfare.

And at last, a visible sign that President Arroyo has heeded the call of the public for a refinancing plan that will generate $480 million or so savings for the government that can be used to upgrade and extend the present EDSA MRT line.

And now the work begins. The financial community is excited over the government’s move, but it knows that it will take another month or two before the actual consummation of the refinancing agreement.

A quick review so we can better appreciate the impact of this move by President Arroyo.

When the Ramos administration tapped a private consortium to construct the EDSA MRT using the build-operate-transfer mode, it incurred a huge dollar denominated obligation at the cost of about 15 to 17 percent per annum.

The obligation is supposed to be paid back over a 25-year period during which the government would also be subsidizing the fare of the users of the line.

The positive economic atmosphere under the current administration generated opportunities for that obligation to be prepaid under terms that are highly advantageous to the government and the public, and at rates that reflect the positive economic atmosphere.

Happily, the President and the finance department saw those opportunities and set the refinancing plan in place. The move coincided with the clamor of EDSA commuters for a further improvement of the system and its extension up to Monumento where it can interconnect with the oldest LRT line.

That clamor was aired nearly one year ago. And a month before the celebration of EDSA People Power, President Arroyo has responded.

For sure, there will be more details to be ironed out and more documents to be signed regarding the refinancing agreement.

We hope there will be no further unnecessary delays, nor unwarranted kinks.

Last Thursday’s signing of the MOA by the MRTC and Secretaries Teves and Mendoza give us hope that things will be smooth from here on.

In the meantime, this column joins the EDSA para sa MASA and all other beneficiaries of the EDSA MRT line in enjoying the hopeful atmosphere triggered by last Thursday’s MOA signing.

This column covered the unfolding of that clamor and the ensuing process with which President Arroyo tried to respond to it. We hope to be part of its fitting conclusion when the remaining work in the refinancing plan is completed.

leechtat

January 13th, 2008, 06:19 AM

^^ definitely a good news..

i just have an afterthought.. when they say mrt3, "can interconnect with the oldest LRT line", do they mean the tracks will be connected in a seamless line or connected via elevated walk paths, like the one in pasay mrt and lrt?

queetz@home

January 13th, 2008, 07:53 AM

^^ That is still uncertain but this recent development sure made it a distinct possibility. If they aren't going to be connected physically, I personally prefer they extend MRT3 to Monumento than LRT1 to SM North. But whatever the outcome is, the monetary savings from this deal alone is enough to celebrate and it further ensures that the loop will be closed one way or the other. Of course, the most ideal is to connect the tracks of both lines one way or the other for a seamless ride. And if LRT7 is compatible, be nice if they would connect too but that is extremely unlikely given that is a BOT.

leechtat

January 13th, 2008, 08:58 AM

^^ correct... just what i was thinking.. and it would really be difficult to engineer due to the space available.. but it's better if they do it that way...

maybe that is why trinoma left a space for parking in the edsa cor north ave area, so the mrt can bifurcate to the lrt loop and mrt7.

mygz14

January 15th, 2008, 05:24 AM

MRT-3 to give free rides to senior citizens
01/15/2008 | 09:53 AM

Management of the Metro Rail Transit line 3 announced Tuesday that it will be giving free rides to all senior citizens for the entire year 2008 starting January 15.

The MRT-3 runs above EDSA Ave. from North Ave. station in Quezon City to Taft Ave. Station in Pasay City.

According to Metro Star General Manager Roberto Lastimoso, the "Alay kay Nanay at Tatay" Project is part of the pro-poor program of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Under the project, MRT-3 management will put up senior citizen lanes in all MRT stations, where senior citizens can get their free tickets. The free tickets will be given out from 7a.m. to 9 a.m.

Lastimoso said senior citizens will just have to present their identification cards in order to get the tickets. - GMANews.TV (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/76539/MRT-3-to-give-free-rides-to-senior-citizens)

stephencua

January 15th, 2008, 07:31 AM

^^ why would they do this? pogi points?
seriously, they are already subsidizing the fares for everyone and now the want to subsidize the whole ride for seniors? i dont get the logic..

queetz@home

January 15th, 2008, 07:51 AM

^^ Its no biggie really. Lots of transit agencies from other countries do that for their senior citizens in some form or another. Its just simple goodwill, nothing nefarious about it, and should be welcomed with open arms.

chito

January 15th, 2008, 09:40 AM

"The free tickets will be given out from 7a.m. to 9 a.m."

At least thats a start!

stephencua

January 15th, 2008, 10:40 AM

chito

January 15th, 2008, 11:54 AM

^^ i think the MRT/LRT has a separate car for the women,senior citizens and the disabled.

Mithril Cloud

January 15th, 2008, 03:33 PM

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/ryucloud/IMG_0381.jpg

Next train na lang po tayo!

chocolato1000

January 15th, 2008, 07:48 PM

^^ you'll never see nor feel the beauty of manila unless you appreciate its madness. you don't have to look into but look at. :lol:

metrosuburban

January 15th, 2008, 10:18 PM

^^ how can you appreciate its madness kung late ka dahil sa traffic, kahit may mrt na, late ka paren dahil walang train...

Manila-X

January 16th, 2008, 05:17 AM

^^ you'll never see nor feel the beauty of manila unless you appreciate its madness. you don't have to look into but look at. :lol:

It ain't that bad. Shanghai and Tokyo are worst

leechtat

January 16th, 2008, 06:07 AM

^^ how can you appreciate its madness kung late ka dahil sa traffic, kahit may mrt na, late ka paren dahil walang train...

solution = wake up earlier! :lol:

queetz@home

January 16th, 2008, 12:58 PM

Did anybody see TV Patrol just now? They did a story on MRT7, including some CGI renderings, etc. Nothing new from the information already posted here but its good that they finally broadcasted the news on TV about the contract being prepared...

queetz@home

January 16th, 2008, 01:06 PM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=105751

Govt set to sign contract for MRT-7 in April

By CHARO LOGARTA

ABS-CBN News

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is set to sign in April the contract for the Metro Rail Transit 7 (MRT-7), with Universal LRT Corp. as proponent.

Universal LRT is a consortium led by EL International Holdings, a member of Hong Kong's EL Group of Companies under businessman Eli Levin.

Guiling Mamondiong, DOTC undersecretary for railways transportation, said that they are just finalizing the terms of the Build-Gradual Transfer-Operate and Maintenance contract to be signed with Universal LRT. The scheme used for the MRT-7 is a variation on the Build-Operate-Transfer deal.

Once the BOT contract is signed, Universal LRT will have 18 months for financial close, meaning that they must have their funding ready by then.

The project costs $1.235 billion, but only about $49 million will be spent for the rail system proper. The rest of the amount will be spent on the real estate component of the project, including a 22-kilometer, 6-lane highway from San Jose del Monte to Bocaue, Bulacan.

Of the total project cost, $926 million will be raised through borrowings while the rest through equity.

But Mamondiong stressed that the MRT-7, unlike the MRT-3, will not carry a sovereign guarantee and that Universal LRT is on its own in sourcing funds for the project.

The MRT-7 will run from SM City North EDSA along North Avenue, passing through Philcoa, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Tandang Sora, Don Antonio, Batasan, Regalado Avenue (Fairview area), all the way to San Jose del Monte.

Mamondiong said an estimated 600,000 commuters a day will benefit from the MRT-7. The average fare will be from P27.00-P40.00, which is less than half of what commuters pay for the route.

The DOTC expects groundbreaking to start later this year or early next year. The commercial operation of the MRT-7 is unlikely to happen until 2012.

basti

January 16th, 2008, 05:45 PM

metrosuburban

January 16th, 2008, 10:47 PM

solution = wake up earlier! :lol:

yeah, maybe we should include that warning in promoting a transit oriented community..

ericlucky290

January 17th, 2008, 04:36 AM

LRTA says it can’t give free rides to seniors (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20080116-112868/LRTA-says-it-cant-give-free-rides-to-seniors)

By Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:43:00 01/16/2008

MANILA, Philippines – Unlike the Metro Rail Transit 3, the Light Rail Transit Authority will not be offering free rides to senior citizens at the moment.

LRTA spokesperson Jinky Jorgio said the other day that the railway firm has already been giving discounts to the elderly as mandated by law.

She added that if they start giving free rides, other groups may ask for the same privilege.

That could present a problem for the LRTA because it relies on the fares it collects to meet its operating costs and other expenses.

The other day, the MRT 3 announced it would be giving free rides to senior citizens in partnership with UNTV Channel 37’s “Good Morning Kuya,” a morning show.

The elderly, however, would have to watch the show to find out which MRT stations would be giving out the tickets that would entitle them to free rides. The promo is from Jan. 15 this year to Jan. 15, 2009.

The announcement, however, caused some confusion yesterday as some senior citizens at some MRT stations demanded that they be allowed to ride for free.

“Our fare is the cheapest in Asia and we receive no subsidy for our operation and maintenance. We get our operation and maintenance (fund) from the fare,” Jorgio said.

“We have already deferred fare increases. The last time we raised the fare was in 2003,” she added.

The LRTA operates the LRT Line 1 which plies the Baclaran to Monumento route and Line 2, which runs from Santolan to Recto.

AH-7Raja

January 17th, 2008, 06:17 AM

Discounted price nalang kasi para sa mga seniors... Malulugi naman kasi talaga ang gobyerno kapag manglibre pa sila... Mabuti sana kung mayamang bansa tayo eh... :)

c0kelitr0

January 18th, 2008, 06:03 AM

*sigh* sana masimulan na agad to...Ho Chi Minh is constructing their SUBWAY system this year, mahuhuli na talaga tayo :bash:

raf

January 18th, 2008, 06:23 AM

^^ that's correct.. im not being pessimistic but i would really start hopping for joy when i see the dirt's been excavated..

i agree with leechtat and stephen. We should only celebrate once there's actual digging along north edsa leading to andres bonifacio's monument..
every year kasi sinasabi nila gagawin na pero lagi na lang nauudlot.:ohno:

btw, nagbubungkal na ba ng lupa sa north avenue papuntang philcoa?

mambo

January 19th, 2008, 11:01 AM

mambo

January 19th, 2008, 11:04 AM

mambo

January 19th, 2008, 11:05 AM

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j74/ryucloud/IMG_0381.jpg

Next train na lang po tayo!

wlang tulakan plsssssssssssss

queetz@home

January 19th, 2008, 11:26 AM

is that true? only 49M dollars for rail system thats ridiculous

That's most certainly a typo. I don't think the 22 km highway component would cost almost 1.2 billion dollars in the Philippines or even abroad...that's just silly. Note the source is ABS-CBN so don't be surprise if you see little inaccurate things like these in any project that is positive to the president and the current administration... ;)

diz

January 19th, 2008, 11:52 AM

wlang tulakan plsssssssssssss

you see that in every busy city. Even Tokyo.

Mithril Cloud

January 19th, 2008, 12:09 PM

they should also allocate one coach for seniors

Then that would leave only one coach for the regular people.

mambo

January 19th, 2008, 03:32 PM

ksi nakakawa naman sila esp pag rush hours tulakan at gigitgitan...kahit yong mga babae..

_zner_

January 19th, 2008, 03:39 PM

parang subway ba yung mrt7?

mambo

January 19th, 2008, 04:30 PM

^^i think may portion na merong subway

killmart

January 19th, 2008, 08:50 PM

^^ tulakan pa! pwed naman sa bubong! :D j/k

AH-7Raja

January 20th, 2008, 12:08 AM

*sigh* sana masimulan na agad to...Ho Chi Minh is constructing their SUBWAY system this year, mahuhuli na talaga tayo :bash:

really? san na yung balitang yan iwanna see it too tnx!

lochinvar

January 20th, 2008, 02:55 AM

I thought Ho Chi Minh is already dead.

diz

January 20th, 2008, 03:51 AM

Ho Chi Minh, the city. :lol:

leechtat

January 20th, 2008, 07:08 AM

btw, nagbubungkal na ba ng lupa sa north avenue papuntang philcoa?

no digging yet for the mrt7 nor the lrt loop to mrt3..

chocolato1000

January 20th, 2008, 03:25 PM

demented_pigeon

January 20th, 2008, 04:13 PM

^^ tsk. tsk. it just means that privatization does not mean efficiency or profits.

le Reine

January 20th, 2008, 04:44 PM

^^no. there is something wrong with the company that bought it. And how the BOT works.

AH-7Raja

January 20th, 2008, 06:25 PM

Gov't raising $900M to take over MRT 3

Gov't raising $900M to take over MRT 3
HONG KONG--The Philippine government is raising $900 million mostly from a 10-year, peso-denominated bond offering by a state corporation before the end of March to fund its takeover of the Metro Railway Transit 3, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said.

The Department of Finance has mandated Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines to arrange the refinancing of the MRT 3 contract, Teves said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

In a separate interview, DBP president Reynaldo David said the MRT 3 obligations would be settled through the offering of 10-year peso-denominated bonds, but they have yet to decide on whether or not the issuer would be the state-owned National Development Co. or another government corporation.

"The issuer will be whoever will buy MRT 3, whether it's NDC or another (government) entity. Either one will have a national government guarantee and it should be by end-March as required under the memorandum of agreement (with the MRT 3 proponent)," David said.

The government earlier entered into an $865-million deal to take over the build-lease-transfer contract on MRT 3 to trim future expenses on this key mass transport, but the total funding requirement will total $900 million, including some interest expenses, David said.

"We're thinking of raising in pesos to pay off the (government's) obligation in dollars. Hopefully, it will create demand for foreign currency, which will arrest the slide of the dollar," David said.

"We're going to borrow local currency from the market to stimulate the (bond) market and at the same time to generate demand for dollars," he added.

But in case the $900 million will be too big for the local bond market to absorb, David said a portion of the bond offering could be raised offshore.

"On the funding side, we've invited Deutsche Bank and HSBC (to help). We're looking at the different instruments that we can use," David said.

The buyout of the MRT 3 contract from the private consortium operating the utility would result in savings of $380 million for the government, based on DOF estimates.

The government also plans to complete a $500-million offshore bond float within the first semester and the offering could be denominated in euros.

Banking sources said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas--the Philippine central bank--had given the national government the flexibility to raise the amount either in US dollars or euros or a combination with a minimum term of seven years. They added that two foreign banks--Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse--were given the mandate to arrange the offering.

In an interview with the Inquirer at the sidelines of a government roadshow for overseas Filipinos here, Teves confirmed that a euro-denominated bond offer was a consideration. He said the underwriters would be announced once the offering has been finalized.

"We will issue (the bonds) as the opportunity arises but I think it's safe to say it will be completed within the first semester," Teves said, adding that the $500 million would likely be raised in a single tranche.

Goodluck to our government! This is an excellent idean and the government will surely earn huge revenues out of this MRT system. Its goona be good for our economy! :cheers:

AH-7Raja

January 20th, 2008, 06:27 PM

^^ tsk. tsk. it just means that privatization does not mean efficiency or profits.

the governmnt is taking over.

federal

January 20th, 2008, 09:47 PM

the governmnt is taking over.

well, privitization ideally would have been good. The problem was, fares were capped by the government making the company unprofitable and not even reaching break-even.:bash:

AH-7Raja

January 21st, 2008, 01:56 AM

i know thats why i said goodluck hehe

Solblanc

January 21st, 2008, 04:25 AM

well, privitization ideally would have been good. The problem was, fares were capped by the government making the company unprofitable and not even reaching break-even.:bash:

uh, that wasn't exactly the problem. The original fare of the MRT was P40-ish, and nobody wanted to ride it. They only got the ridership they needed when they lowered the fares to what they are now.

Although, today is a different story. If they doubled the fares and halved the passengers, it would put a lot less strain on the system. There are lots of people who just take a bus along EDSA nowadays just to avoid getting suffocated inside the MRT.

ericlucky290

January 21st, 2008, 05:02 AM

Bakit di nalang dagdagan yung coach, from three gawin four para maraming makasakay and di pa siksikan gaano? Do you think, MRT station can accomodate 4 coach?

red_jasper

January 21st, 2008, 05:43 AM

Rail line crosses prime lands (http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=police1_jan21_2008)

By Roderick T. dela Cruz

The Light Rail Transit Line 1 extension will cut across private lands owned by large real estate firms along Roxas Boulevard and Coastal Road in Parañaque City.

Project engineer Sylwin Astronomia said the developers are led by Manila Bay Land Holdings Inc., Manila Bay Development Corp., Manila Bay Park Developer, Marina Properties and Asia World Properties.

The Department of Budget and Management has issued an allotment release order involving P1.5 billion to start the right-of-way procurement for putting up 11.7 kilometers of mostly elevated railway with eight stations from Baclaran in Parañaque City to Bacoor, Cavite.

Phase 1 runs from Baclaran to Dr. Santos Avenue in Parañaque while phase 2 covers the rest of the line to Niyog, Bacoor.

The project, to be undertaken by the Light Rail Transit Authority, will traverse properties owned by the Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippine Reclamation Authority, and 115 private lands.

The private properties include 63 in Parañaque, 23 in Las Piñas and 29 in Bacoor, said Astronomia, noting those owned by Lucio Tan, the Wenceslao family and the China Banking Corp. in Parañaque and Las Piñas City.

The LRT authority has began negotiation with landowners, based on the zonal values of the Bureau of Internal Revenue wherein prices could go up to P50,000 per square meter along Roxas Blvd. and P30,000 at the airport road.

Outside these two areas, commercial lots are valued P4,000 to P6,000 per sqm while agricultural lots range from P1,200 to P1,600 per sqm.

Astronomia estimated some 1,800 households are targeted for resettlement.

“We are going to make our offer based on zonal values. If they reject our proposal, we will wait for their counteroffer, subject to the approval of the LRTA,” she said.

A major problem is identifying the owners of several landholdings, according to Astonomia.

“In some properties, there are multiple claimants, based on the copies of land titles we got.”

The authority requires an 8- to 10-meter-wide corridor for the carriage way but larger space is needed for stations, satellite depot and intermodal facilities.

“Our land procurement will be full blast this year, following the release of the budget,” said Astronomia.

LRTA administrator Mel Robles reckoned the P3.5-billion right-of-way allocation would be used to procure private lands, relocate informal settlers and acquire utilities.

The original proponent, Canadian firm SNC-Lavalin, earlier reported that the rail extension would pass through at least 100 private landholdings.

The LRTA dropped the deal with SNC-Lavalin and decided to go it alone.

Last year, it signed a memorandum of agreement with the public works department for the right-of-way of over 35,697 sqm of public lands or 15 percent of the total.

It also concluded a similar undertaking with the reclamation agency, which owned 28,560 sqm, representing 12 percent.

The contract costs P17.386 billion, consisting of P3.5 billion in right-of-way and related preparatory works and P13.78 billion for civil works and equipment.

The winning bidder bankrolls the project under a contract-add-and-operate variant of the build-operate-transfer scheme.

The concessionaire enters into a concession agreement with the LRTA for 40 years, including the period for construction.

ericlucky290

January 21st, 2008, 07:00 AM

So the have to purchased land para may madaan ang LRT. I thought they will build the LRT above existing road.

queetz@home

January 21st, 2008, 07:10 AM

^^ Yes they have to purchase land if the line runs through private property. That is standard operating procedure in most if not all rail transit projects all over the world. This is pretty much inevitable in most cases and depending on the way the line is planned and the nature of the private property, can be quite complex. The budget of a rail transit usually have a specific monetary amount allocated just for that based on studies, which is what the LRTA has for the LRT1 southern extension.

bustero

January 21st, 2008, 11:08 AM

^^instances like this is when vietnam and china beat us hands down. with strong gov't when they say move , you move! you take what they offer and that's it. no suing and delaying the project that benefits many more people than that narrow band of interest. actually amazes me how much is just right of way! anyway i just want them to start this project ASAP.

same with buying the mrt 3 and it's reinvestment and infusion to put more cars with an extension and hopefuly connection to line 1! same niyo na south and north rail dito!

chocolato1000

January 21st, 2008, 02:09 PM

^^ it's because they're authoritarian.

manchowyin

January 21st, 2008, 05:08 PM

Authoritarian and with utter disregard for the most basic human rights.

absinthe_888

January 21st, 2008, 08:21 PM

federal

January 22nd, 2008, 12:52 AM

uh, that wasn't exactly the problem. The original fare of the MRT was P40-ish, and nobody wanted to ride it. They only got the ridership they needed when they lowered the fares to what they are now.

Although, today is a different story. If they doubled the fares and halved the passengers, it would put a lot less strain on the system. There are lots of people who just take a bus along EDSA nowadays just to avoid getting suffocated inside the MRT.

Exactly. And the fare structure to break-even was set at that point (40ish) as evident in the initial opening back in 99.

filcan

January 22nd, 2008, 03:18 AM

tama ka jan, basta sinabi ng communist party to get out of the way wala kang magagawa...authoritarian yes, but they get the job done.

Thats why they say communism is the best government...

red_jasper

January 22nd, 2008, 03:45 AM

^^ in theory, yes.
factor in "human nature" and the ideals of communism goes pfft!

le Reine

January 22nd, 2008, 03:48 AM

uurghh.. let's get back to topic, shall we?

3cr

January 23rd, 2008, 01:42 PM

Chinese loan eyed for LRT extension project
By Darwin G Amojelar, Reporter
Manila Times
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/jan/23/yehey/business/20080123bus6.html

STATE-RUN Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) has proposed tapping a Chinese loan to finance the multimillion dollar Manila Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 south extension project, a high ranking official of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.

Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and NEDA Director General Augusto B. Santos said the LRTA has submitted a proposal to tap Chinese funding to finance the long delayed LRT South extension project costing $683 million.

In a letter to NEDA, the LRTA said it plans to tap China Shanghai (Group) Corp. For Foreign Economic & Technological Cooperation (SFECO) for project funding. The Chinese company is engaged in many projects such as construction of roads, bridges, buildings, gardens, chemical plants, hydro power and thermal power plants, reconstruction of power transmission and transformation, fisheries, textile machinery, food machinery, automatic warehousing, steel factory, and oil and gas tanks.

The competitive bidding for the project was delayed because the Department of Budget and Management has yet to issue the multiyear obligation authority for the government’s planned loan from the World Bank. The multiyear obligation authority is an assurance that the funding is included in the yearly General Appropriations Act.

The Manila LRT 1 south extension, a priority project of the Arroyo administration, will run from its southernmost terminal in Baclaran to the cities of Parañaque and Las Piñas and the neighboring municipalities of Bacoor, Imus and Dasmariñas in Cavite province.

Earlier, LRTA said fifteen foreign and local companies submitted proposals to fund the construction of the project.

The winning bidder will fund the design, construction and installation, as well as integration of the extension with the existing line. It would also be in charge of the integrated operation and maintenance of the entire line and provision of enhancement works on the integrated system.

The LRT Line 1 south extension project will have a 40-year concession period inclusive of four years of construction.

The LRTA wants to start construction by midyear and finish by three years. Phase I (Baclaran to Dr. Santos Station) of the project will be completed and in revenue service by the year 2010 and Phase 2 (Dr. Santos Station to Niog, Bacoor) will be completed in 2012.

The extension will include eight new passenger stations, with provision for two additional future passenger stations, which is expected to serve 800,000 passengers a day and cut travel time from Bacoor, Cavite, to Monumento, Caloocan City, to less than an hour.

stephencua

January 24th, 2008, 05:14 AM

im not sure if this was posted before.. but this is very good news i think.. so we would only have to wait till april to see if the contract would be finally awarded.. then june for the construction to start.. taken from http://www.bworldonline.com/BW012408/content.php?id=045

DMCI-First Balfour the lone bidder for railway project
ONLY ONE consortium made it to the bidding for a component of the P6.3-billion rail linkage project dubbed as the Metro Rail Transit-Light Rail Transit (MRT-LRT) Loop.

In yesterday’s prequalification process for Package C of the project, the government, through the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), prequalified D.M. Consunji-First Balfour, Inc. after hours of deliberation.

Package C, costing P2 billion, covers the project’s electromechanical component.

Two other groups, FF Cruz and Co., Inc. and Commbuilders and Technology Philippines Corp., were disqualified.

With their disqualification, the DMCI-First Balfour consortium emerged as the lone bidder for the project.

The LRTA said Commbuilders was disqualified because of an unsigned document, while F.F. Cruz and Co., Inc.-Filipinas Systems, Inc. was rejected because its partner, China, Inc., lacked a Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board license, which is a requirement for a government-undertaken infrastructure project.

In a phone interview yesterday, Bids and Awards Committee BAC Chairman Cesar B. Chavez said that even if only one party prequalified, the technical and financial tender would proceed as scheduled.

"They [DMCI-First Balfour] have proven their eligibility repeatedly and we will continue as planned," Mr. Chavez said.

The prequalification process for Package C was redone after the LRTA’s BAC declared a failed bid due to "lack of competition."

In the first round, DMCI-First Balfour was also the only one qualified to bid for the project.

Previously, DMCI-First Balfour qualified for the 2.733-kilometer (km) A1 segment of Package A or construction of viaduct and pedestrian overpass, and it was later joined by Cavite Ideal International Construction and Development Corp. for the 2.744-km stretch A2.

Meanwhile, for Package B involving the construction or alteration of stations, DMCI-First Balfour was joined by F.F. Cruz-FilSystems.

The LRTA gave the bidders until March 19 for Package A1, March 20 for Package A2, March 21 for Package B and April 1 for Package C to submit the technical and financial documents.

On the same dates, the technical document involving proposed designs will be opened, while the opening of the financial envelope will follow on April 15 for Packages A1, A2 and B, and May 6 for Package C.

Mr. Chavez said the contracts would be awarded in April.

Construction is scheduled to start in June, while completion is expected by May 2010.

The loop will link the MRT-3 North Avenue station in Quezon City and the LRT-1 Monumento station in Caloocan. — MGSR

ericlucky290

January 24th, 2008, 10:51 AM

Tanong lang po, yung bang MRT yung mag-eextend hanggang Monumento? Para kasi may nabasa ako dito sa forun na yung LRT 1 yung mag-eextend hanggang North Ave.

le Reine

January 24th, 2008, 10:53 AM

^^yung lrt 1 ang mageextend hanggang north ave.

manchowyin

January 25th, 2008, 02:24 AM

LRT-MRT loop construction to start in May
By Rainier Allan Ronda
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Metro&p=49&type=2&sec=26&aid=20080124142
Friday, January 25, 2008

Actual construction work on the P6.3-billion Light Rail Transit-Metro Rail Transit (LRT-MRT) loop project could start as early as this May, the LRT Authority (LRTA) said yesterday.

LRTA administrator Melquiades Robles said they have already wrapped up the pre-qualification of groups that will join the public bidding for the contract.

The rail agency had successfully conducted the pre-qualification of bidders for the project’s Package C, with the joint venture of DMCI and First Balfour being the lone pre-qualified bidder last Wednesday.

The DMCI-First Balfour joint venture was also the lone prequalified bidder for the project’s Package A1.

For Package A2, the pre-qualified bidders are DMCI-First Balfour joint venture, F.F. Cruz-Filsystems joint venture, and the Cavite Ideal International Resources group.

For Package B, the pre-qualified bidders are DMCI-First Balfour, and the F.F. Cruz-Filsystems joint venture.

Robles said the bidding proper for Package A1 was set on March 19, Package A2 on March 20, Package B on March 21 and Package C on April 1.

After the bidding, Robles said that construction work on Package A1, A2, and B could start by May and work on Package C could start by June.

The project’s Package A involves the foundation and viaduct construction component and Package B involves the station construction. Package C involves the electro-mechanical components of the rail line extension project.

The LRTA seeks to complete the LRT-LRT loop project – which will connect LRT Line 1 at its Monumento Avenue end-station in Caloocan City with the MRT at its end station in North Avenue, Quezon City through the construction of three stations along EDSA – by April 2010.

dancethingy

January 25th, 2008, 02:26 AM

^^ Wow, in MAY? Is this a light at the end of a long tunnel OR an oncoming train!?

ericlucky290

January 25th, 2008, 04:36 AM

cq40

January 25th, 2008, 05:26 AM

Sana the government will build central station sa North Ave so that it will be easy to transfer from one train to another.

If there was enough space for it why not...

dancethingy

January 25th, 2008, 10:00 AM

I dislike it when forumers post pics of other developments cause for a moment of im like "OMG, what a great development for manila!!!!!!!!!!" then have my spirits doused upon realizing its for a different city.

Parang di gaanong maganda kung yung LRT 1 yung mag-eextend till North Ave. Imagine gaano kayalo yung MRT North Ave Station sa future LRT 1 North Ave Station. Anyways, walking is a good exercise, so walking 500 meters ( based on the measurement on Google earth from SM to MRT Station) will burn a lot of calories:banana::banana::banana:

Anyway, North Ave then will be the terminus of LRT 1, MRT 3 and LRT 7. Sana the government will build central station sa North Ave so that it will be easy to transfer from one train to another.

Imagine if the North Ave Central Station will look like this planned London Bridge Station of UK:

el_dasik_oo1

January 25th, 2008, 11:18 AM

wishful thinking..
Anyway, be content of what we have..

hindi ba? :D

queetz@home

January 25th, 2008, 07:05 PM

Parang di gaanong maganda kung yung LRT 1 yung mag-eextend till North Ave. Imagine gaano kayalo yung MRT North Ave Station sa future LRT 1 North Ave Station. Anyways, walking is a good exercise, so walking 500 meters ( based on the measurement on Google earth from SM to MRT Station) will burn a lot of calories:banana::banana::banana:

Anyway, North Ave then will be the terminus of LRT 1, MRT 3 and LRT 7. Sana the government will build central station sa North Ave so that it will be easy to transfer from one train to another.

Believe me, ericlucky290, the current proposal of the three lines having the North Ave terminus is far far far better than what it replaced. I for one would prefer that all three lines are seamless or if not (due to LRT 7's possible incompatibility), LRT1 and MRT3 should be a seamless line so one can travel to, say GMA-Kamuning Station of MRT 3 to Vito Cruz station of LRT1 without ever leaving the train. And if the tracks of both lines have to be separated, I prefer that MRT3 is extended to Monumento instead of LRT1 to SM North Ave for the simple reason that its better for MRT3 to be the "EDSA train".

But the previous proposal that the current plan to extend LRT1 to SM North Ave replaced was a stand alone rail line 7 km long called ENT (EDSA North Transit), with its own maintenance yard and trainset to simply have a line that people can take when travelling between the current end points of LRT1 and MRT3. So imagine you coming from Abad Santos Station of LRT1 and wanted to go to Quezon Avenue station of MRT3, you will have to get off LRT1 Monumento station, take that stupid ENT, then get on MRT3 North Avenue station to get to MRT3 Quezon Avenue station. Its ridiculous but it ALMOST got through. Well, thank goodness saner minds prevailed and the right government officials axed it to the current plan we have now.

Count your blessings for what we will be having but since the MRT3 buyout may actually happen, there is a possibility that MRT3 and LRT1 will have a seamless link. So lets all hope and pray for the best.

ericlucky290

January 26th, 2008, 09:12 AM

Count your blessings for what we will be having but since the MRT3 buyout may actually happen, there is a possibility that MRT3 and LRT1 will have a seamless link. So lets all hope and pray for the best.

Wow, if that will happen, one can get around Manila without actually leaving the train! I will love to see the 2nd and 3rd generation train of LRT 1 travelling around EDSA.

IsaganiZenze

January 26th, 2008, 01:24 PM

bustero

January 29th, 2008, 06:03 AM

keep your fingers crossed, deadline for the closing of the mrt3 buyout is jan 31, there are no provisions for extensions so the two parties (GOP and bondholders) could go into possible arbitration if it does not happen. Hopefully it does and if it doesn't they can at least agree to extend the closing.

renell

January 30th, 2008, 01:58 AM

i'll keep it crossed mate, but let me tell you arthritis is starting to creep it ;)

hmm.. may.. 2009, sounds good :D

queetz@home

January 30th, 2008, 09:18 AM

Gov't raising $900M to take over MRT 3

Peso-denominated bond float in 1st quarter

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Close this HONG KONG--The Philippine government is raising $900 million mostly from a 10-year, peso-denominated bond offering by a state corporation before the end of March to fund its takeover of the Metro Railway Transit 3, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said.

The Department of Finance has mandated Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines to arrange the refinancing of the MRT 3 contract, Teves said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

In a separate interview, DBP president Reynaldo David said the MRT 3 obligations would be settled through the offering of 10-year peso-denominated bonds, but they have yet to decide on whether or not the issuer would be the state-owned National Development Co. or another government corporation.

"The issuer will be whoever will buy MRT 3, whether it's NDC or another (government) entity. Either one will have a national government guarantee and it should be by end-March as required under the memorandum of agreement (with the MRT 3 proponent)," David said.

The government earlier entered into an $865-million deal to take over the build-lease-transfer contract on MRT 3 to trim future expenses on this key mass transport, but the total funding requirement will total $900 million, including some interest expenses, David said.

"We're thinking of raising in pesos to pay off the (government's) obligation in dollars. Hopefully, it will create demand for foreign currency, which will arrest the slide of the dollar," David said.

"We're going to borrow local currency from the market to stimulate the (bond) market and at the same time to generate demand for dollars," he added.

But in case the $900 million will be too big for the local bond market to absorb, David said a portion of the bond offering could be raised offshore.

"On the funding side, we've invited Deutsche Bank and HSBC (to help). We're looking at the different instruments that we can use," David said.

The buyout of the MRT 3 contract from the private consortium operating the utility would result in savings of $380 million for the government, based on DOF estimates.

The government also plans to complete a $500-million offshore bond float within the first semester and the offering could be denominated in euros.

Banking sources said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas--the Philippine central bank--had given the national government the flexibility to raise the amount either in US dollars or euros or a combination with a minimum term of seven years. They added that two foreign banks--Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse--were given the mandate to arrange the offering.

In an interview with the Inquirer at the sidelines of a government roadshow for overseas Filipinos here, Teves confirmed that a euro-denominated bond offer was a consideration. He said the underwriters would be announced once the offering has been finalized.

"We will issue (the bonds) as the opportunity arises but I think it's safe to say it will be completed within the first semester," Teves said, adding that the $500 million would likely be raised in a single tranche.

It looks like the MRT3 buyout is progressing...either that or the capital raising below is for another reason? Let the speculations continue... :D

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/78578/Investors-scramble-for-RPs-500-M-bond-issue

Investors scramble for RP's $500-M bond issue
01/30/2008 | 02:55 PM
Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us

Investors scrambled for the $500 million sovereign bonds issued by the Philippines in less than eight hours, acting National Treasurer Roberto Tan said Wednesday.

The offer, which completes the country’s first and only foray in the international market this year, was more than eight times oversubscribed as Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank AG booked $4.6 billion worth of orders.

“We are pleased to have completed our international funding objectives despite the volatile market conditions," Tan stressed.

The Philippine government issued the offer at the heels of Moody's Investor Service's decision to upgrade the country’s credit rating outlook to positive from stable.

The bonds priced at 98.0 fetched 6.541 percent or 220.5 basis points over comparable US Treasuries. The bonds are due on 2032.

About 44 percent of the investors who bought the US dollar-denominated bonds came from Asia while 29 percent came from the US and 27 percent came from Europe .

“We have an existing $1 billion and it will improve the liquidity to $1.5 billion. The Philippines is a major issuer so liquidity is important," Tan said.

Last Friday, Moody’s upgraded the country’s outlook due to improving macroeconomic conditions and strong fiscal performance resulting to stable public sector finances and less dependence on foreign borrowings. - GMANews.TV

c0kelitr0

January 30th, 2008, 09:45 AM

wow! $4.6 billion booked for just $0.5 billion... sounds like strong confidence indeed.
---

let's keep our fingers crossed na sana masimulan na nga this May yung project!

mambo

January 31st, 2008, 09:17 AM

mataas kasi ang interest kaya maraming gusto bumili

cq40

February 3rd, 2008, 04:54 PM

About the LRT-MRT Loop...

What in the world is taking it too long?

So MRT Won't Connect, LRT will...Plans are set up, countless biddings were made and everything seems good...cool right? Guess what...not a single chunk of dirt was scooped off edsa to kickstart this project...WHY???

le Reine

February 3rd, 2008, 05:09 PM

^^you weren't listening to the news, were you? The MRT hasn't been bought by the government yet, in case you don't know. They have just finished getting something from the 500$M bond issue. They still need 400$M more.

michael677

February 3rd, 2008, 06:13 PM

le Reine

February 3rd, 2008, 06:22 PM

ericlucky290

February 3rd, 2008, 07:39 PM

^^when can riding in manila's mrt/lrt offer this "seems like first world city" view?

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=4QqzrRoNlvE&feature=related

haayy.. but in fairness naman the areas surrounding the ortigas and shaw station looks like the one in the video. pag sa lrt 2 naman, gilmore and cubao station hindi siya eyesore. i dont know lang sa lrt 1 cause i havent tried it. but i know somewhere along taft avenue madadaanan ang luneta and u can see a nice looking public plaza and some colonial era buildings as well (similar also to the video).

im hoping for a monorail that will serve as a shuttle between fort boni and makati cbd and rockwell also :cheers:

Katipunan Station of LRT 2 is still my favorite. You can feel its a subway station :). But I think LRT2 is the best among the three, not only with its train, the vending machines and stations are great!

With LRT 1, Doroteo station had under gone renovation and so far the best station of LRT 1 (I believe). The second generation train are LRT 1 are beautiful and it seems the look like the trains of UK.

I have no comment with MRT 3 :bash:

By the way, I prefer subway rather than monorail that will connect Makati and Boni :cheers:

AH-7Raja

February 3rd, 2008, 07:51 PM

^^I'm telling you, the Philippines needs A LOT of catching up to do. The Philippines was behind economically by 30 years to its major ASEAN neighbors like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. We are just starting to build major infrastructures and we are in a bumpy situations right now like NAIA T3 and Northrail. But I have high hopes that the Philippine government would be able to achieve most if not all of its goals. Let's hope for the best. :cheers:

sobra ka naman dong... di naman 30 mga 10 to 15 yrs lang naman.... all we need to catch up lang are their bus rapid transit systems, modern rail systems, modern and bigger int'l airports, modern cruise lines, modern armed forces, implementation of effective foreign investment laws, and maybe their effective government systems. pero syempre its still depends upon the situation next year kung matutuloy lahat ng plano ni arroyo pagdating sa infrastructure developments ng bansa natin including the tourism business para maka generate tayo ng mas maraming revenues to boost our economy... plus the afp modernization has about 13 more years left to fully equip our armed forces w/ all the modern weaponries... :cheers:

Askal82

February 3rd, 2008, 08:42 PM

mataas kasi ang interest kaya maraming gusto bumili

True, in addition to the nominal rate on the face of the bond, $0.5billion is actually sold for a discount since it was sold @ 98, meaning 98% of that $0.5 billion or $490 million to the investors. Since the government will pay back all its principal of $500m at the end of its life, then the $10 million difference is considered additional interest plus the stated interest on the face of the bond becomes effective or true interest rate. Since face value is 100 and its sold at 98, then the difference of 2 represent 2% additional interest that will be added to whatever interest rate is stated on its face. So if the stated rate is 8%, then the actual interest rate to be paid is really 10%.

AH-7Raja

February 3rd, 2008, 08:51 PM

im wondering why can't the rp government implement a brt system even though they already have the mrt lines approved...?

Askal82

February 3rd, 2008, 08:57 PM

^^ I would rather have brt implemented if the buses to be used are environmentally friendly such that it either uses hybrid engines or other alternative sources of power such as solar energy.

IndioBravo

February 4th, 2008, 12:18 AM

AH-7Raja

February 4th, 2008, 02:42 AM

Just had a 1 month vacation in Manila,judging from the traffic problem the city has,yes we need a BRT system.Most of the people in the metro can't afford a car,so for heaven's sake,we need the BRT NOW!!

ohh yeahhh! they should phase out the jeepneys away from atleast major cities across the philippines and replace them w/ efficient and environmentally friendly brt system! anyway that mrt system is not enough to supply the demand of pinoy passengers around the metro and to the whole pinoy islands.... take a look at our asian neighbors, most of them have both transportation systems being implemented, and us? ang tagal man.... sana matuloy na yung plano nila since last year pa, i believe tapos na angstudy, its just a matter of our government's go signal to implement it.... :)

queetz@home

February 4th, 2008, 03:41 AM

odyssey

February 4th, 2008, 03:53 AM

AH-7Raja

February 4th, 2008, 04:22 AM

Look guys, we don't need a new Bus "Rapid" Transit systems in Metro Manila. We ALREADY have them. You see those very fast privately run buses all over EDSA and believe me, they are much much faster than most BRT systems in other cities. The problem isn't speed, its capacity and only rail based systems can do that. BRTs may work in some less populated cities like Ottawa but in a mega metropolis like Metro Manila with ten million people, you most certainly need rail. And if you think the present buses that you see in Metro Manila are inefficient, well of course they are and always will be. That is the very nature of buses and they simply cannot cope up with a densely populated metropolis such as ours. Making them pretty and "rail like" will not change that fact.

I can understand it when people discuss that our present MRT/LRT lines are inadequate, and needs to be expanded by having more lines and high capacity cars. That is at least looking forward when trying to deal with the problem. But BRT solutions are a step backward and will only cause more people to avoid public transit all together, thus increasing congestion, pollution and overall misery. Buses and other forms of rubber wheeled based transit vehicles have their place in a city's transporation system....as feeders to the main lines which should always be rail. Nothing more, nothing less.

You should read the meaning of BRT, man.

Faster? Yeah ang bibilis nga nila pero wala naman silang sinusunod na btas at sistema kaya maraming namamatay sa kalsada! Oo nga marami nng buses dyan lalo na sa MM, sa sobrang dami na nga nila nagiging problema na sila sa trapiko! I think its your mentality is way going BACKWARD! :bash:

Why? All the progressive nations in the world are implementing the BRT system. And why would people listen to you and your new friend from post #953 saying that we dont need such a system? No wonder kaya nabubulok ang pilipinas eh dahil sa ganyang logic... I could have respect ur opinion if it was reasonable, but it wasnt... :ohno:

BTW, not all BRT system have dedicated busways, and so the philippines dont have to spend money on those special lanes. All they need to do is to adopt the rest of the system even without the special busways. Im sure they can adopt the americanand canadian BRT style for now.

Beside, why would you live in the philippines in ur whole entire life without enjoying the standard features and system that you and your family can enjoy and benefit from the BRT system? Dont you like to see the philippines to have a more organized bus transit system? True its not the speed and i never mentioned the importance of its speed, but its the system that can give ride to more pinoy passengers with the effectiveness of this system... In fact, the typical BRT buses can only run in between 30 to 50 kph b/c of its limited engine capabilities since they're all designed for environmental friendly and they promote a safer ride... :lol:

AH-7Raja

February 4th, 2008, 04:28 AM

I agree with you that the Philippines does not need a BRT as we already have a lot of buses plying our highways. The most important thing to do here is to connect the existing bus terminals to MRT/LRT Terminals that will make the buses function similar to BRT in terms of continuity. And at the same time coordinate the schedules and routes of each bus company for an organize flow of transportation. We need more train lines than BRT.

WHY NOT? We dont have to import more buses! All they need to do is to adopt the system and modify our existing fleet of buses, with the private bus companies will be shouldering the expenses. Because the MRT/LRT cannot do all the job to ferry passengers across the nation!!!

Isa ka pa! Dont you like to see an organized bus system in ur homeland? Do you think if they dont implement a BRT system, this current bus companies will do something? I dont think so! They still need our government's guidance to introduce such system if they wanna see some traffic improvement and reduce the air pollution in the country! :bash:

papi_chulo

February 4th, 2008, 05:42 AM

BRT Video watch it guys so you can under stand the system...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZl1N6bTp_M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LEtf32Bu3Y&feature=related

kalbongdad

February 4th, 2008, 06:18 AM

Katipunan Station of LRT 2 is still my favorite. You can feel its a subway station :). But I think LRT2 is the best among the three, not only with its train, the vending machines and stations are great!

With LRT 1, Doroteo station had under gone renovation and so far the best station of LRT 1 (I believe). The second generation train are LRT 1 are beautiful and it seems the look like the trains of UK.

I have no comment with MRT 3 :bash:

By the way, I prefer subway rather than monorail that will connect Makati and Boni :cheers:

i fully agree with you that katipunan is the best station so far.... it has the subway feel...of the major cities in asia.....that i have been to..... feeling ko nasa japan or singa or hk ka.....nde sya papatalbog kayang makipagsabayan......the worst....are the stations....of lrt2 in recto....binaboy ng mga baboy....the manager of that station does not know what he is doing and what he is supposed to do.....of the 3 lines....mrt3 is the worst....even if its newer that lrt1...the stations and ticket booths are 3rd world... clueless ang mga station managers dyan....at least lrt1 is doing some improvements on its stations...and they have new trains....

Manila-X

February 4th, 2008, 06:20 AM

queetz@home

February 4th, 2008, 11:33 AM

You should read the meaning of BRT, man.

Faster? Yeah ang bibilis nga nila pero wala naman silang sinusunod na btas at sistema kaya maraming namamatay sa kalsada! Oo nga marami nng buses dyan lalo na sa MM, sa sobrang dami na nga nila nagiging problema na sila sa trapiko! I think its your mentality is way going BACKWARD! :bash:

Why? All the progressive nations in the world are implementing the BRT system. And why would people listen to you and your new friend from post #953 saying that we dont need such a system? No wonder kaya nabubulok ang pilipinas eh dahil sa ganyang logic... I could have respect ur opinion if it was reasonable, but it wasnt... :ohno:

BTW, not all BRT system have dedicated busways, and so the philippines dont have to spend money on those special lanes. All they need to do is to adopt the rest of the system even without the special busways. Im sure they can adopt the americanand canadian BRT style for now.

Beside, why would you live in the philippines in ur whole entire life without enjoying the standard features and system that you and your family can enjoy and benefit from the BRT system? Dont you like to see the philippines to have a more organized bus transit system? True its not the speed and i never mentioned the importance of its speed, but its the system that can give ride to more pinoy passengers with the effectiveness of this system... In fact, the typical BRT buses can only run in between 30 to 50 kph b/c of its limited engine capabilities since they're all designed for environmental friendly and they promote a safer ride... :lol:

I happen to know what a BRT is, they proposed a similar system in the Vancouver area in Canada to REPLACE an LRT project. I personally lobbied, and succeeded, to Translink, the Transit Agency for the region, to stop it because it wouldn't make sense. I cited the failure of the Las Vegas MAX BRT as a perfect example (unfortunately, my pics and threads being hosted in SSP seemed to have disappeared due to a prune as this was four years ago), as well as those in Nancy, France, when exotic technologies attempt to convert buses into trams, failed. Now I hear they are proposing an advanced ALRT system similar to our LRT2 to replace it now. Note that this was for a growing suburban area that currently have 300,000 people, far less than what one rail transit line carries in Metro Manila in a day.

Buses are slow, they simply don't have the capacity for rapid transit, and are simply not attractive to non-transit users to switch. The American cities that use BRTs like Los Angeles aren't exactly good examples of success in terms of transportation management and Canadian cities like Calgary and Vancouver do use them but only solely as a temporary relief line while their main are still rail based, which will eventually replace those BRT lines.

Capacity and speed are the main reasons they shouldn't be implemented in Metro Manila, people already complain that our present rail rapid transit systems are too slow and crowded as it is. I wonder if you are confusing BRTs with scheduled publicly run bus routes, something which the Philippines currently do not have? They too have their pros and cons but that is a totally different topic and does not need to clutter up this thread about MRT/LRT lines in Metro Manila. Your intent in suggesting this audacious and dreadful solution maybe noble but the solution itself is simply most certainly not. Don't take it personally please...

AH-7Raja

February 4th, 2008, 01:54 PM

I happen to know what a BRT is, they proposed a similar system in the Vancouver area in Canada to REPLACE an LRT project. I personally lobbied, and succeeded, to Translink, the Transit Agency for the region, to stop it because it wouldn't make sense. I cited the failure of the Las Vegas MAX BRT as a perfect example (unfortunately, my pics and threads being hosted in SSP seemed to have disappeared due to a prune as this was four years ago), as well as those in Nancy, France, when exotic technologies attempt to convert buses into trams, failed. Now I hear they are proposing an advanced ALRT system similar to our LRT2 to replace it now. Note that this was for a growing suburban area that currently have 300,000 people, far less than what one rail transit line carries in Metro Manila in a day.

Buses are slow, they simply don't have the capacity for rapid transit, and are simply not attractive to non-transit users to switch. The American cities that use BRTs like Los Angeles aren't exactly good examples of success in terms of transportation management and Canadian cities like Calgary and Vancouver do use them but only solely as a temporary relief line while their main are still rail based, which will eventually replace those BRT lines.

Capacity and speed are the main reasons they shouldn't be implemented in Metro Manila, people already complain that our present rail rapid transit systems are too slow and crowded as it is. I wonder if you are confusing BRTs with scheduled publicly run bus routes, something which the Philippines currently do not have? They too have their pros and cons but that is a totally different topic and does not need to clutter up this thread about MRT/LRT lines in Metro Manila. Your intent in suggesting this audacious and dreadful solution maybe noble but the solution itself is simply most certainly not. Don't take it personally please...

OT:

First of all, im not quite confused about the bus services in RP. Im pretty sure know their crappy system there. They dont even have those regular schedules and routes posted on their bus stations or bus stops, and dont have the LRT-like ticketing system as well. In short, they dont have any efficient bus services at all! Thats why they need atleast a BRT-like system! Im sure that we can do our own stuff.

Have you been in ontario? The BRT here is different than in calgary, ottawa, and vancouver. Well most of the BRT system here is considered as a regular bus services because they are sharing the road network w/ the traffic but they all have the rest of the BRT characteristics, although there are plans now to fully implement a BRT system w/ a dedicated busways. In toronto, they are using both BRT (w/ streetcars) & some elevated LRT (mostly w/ subway) systems. The difference is, our BRT has no dedicated busways, hey also share their LRT/Subway-BRT ticketing system, and is sharing w/ us in the roads and highways. And the villages here are opened for the regular public bus transit. In mississaga, they do have an Express Bus that is considered as a typical half-regular BRT system thats shring the road network w/ the traffic.

If you can only read the meaning of BRT again to refresh ur mind it will be great for our discussion, because it seems like you got stucked in vancouver and calgary. You know the BRT system comes w/ different variations.

Bus Rapid Transit (this is where u sucked):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit
"Ironically, the term bus rapid transit does not refer to the speed of BRT buses. Typical transit speeds of BRT systems range from 12 to 30 miles per hour (19 to 48 km/h)which compares well with surface running LRT"

"York Region, Ontario, a region apart of the Greater Toronto Area has operated a BRT route since 2005. In response to escalating congestion on the region's roads, York Region's transit plan included a provision for a bus rapid transit (BRT) system along the Yonge Street and Highway 7 arterial corridors. This service, known as Viva.

Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, the largest cities, have also metros and commuter rail systems in addition to BRT. Calgary, Edmonton, other large Canadian cities, have LRT systems in addition to BRT systems, Toronto also operates the largest remaining streetcar system in North America. As of 2007 the Calgary C-Train and Vancouver SkyTrain are carrying more riders than the Ottawa BRT system, with more capacity for growth, and users in these cities have shown a definite preference for LRT or Metro due to its more comfortable ride, speed and frequency of service."

"Opponents of Bus Rapid Transit initiatives argue that BRT is not an effective replacement for light rail or subway services. They argue that in order for BRT to have greatest effect, it must have its own right-of-way requiring space and often construction costs. A regular bus service would share the road with cars; a BRT service operating in mixed traffic would be subject to the same congestion, delays, and jarring and swaying rides as do ordinary city buses. Furthermore, signal priority systems, which are often the sole factor differentiating BRT from regular limited-stop bus service (most notably in Los Angeles' extensive "Rapid" system), might cause severe disruptions to traffic flow on major cross streets. Opponents argued that this merely redistributes, rather than reduces, the traffic congestion problems that BRT systems are designed to alleviate. On the other hand, many light rail systems also utilize signal priority system and railroad-style crossing gates (with long cycle times) to speed up service as well, and in the same time both BRT and light rail get more persons across a road junction than car traffic. Furthermore, nowadays it's more and more widespreadly believed and accepted that the most effective method of solving the traffic congestion problem is to discourage private car usage; for which preferential treatment of the buses in intersections and even converting some of the roads to exclusive bus right-of-ways will help."

My point is, its ok for the philippines to have both systems, and im sure that both the government and the private sectors who mostly owns the bus operations, and the real estates will benefit from this BRT. Also, a BRT system doesn't have to be in a dedicated busways, depending on the traffic and the city's population though. But its preferrably that a BRT system should have a dedicated busways to be more effective.

I think your problem was you approached the BRT idea in the philippines w/ extreme negativity. While most of the professionals in RP have alreay done in their feasibility studies and are just waiting forthe govenment to give them the GO signal to implement the sstem.

So pls dont say again that implemeting a BRT in RP is a "step backward". Also if u have anymore questions about BRT, then yes lets continue discussing it here:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=137806&page=29

Thanks! :cheers:

queetz@home

February 4th, 2008, 02:09 PM

^^ Yes, I have been in Ontario (Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Thunder Bay, just to name a few) for various reasons (including huge SSP forumer meets, in which experiencing the various transit systems was part of the tour) and all I can say those particular BRT systems will not work in Metro Manila for the exact same reasons that I have posted: capacity and speed. Oh, and unless any of those cities in Ontario has ten million people, none of those examples would be valid. As a matter of fact, no Canadian city and only a handful of American cities can be compared to Metro Manila's transporation needs.

So yes, I stand firm and will fight it vigirously, BRT is a step backward and no amount of copy and pasting of generalized clipping regarding situations that simply do not apply in our particular metropolis will change that fact. After all, if I can convince the Translink Board of Directors and planning staff to stop implementing a glorified BRT in the Northeast Quadrant of Greater Vancouver, surely I can at the very least reinforce and support the opinions of forumers who participate in this particular thread for the right reasons, which is to research, promote and relay info about the MRT/LRT expansion projects in Metro Manila.

WHY NOT? We dont have to import more buses! All they need to do is to adopt the system and modify our existing fleet of buses, with the private bus companies will be shouldering the expenses. Because the MRT/LRT cannot do all the job to ferry passengers across the nation!!!

There is a core fundamental flaw regarding how BRT systems work this paragraph. I'm curious if anybody can figure it out. The first person that pin points the phrase, explains why, but lives in Metro Manila will have a free P1,000 gift certificate from Rustans.... :D

AH-7Raja

February 4th, 2008, 02:43 PM

hey lets not talk about that here. pls go to the bus lines thread tnx!

filcan

February 4th, 2008, 04:30 PM

hay canadians...

leechtat

February 4th, 2008, 06:10 PM

AH-7Raja

February 5th, 2008, 04:33 AM

even if they finished all the light rail system, it will never be enough to help decongest the traffic across metro manila b/c the people just keep on growing. but im sure though it will help reduce some of the traffic if not all or if not to solve the heavy traffic in mm, then maybe we wouldn't need to put up a brt system. although they should still do something about this bus and jeepney populations in the metro, and modernize their transit services... its just too much and too many undisciplined drivers there.

hay canadians...

eh filcan? filipino-canadian eh? :)

lochinvar

February 5th, 2008, 07:26 AM

Even in the Philippines there are lots of Canadian. Magsaing kana dyan. Maglaba kana dyan. Maglinis kana dyan. Yes dear, ang sagot ng mga "understanding" na asawa.

queetz@home

February 5th, 2008, 12:11 PM

OT: away? :ohno: hehe..

but i must agree, we need to prioritize lrt/mrt constructions.. the private operators of the bus lines in metro manila should just organize bus stop arrival/departure scheduling to optimize the current system that we have (or lack thereof).. and for the mmda to strictly enforce these rules...

hopefully, the mrt/lrt extension projects will do the trick..

That's pretty much the solution involving buses. Its all about organization. The role of buses in a large metropolis such as Metro Manila are basically feeder lines to a main line, which would have to be rail based. The reason why main lines have to be rail based is the high capacity and speed that it offers to the movement of people. The planners of Metro Manila got it right, that all lines envisioned, from LRT1 to LRT8, should be rail based. Any bus system should be organized to feed people into the main lines since you cannot justify building rail into every nook and cranny of the Metropolis. Its just silly and has never been done ever in any city.

The problem with the BRT approach as argued by, say that ADB clipping, is the fact that they proposed to replace future MRT/LRT lines with BRT lines simply because its cheaper. The fact that they mention the cost of subsidizing the MRT3 and not mentioning its countless benefits to the people and economy makes their argument mute because even if they build hundreds of kilometers worth of BRT lanes and structures, it still won't be capable of carrying the vast amount of people that ply the EDSA MRT3 route. Its just physically impossible given the limitation of any road vehicle, even bendy buses and double decker buses cannot match the speed, capacity and efficiency of the MRT3 trains that a lot of people here already whine and complain about.

To create a transportation solution, the solution should be seen as an investment, not a burden. So its best to do it right and invest in the proper technology to solve the transportation woes. So when people balk at the cost of a rail line, they are simply being short sighted and not looking at the big picture.

Personal observation: Many road based solutions have been created to solve the EDSA traffic problem. I pretty much witness them build every single fly over you see in EDSA today since the Cory Administration, all the planners at that time thinking it would solve the congestion. None of them did and as for buses, they even had buses made out of tractor trailers at one point thinking it would cope with the EDSA demand. It didn't. Only when the MRT3 was build that some relief came into play. Before, it could take up to FOUR HOURS to get to Makati from Ortigas, now, you have the option to take a train from EDSA Shangrila to Ayala Centre in minutes of travel time and just take a cab to arrive at your final destination within the two business districts. The significance of a rail line traversing in a main artery such as EDSA is mind boggling it is absolutely justified that President Arroyo considers that teeny tiny 7 km extention from Monumento to SM North a NATIONAL PRIORITY!

IndioBravo

February 6th, 2008, 01:39 AM

May I suggest to you anti BRT's to visit Urbano delacruz blog.There is an interesting article about the BRT in Bogota Colombia.Check it out.

filcan

February 6th, 2008, 02:01 AM

even if they finished all the light rail system, it will never be enough to help decongest the traffic across metro manila b/c the people just keep on growing. but im sure though it will help reduce some of the traffic if not all or if not to solve the heavy traffic in mm, then maybe we wouldn't need to put up a brt system. although they should still do something about this bus and jeepney populations in the metro, and modernize their transit services... its just too much and too many undisciplined drivers there.

eh filcan? filipino-canadian eh? :)

what...how did you know!...hehe

youdamiren

February 6th, 2008, 03:24 AM

MRT-7 gets transport green light

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news4_feb5_2008

THE transport department has tapped Universal LRT Corp. to build a $3.3-billion commercial project on North Avenue, Quezon City, and a light rail transit starting from the same place and reaching San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.

Universal LRT Corp., a consortium made up of EL International Holdings of Israeli businessman Eli Levin, the SM Group of Companies, and Megawold Corp. is expected to start building the project late this year or early next year for completion in 2012.

The 23-kilometer Metro Rail Transit Line 7 will include a 22-km access road starting from the North Luzon Expressway, and will cost $1.3 billion. Its commercial component will cost $2 billion.

Acting Economic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos said the transport department and Universal LRT signed the notice of award last week. The document would then be sent to the National Economic and Development Authority for confirmation.

The project is a build-gradual transfer-operate and maintenance contract, a variant of the build-operate-transfer scheme.

Neda had earlier approved Universal LRT’s bid after no group challenged its unsolicited proposal to build MRT 7 and to put up a $300-million performance bond.

A French consortium composed of Bouygues Travaux Publis, Systra and Javlon International failed to block Universal LRT’s bid. The consortium had been bidding to build a similar project—MRT 4—which would traverse the same route. Roderick T. dela Cruz

Manila-X

February 6th, 2008, 05:28 AM

That's good news but does it have to be light-rail? Can it be heavy-rail cars like the LRT-2?

leechtat

February 6th, 2008, 05:36 AM

^^ great news.. i hope they start construction by the last quarter of 2008..

anonymous_filipino

February 6th, 2008, 05:47 AM

3cr

February 6th, 2008, 06:03 AM

LRT-7 proponent raising funds for bond
Business World
http://www.bworldonline.com/BW020608/content.php?id=042

THE PROPONENT of the Light Railway Transport-7 (LRT-7) is raising the $123.5-million performance bond that it needs to pay to the government to start the project.

In an interview, Universal LRT Corp. (ULC) Chief Executive and Managing Director Eli Levin said that the amount would be raised from insurance companies.

"We now have 30 days to complete the final concession agreement of the project and we are anxious to start [construction]," Mr. Levin said.

The performance bond is part of the concession agreement for the project.

Mr. Levin said groundbreaking is targeted by early next year.

The Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC) has said the contract for the $1.235-billion rail project will be inked on March 1 if ULC is able to raise the bond, which is 10% of the total project cost.

The performance bond is a financial instrument that ensures the government that the proponent will proceed as planned.

"Hopefully, 30 days after the NoA [notice of award], the contract will be [signed and] awarded," a DoTC official said in a separate telephone interview.

Transportation Secretary Leandro R. Mendoza signed the NoA last Jan. 31, marking a major headway in the long-delayed project.

"After the contract signing, they have 18 months to start [the development]," the DoTC official said, adding that in the event that ULC is not able to start construction, the government might opt not to continue with the deal.

"Maghahanap sila ng lenders ’pag nakuha na ang kontrata. Mabilis na ang six months financial closing (They will look for lenders after they seal the contract. Six months is a fast rate for a financial closing)."

"Ang concern namin ay matuloy ang project (Our concern is to proceed with the project). This is all about the public’s welfare," the DoTC official added.

Late last December, the government dropped its demands for additional guarantees apart from those indicated in ULC’s unsolicited proposal.

ULC’s proposal includes a 10% performance guarantee on the rail and road system investment and a 10% three-year rolling performance bond on the scheduled real estate and commercial development.

Instead of imposing additional bonds, the government settled for a performance undertaking, which is a legal instrument that allows "step-in rights" in case the proponent fails to implement the project.

The proposed 23-kilometer rail project will extend from North Avenue, Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. It also includes a 22-kilometer access road stretching from the North Luzon Expressway Bocaue Exit to San Jose del Monte.

Manila-X

February 6th, 2008, 07:34 AM

based on the renderings it will be a heavy rail line... sana this will be the first "real" state-of-the-art MRT here in Manila, with stations having plasma screens, touch screen ticket vending machines, platform screen doors for underground stations and automatic platform gates for elevated station. and trains with dot matrix destination display, digital voice announcements, and LED/LCD displays that displays the next station, advertisements, and safety messages

I hope so though some of the innovations you mentioned exist on some LRT networks

queetz@home

February 6th, 2008, 02:05 PM

Excellent news about LRT7! It would be nice if they can finalize the paperwork and start construction before October of this year....just in case politics start to get in the way again...

MakatiBoy

February 6th, 2008, 05:26 PM

Building more MRT/LRT lines is the way to go to handle the huge volume of commuters in Metro Manila. Even Singapore which has an already efficient bus transport system still believes that building more MRT lines is the better option in answering the transport needs of the growing population. BRT is also good but it may have difficulty in implementing in Metro Manila as it also requires more coordination among government agencies (police, local governments (mayors vs. MMDA issue), national agencies, etc.) which sadly our government is very poor at. Plus the road network and available space in MM are very limited. But of course any system that could improve our current transport system is definitely welcome. It's good if the gov't will try this BRT system in smaller cities in the Philippines. These two systems don't really have to compete directly. They can actually complement for a better transport system in the Philippines.

filcan

February 6th, 2008, 10:31 PM

based on the renderings it will be a heavy rail line... sana this will be the first "real" state-of-the-art MRT here in Manila, with stations having plasma screens, touch screen ticket vending machines, platform screen doors for underground stations and automatic platform gates for elevated station. and trains with dot matrix destination display, digital voice announcements, and LED/LCD displays that displays the next station, advertisements, and safety messages

Whoa sounds very advanced...
i think as long as the line gets built with decent trains and decent infrastructure, and decongests the traffic problems then that will do just fine...we can always upgrade the stations and trains at a later time.

pau_p1

February 7th, 2008, 08:00 AM

wow.. great news!... boy I hope this will start on time!

flymordecai

February 7th, 2008, 09:35 AM

based on the renderings it will be a heavy rail line... sana this will be the first "real" state-of-the-art MRT here in Manila, with stations having plasma screens, touch screen ticket vending machines, platform screen doors for underground stations and automatic platform gates for elevated station. and trains with dot matrix destination display, digital voice announcements, and LED/LCD displays that displays the next station, advertisements, and safety messages

Where can I see these renderings? I hope you didn't mistaken the renderings of a station in London a couple of pages back for the MRT rendering. :tongue2:

Manila-X

February 7th, 2008, 10:10 AM

Whoa sounds very advanced...
i think as long as the line gets built with decent trains and decent infrastructure, and decongests the traffic problems then that will do just fine...we can always upgrade the stations and trains at a later time.

True though I would give ticket machines a priority

chocolato1000

February 7th, 2008, 10:17 AM

great news indeed! any renderings of stations, route? :cheers2:

filcan

February 7th, 2008, 04:02 PM

True though I would give ticket machines a priority

agree, good ticketing machines would make the line more efficient, and in a transit system efficiency is always important.

venntro

February 8th, 2008, 04:21 AM

Although I agree that the ticketing machines should be looked at, the long lines will still be present even if all commuters would have ready access to the tickets. The ingress and egress of people are still the most problematic area of the MRT and LRT lines, especially the ingress of people in MRT lines. The security check pointson all stations really have to be improved since that's the main cause of the foot traffic gridlock. I can even see certain stations having long queues along EDSA already ... meaning the people have yet to get into the station.

Manila-X

February 8th, 2008, 05:31 AM

venntro

February 8th, 2008, 05:40 AM

Securities are usually on the base or the lower levels of the station as proved on the LRT-2. And they have to be strict so NO bomb attack will every happen again. Another, there should be a watch campaign kinda like Singapore's MRT

With the way the security checks are being done, a bomber can still easily slip through. Security checks are a must but it must be improved.

Manila-X

February 8th, 2008, 07:10 AM

With the way the security checks are being done, a bomber can still easily slip through. Security checks are a must but it must be improved.

After the security check implemented, there hasn't any incidents of terrorism.

Other than security, there should be a campaign similar to the Singapore MRT,

Ofeu_dPsqwU

venntro

February 8th, 2008, 07:44 AM

After the security check implemented, there hasn't any incidents of terrorism.

Other than security, there should be a campaign similar to the Singapore MRT,

Ofeu_dPsqwU

There was no incident of terrorism not because of the security check but because there were simply no attempts. Remember that the Batasan complex is more secured and yet a bomb got in. In our airports, someone succeeded in bringing in a bomb just to show that it's possible. So it doesn't follow. If a terrorist would try, our commuter lines are really very susceptible even with the security check.

In any event, no one is arguing whether security checks are required, since it's really required in this day and age. The argument is more on having an improvement in the security system in order to prevent delays in the ingress of the people in the MRT and LRT lines without sacrificing the safety of the commuters.

leechtat

February 8th, 2008, 03:38 PM

There was no incident of terrorism not because of the security check but because there were simply no attempts. Remember that the Batasan complex is more secured and yet a bomb got in. In our airports, someone succeeded in bringing in a bomb just to show that it's possible. So it doesn't follow. If a terrorist would try, our commuter lines are really very susceptible even with the security check.

In any event, no one is arguing whether security checks are required, since it's really required in this day and age. The argument is more on having an improvement in the security system in order to prevent delays in the ingress of the people in the MRT and LRT lines without sacrificing the safety of the commuters.

exactly... and take note, these personnel manning the checkpoints are not always trained professionals.. so its very much easy for anyone to transport illegals into the system.. though sometimes there are sniffing dogs around but those dogs might be confused with the heavy foot traffic (just imagine what those poor dogs have to deal with everyday -- bad smell).. going back, as they say - an honest man has nothing to hide. anyone with the right plan can accomplish terrorism... that's why its scary... hopefully, no threats will ever be realized in the mrt/lrt.

ArkiLurker

February 20th, 2008, 02:31 AM

BAD NEWS. Kasama sa mga ipinatigil na infrastructure projects ng gobyerno ang LRT 6 at yung extension ng LRT 2 up to Masinag.

Mga hinayupak sina Lacson, Madrigal, Cayetano, at Lozada. Mga anay ng progreso.

diz

February 20th, 2008, 02:33 AM

Wow. How come Manila has so many crappy stuff right now? Compared to other cities, Manila has ugly skyscrapers, infrastructure....

lightsaber46

February 20th, 2008, 03:28 AM

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Seven to bid for LRT North extension project

By Darwin G. Amojelar, Reporter

STATE-RUN Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) on Tuesday said seven construction companies have been qualified for the construction of a multibillion-peso rail system from North Avenue in Quezon City to Monumento, Caloocan City.

The rail authority said the joint venture of DMCI-First Balfour has been qualified for the Package A of the LRT North Extension Project. For Package A2, the Cavite Ideal International Construction and Development Corp., FF Cruz & Co., Inc.-Filipinas (Prefab Building) Systems, Inc. and DMCI-First Balfour have qualified.

The two packages would cost P2.8 billion, and involve the construction of the foundation and viaduct.

For Package B, DMCI-First Balfour and FF Cruz qualified. This leg of the project involves the construction of the three stations estimated to cost P830 million.

The LRTA said only DMCI-First Balfour qualified for the Package C of the project, worth P2 billion. This entails the electro-mechanical components of the railway extension project.

Costing a total P6.3 billion, the whole project involves the construction, including the detailed design of a 5.71-kilometer elevated line from Monumento station of LRT Line 1 to North Avenue of Metro Rail Transit 3, two new intermediate stations (Balintawak and Roosevelt) and a terminal station (Line 1 North avenue station).

The construction of the project is scheduled to start in May or June this year. The project is expected to be completed by 2010.

The LRTA said the average daily ridership is set to increase by 66.16 percent or a total of 535,558 passengers from the current average of 322,309 passengers. Funding for the project will be taken from the debt-paper sale of state-owned National Development Co., amounting to P4.6 billion. The remaining P1.67 billion will be obtained from the national budget.

Manila-X

February 20th, 2008, 05:46 AM

Wow. How come Manila has so many crappy stuff right now? Compared to other cities, Manila has ugly skyscrapers, infrastructure....

Some Manila scrapers aren't that bad at all. But there are alot iconic new projects coming up.

flymordecai

February 20th, 2008, 01:07 PM

queetz@home

February 20th, 2008, 01:14 PM

^^ Goodness gracious when did this happen? Any news source? I know Alan Peter Cayetano, Jambie Madrigal, Ping Lacson and now Rodolfo Lozada are the greatest threat to all rail projects in this country but I was hoping for a miracle that MRT/LRT will somehow be spared. I guess not anymore... :mad2:

ArkiLurker

February 20th, 2008, 04:55 PM

^^^^^

Ang sabi sa news, pansamantala naman daw. Ewan ko rin. Susubukan daw ng gobyerno na pondohan ang mga projects na yun nang hindi gagamit ng pondo mula sa ibang bansa.

manchowyin

February 20th, 2008, 04:59 PM

My guess is that the government will make these projects part of the economic stimulus that has been proposed. Nothing is lost yet. Let us wait for the next announcement.

dancethingy

February 20th, 2008, 05:32 PM

THOU SHALT NOT LOSE HOPE!

Im not taking the HOPE-AMINES Obama is feeding his supporters, but i have a practical sense of hope and my hope is these structures will get built in the near future.

michael677

February 21st, 2008, 05:57 AM

tanong lang po regarding ticket alternatives on lrt/mrt:

aside from 100-peso stored value card, what are available? is Flash Pass (ala HK Octopus) already in use for all 3 lines? tnx very much..

Manila-X

February 21st, 2008, 06:01 AM

tanong lang po regarding ticket alternatives on lrt/mrt:

aside from 100-peso stored value card, what are available? is Flash Pass (ala HK Octopus) already in use for all 3 lines? tnx very much..

Octopus > Flash Pass

The Flash Pass is not even a smartcard like The Octopus

Mithril Cloud

February 21st, 2008, 06:36 AM

Octopus > Flash Pass

The Flash Pass is not even a smartcard like The Octopus

Just an ordinary laminated card which you literally "flash" to the guard to let you in.

kiretoce

February 21st, 2008, 07:53 AM

Post away folks! :colgate:

Link to Thread 7 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=449725) in the Archives.

Manila-X

February 21st, 2008, 11:09 AM

For a start how about an intro :)

Metro Manila Metro system

http://www.urbanrail.net/as/mani/manila.htm

Light Rail Transit System

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/LRTA_Logo.png

Yellow Line (light metro)

http://www.urbanrail.net/as/mani/manila-mrt1-2.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/65/LRT-3G_Train.jpg/275px-LRT-3G_Train.jpg

Purple Line (heavy metro)

http://www.metrography.net/cgi-local/mmg-station/archives/lrt2_train.jpg

Metro Rail Transit

http://bp3.blogger.com/_ESulJeLvaCM/RqHlPpyCraI/AAAAAAAAABs/PhLhloMPIxk/s400/manila-mrt3-1.jpg

diz

February 21st, 2008, 11:11 AM

IMO, they should renovate the stations and elevated tracks to bring them into the 21st century.

Manila-X

February 21st, 2008, 11:13 AM

IMO, they should renovate the stations and elevated tracks to bring them into the 21st century.

The LRT-2 stations have a futuristic look. The rest do need some renovation

wheel of steel

February 21st, 2008, 11:48 AM

^^ LRT1 and LRT3 are both elevated tranvias while LRT2 is a true Light Rail and PNR Northrail is the heavy railways... MRT7 is also a Light Rail Project.

The Cebuano Exultor

February 21st, 2008, 03:20 PM

How many railway lines are planned for Metro Manila (including heavy-rail)? :?

queetz@home

February 21st, 2008, 05:50 PM

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=business5_feb21_2008

Govt seeks extension of deadline to buy out MRT-3

By Eileen A. Mencias

the government will seek an extension of its Feb. 27 deadline to refinance the $865-million Metro Railway Transit loan.

“We are inclined to seek an extension,” Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said when asked for an update on the credit.

Teves said the government was seeking a new loan to buy out the existing mortgage of the MRT-3 in order to save money since the credit was availed when interest rates were high. With interest rates having gone down, getting a new loan to pay off the mortgage should help government save money.

Land Bank of the Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines, Metrobank Group and Banco de Oro have expressed interest in lending the government a new loan.

Banking sources said foreign groups had also expressed interest in joining the deal.

An extension is being sought as government is still ironing out issues on the buyout, refinancing and re-negotiation of terms. The transportation and communication department is also threshing out issues related to the build-lease-transfer agreement.

The gtovernment earlier signed the agreement to buy out the debt of Metro Railway Transit-3 Corp. in expectations of saving as much as $380 million in interest cost.

Former Economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri earlier said the government should take over the build-lease-transfer contract of MRT-3 as the buyout would trim government’s financing cost on the project by at least 400 basis points.

Under the project contract, government assured the MRT-3 project proponents a return on equity of 15 percent. This had not happened since due to the project’s huge operating costs.

MRT-3 project is a 16-kilometer light rail system running across Edsa with 13 stations and 73 light rail vehicles with a capacity of 450,000. The project had an actual cost of $675 million.

Earlier this month, MRT-3 Corp. paid the first tranche of its asset backed notes amounting to $69.135 million. MRT-3, however, has several tranches of notes and they have different maturities.
Back to top

queetz@home

February 22nd, 2008, 05:29 AM

For those wondering about earlier posts about some "on hold" projects, which include the LRT1 extensions North and South, here is a news source. Its a couple of days old but still.... :cry:

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2008/02/20/news/arroyo.suspends.cybered.southrail.projects.html

Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Arroyo suspends CyberEd, Southrail projects

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday ordered the official development assistance (ODA) funding for the Cyber-Education, Southrail Phase 1, and nine other projects to be put "on hold," saying government now prefers them to be funded locally.

The 11 projects amount to around P104.07 billion.

Post here your Valentine's Day greetings

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the order, which came after a review of ODA loans and infrastructure projects during the Cabinet meeting, was not an offshoot of the ZTE controversy but "a matter of managing our resources" in line with government's "social payback" program.

Bunye, who is also the Presidential spokesman, said government has enough funds due to strong peso and the fiscal reforms.

"Unless the project has been consummated, meaning if a project has already been approved, the general rule is we will fund these projects with locally generated funds," he said.

He identified the 11 projects as the following:

* New Communications, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management Systems Development Project (P2.647 billion);

* Regionalization of Mental Health Services (P1.32 billion);

* Redevelopment of the Tacloban Airport Development Project-Phase II (P1.122 billion);

* Construction of Elementary and Secondary Classrooms in Acute Shortage (P45.67 million);

* Cyber Education Project (P26.48 billion);

* LRT Line 1 South Extension (Pasay-Bacoor) Phase 1 and 2 (US$683 million);

* Mainline South Railway Project Phase 1A Laguna-Quezon (P15.306 billion);

[/b]* LRT Line 2 Phase 2 from Santolan LRT 2 to Masinag in Antipolo (P10.335 billion);[/b]

* Bataan-Manila Pipeline Project (US$180 million);

* LRT Line 1 North Extension Project (P5.98 billion); and

* Angat Water Utilization and Aqueduct improvement Project Phase 2 Metro Manila (P5.751 billion).

Bunye said President Arroyo also ordered Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. to talk to the representatives of multilateral agencies to come up with a "common reference point" or "standardized loan conditionalities" so that there would be only one set of conditions for borrowings.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the President met with the Procurement Transparency Group (PTG) and reviewed 25 projects to ensure that "the process is followed and there will be no complaints whatsoever."

Ermita said Arroyo also wanted to be sure that the private sector representation in the PTG is fulfilling its mandate. He said the President wanted some interested priests to be included in the private sector representatives during the bidding process.

Andaya also said "trained" civil society organizations such as the Makati Business Club, Ateneo School of Government, Transparency and Accountability Network, and Procurement Watch have identified 24 "big-ticket" items that they would monitor.

He said the so-called big-ticket items included the Southrail, Cyber Education, and some roads and irrigation projects. (JMR/Sunnex)

Man! I'm really starting to get worried about what will happen to the projects, especially the MRT/LRT ones that I and a lot of people really really care about... :ohno:

Manila-X

February 22nd, 2008, 05:51 AM

^^ LRT1 and LRT3 are both elevated tranvias while LRT2 is a true Light Rail and PNR Northrail is the heavy railways... MRT7 is also a Light Rail Project.

The cars used for the LRT2 trains aren't lightrail. If they are, that would make BKK's BTS and LA's Metro Red Line lightrail as well. BKK's BTS system uses a 3-car line up while Manila's LRT-2 uses 4.

Here's how I see it

LRT1, MRT - light metro
LRT2 - heavy metro
Northrail / Southrail - commuter / suburban rail

diz

February 22nd, 2008, 05:59 AM

Boo.. booring. Boo..

wheel of steel

February 22nd, 2008, 06:24 AM

How many railway lines are planned for Metro Manila (including heavy-rail)? :?

^^ In Metro Manila, we have the heavy railway projects...

1. PNR Linkage Project (Narrow-Gauge) - covering Calamba and Caloocan for 60km plus the Tutuban Line and Carmona Lines with PNR Compound in FTI as the Central Terminal.

2. PNR East Rail Line (Narrow-Gauge) - Partly elevated and on-grade line from Pasig to Rizal to Laguna for 80km.

3. Northrail Phase 3 (Narrow-Gauge) - Mostly elevated line from Caloocan to Fort Bonifacio to PNR Central Terminal) passing above the PNR Caloocan to Sta. Mesa right of way and Pasig River then to Fort Boni and PNR Central Terminal...

4. PNR (Freight Line) - From PNR Central Terminal to Sangley Point Development Center passing thru Pasay, Paranaque and Cavite Province...

leechtat

February 22nd, 2008, 05:40 PM

earlier on today, traffic sa may balintawak area of EDSA due to some digging of sorts.. would that be part of the LRT extension project i wonder? hmm...

The Cebuano Exultor

February 22nd, 2008, 06:36 PM

^^ In Metro Manila, we have the heavy railway projects...

1. PNR Linkage Project (Narrow-Gauge) - covering Calamba and Caloocan for 60km plus the Tutuban Line and Carmona Lines with PNR Compound in FTI as the Central Terminal.

2. PNR East Rail Line (Narrow-Gauge) - Partly elevated and on-grade line from Pasig to Rizal to Laguna for 80km.

3. Northrail Phase 3 (Narrow-Gauge) - Mostly elevated line from Caloocan to Fort Bonifacio to PNR Central Terminal) passing above the PNR Caloocan to Sta. Mesa right of way and Pasig River then to Fort Boni and PNR Central Terminal...

4. PNR (Freight Line) - From PNR Central Terminal to Sangley Point Development Center passing thru Pasay, Paranaque and Cavite Province...

^^ Oh, so there'll be four heavy-rail lines for Metro Manila.

How 'bout the light-rail lines? :?

Thanks, BTW. :)

pi_malejana

February 22nd, 2008, 11:36 PM

isn't the purple line a little bit too dangerous kasi most of its tracks ay walang barrier unlike MRT and LRT, AFAIK...

johnmizer

February 23rd, 2008, 12:05 AM

lahat naman ng 1st world light rail ex. maglev sa china ay walang concrete wall, para kasing firewall yan na nakaka sira ng view sa mga buildings. actually kaya nag exciting yung purple, sarap mag lean sa door whenever it banks lalo na dun sa mendiola =D ang tanong, kapag lumindol ng sobrang lakas at nandun yung train sa curve sa mendiola ano mangyayari?

a:mahuhulog
b: mahuhuog
c: mahuhulog
d: somehow, it would stay on track

le Reine

February 23rd, 2008, 03:23 AM

na-suspend na lahat ODA. :shocked: Oh well, ganyan talaga. Just look at the brighter side of it.

diz

February 23rd, 2008, 03:46 AM

^^ See! I hate it when people say oh well, tis life!! :gaah:

flymordecai

February 23rd, 2008, 03:59 AM

Yay, instead of helping the progress of the country, our politicians actually try to hinder it. Wow...who voted these politicians into office? Were they brainwashed or something?

Why does my post count keep going down? I reached the 500 mark just a few days ago, and I went down to 498, then now down to 488.

diz

February 23rd, 2008, 04:31 AM

pi_malejana

February 23rd, 2008, 07:10 AM

^^@sinjin.. A little bit OT.. gawa na tayo na kasi tayo ng politics thread at nang makakuha din tayo ng magagandang posts sa kapwa SSC-ers and i-post sa youtube, dagdag exposure..:D :jk: pangdagdag dun sa naunang video ni PhilPolitics..:D

manchowyin

February 23rd, 2008, 12:56 PM

Why does my post count keep going down? I reached the 500 mark just a few days ago, and I went down to 498, then now down to 488.

Tell it to Lacson or Madrigal. They can make it a national issue. :lol::lol:

Bosnyboy

February 23rd, 2008, 02:22 PM

Ask the senate to conduct a senate inquiry on that. Senators loved to hugged the limelight. Mga KSP kasi. While the media loved to cover them and then exagerate everything just to have some stupid moronic report on the primetime news.

manchowyin

February 23rd, 2008, 05:07 PM

^^ Filipinos voted for them.

Our entire forum should mass email the government websites and complain to them about hindering the country's progress. It would be an online protest.

Someone should write a letter and PM it to every single Filipino forumer and any other forum wanting to help the cause. Then, we send them..

Last time I emailed the government, I actually got a response meaning they must read the emails.

I think it's not the government sites that we should e-mail, but the Senate website. It seems that all the projects are getting funneled into different televised (and scripted?) Senate investigations-in-aid-of-legislation-that-never-comes. It even looks as if the journalists that used to cover these projects have been sent in hot pursuit of the protagonists in the drama.:ohno::ohno: But thank God, there's SSC!:cheers:

diz

February 23rd, 2008, 08:36 PM

^^ Let's do it! :D

lochinvar

February 23rd, 2008, 09:46 PM

There should be at least 100,000 letters for these senators to be awaken from their somnambolism. How many members are there in SSC? I don't think the number is there. If we do write, most of us are working and don't have time to write 1,000 letters each.

kratos1211

February 25th, 2008, 02:35 PM

How many railway lines are planned for Metro Manila (including heavy-rail)? :?

http://www.cis.com.ph/new/esourcing/images/metro_manila_map.jpg[/QUOTE]

le Reine

February 25th, 2008, 02:43 PM

Ang laki! Please make this smaller. And this is also a very outdated plan.

red_jasper

February 26th, 2008, 06:22 AM

GMA: People to justify light rail extension
(http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=police1_feb26_2008)
By Joyce Pangco Pañares

President Arroyo has challenged Cavite folks to troop to the Senate and make their voices heard following calls from lawmakers to probe the P27.32-billion Light Rail Transit Line-1 project extending to Bacoor.

She urged the crowd of about 4,000 in yesterday’s peace rally at the capitol even as she vowed to finish the project within her term at all cost.

Mrs. Arroyo said if the Caviteños were brave enough to launch the revolution of 1896, they should now be bold enough to protect their own interests.

“You have played a crucial part during the 19th century for our freedom. You can play a crucial part again for our development now. Bring your voices all the way up to the Senate,” she said.

“It is in your hands to ensure that the LRT project you have been waiting for will not be endangered because that project is now being derailed by threats of investigation.”

The LRT Line-1 south extension is among the 11 official development assistance-funded infrastructure projects worth P103.48 billion put on hold by the government.

Senators Mar Roxas and Loren Legarda have earlier called for an inquiry on the ODA-funded projects which they claimed are overpriced and saddled with questionable tie-ups.

The move was prompted by alleged irregularities in the national broadband network loan contract with the Chinese government which in turn designated ZTE Corp. as the prime contractor.

“Trials should not be based on gossip. Trials should be based on hard evidence. And we have the proper court to hear out these allegations,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

“So if we are talking about democracy, if we are talking about freedom and justice, then let us also talk of the rule of law,” she added.

Other big ticket items on hold are the P5.98-billion north extension of LRT Line-1 to close the loop with the Metro Rail Transit, and the P10.33 billion LRT Line-2 extension that would extend the railway from Santolan, Pasig City to Masinag, Antipolo City.

A Senate inquiry is also expected to stall projects to be bankrolled by P2.64 billion for the new communications, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management systems development project; P1.32 billion for the regionalization of mental health services; P1.12 billion for the redevelopment of the Tacloban Airport (Phase II); P45.6 million for the construction of elementary and secondary classrooms in areas with acute shortage; P26.48 billion for the Cyber-Ed project; P15.3 billion for the mainline south railway project for the Luzon Urban Beltway; P7.2 billion for the Bataan-Manila pipeline project; and P5.75 billion for the Angat water utilization and aquaduct improvement.

queetz@home

February 26th, 2008, 06:47 AM

^^ For crying out loud! I am so getting mixed signals on the status of these extremely critical life or death to livability in Metro Manila MRT/LRT projects! Can someone please summarize what exactly is happening?

One article says that the ODA projects will be sourced locally, that the Philippine economy is more than capable of funding it using internal funds, blah blah blah, hence everything should be okay...see link below

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=18654075&postcount=648

The article posted above, although the president vows it will be "finished the project...at all cost", still requires people to march into the Senate to help end the project being "derailed by threats of investigation". So what the bloody hell does this all mean?

Should we just give up hope and get the bloody f*ck out of this country since there is absolutely no hope for progess as long as jack*sses like Alan Cayetano, Rodolfo Biazon, Panfilo Lacson, Jambitch Madrigal are breathing air? GOD!!!! This is absolutely ridiculous!

Somebody just nuke Metro Manila already and put us all out of our misery so we can start from scratch and do thing rights!!! :gaah:

diz

February 26th, 2008, 10:04 AM

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=478266

Was anyone aware that Sto. Domingo, Domincan Rep. has a new subway system? Way way better than Metro Manila's (xept Purple Line LRT). I didn't know they had the funds to build one. :lol: Apparently, I've always compared their economy to that of Haiti's.. Well they can't be that bad. Just that of the Carribean then.

angelapleasant2008

February 26th, 2008, 10:25 AM

Is there any plans for the LRT-2 Extension for Construction?

dancethingy

February 26th, 2008, 12:43 PM

I think the administration is just trying to crank up support for the project, especially from cavitenos because it is about their future and their livelihood. Over the past couple of days we have heard ad infinitum from our senators attacking all infrastructure projects

Yet we've to hear from those who will benefit from these infrastructure projects. Can we hear their voices at least????

^^ For crying out loud! I am so getting mixed signals on the status of these extremely critical life or death to livability in Metro Manila MRT/LRT projects! Can someone please summarize what exactly is happening?

One article says that the ODA projects will be sourced locally, that the Philippine economy is more than capable of funding it using internal funds, blah blah blah, hence everything should be okay...see link below

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=18654075&postcount=648

The article posted above, although the president vows it will be "finished the project...at all cost", still requires people to march into the Senate to help end the project being "derailed by threats of investigation". So what the bloody hell does this all mean?

Should we just give up hope and get the bloody f*ck out of this country since there is absolutely no hope for progess as long as jack*sses like Alan Cayetano, Rodolfo Biazon, Panfilo Lacson, Jambitch Madrigal are breathing air? GOD!!!! This is absolutely ridiculous!

Somebody just nuke Metro Manila already and put us all out of our misery so we can start from scratch and do thing rights!!! :gaah: