Metro Manila LRT and MRT Lines - Compiled Threads

[XXX]

MRT 2 started operations April 5th.

http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/lrt-line-2.jpg
http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/DSCF0202.jpg
http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/DSCF0206.jpg
http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/DSCF0207.jpg
http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/DSCF0209.jpg
http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/DSCF0199.jpg
http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/DSCF0220.jpg
http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/3P1030041.jpg
http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/scavite1624.jpg
http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/3P1030075.jpg

Post more photos of MRT 2!!! It's the most attractive form of transport in Metro Manila. Hopefully the LRT 1 extention, LRT 4, LRT 5 (NorthRail), and LRT 7 will be modeled after MRT 2 and won't be poorly constructed and planed like "MRT 3" (MRT 3 LOOKS CHEAP AND LOW CLASS)

[ryanr]

awesome pics, man. Shows how good the LRT 2 is compared to the others. I agree, MRT 3 could have been much, much better. I wish they replaced those poor and light MRT 3 trains.

[swatch69sg]

nice pics there!...calling all filipinos in manila, pls. post some more photos...I want to see more of these kinds of pictures...LRT is indeed more attractive than MRT.

[supercees]

This metro has quite a wide body! But it's design is cool!

[renell]

it still looks light rail with those electric overhead cables but it looks very spacious, not very LRT in that factor..

nice pics, never saw them b4:)

[XXX]

Here is a link to video of the LRT 2 'MEGATREN' on GMA 7's FRONTPAGE!!!

LRT VIDEO REPORT (http://www.dagupan.com/radio/playfromdigitel.asp?vref=04112003-special5.wmv)

[ewh1]

Great Pics! Manila Is improving.. slowly but still Improving!!!!!
i want the subway construction to start!!! hopefully in a couple yrs

[kiku99]

cool! i am sure it will help traffic a lot just like the one in Bangkok.:)

[ryanr]

<table cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=98% class="quoteBox">
<td align=left valign=center> <smallfont> <b>Quote</B> <I>originally posted by kiku99 </i></b> </smallfont> </td>
<tr><td align=left valign=top>cool! i am sure it will help traffic a lot just like the one in Bangkok.:)</td></tr>
</table>

Definately! LRT 1 and MRT 3 already helped the traffic in the areas they are operating in.:)

[Wisarut]

Dear GreyX,

Even though Manila LRT 1 adn LRT3 [METROSTAR] DID help for the traffic relieve, i would be a lot beter if they replace thsoe LRTs with those rolling stock from MEGATREN [LRT2] -> Those Pinoys better put thsoe LRT into their commuter rail lines instead ....

the ROllign Stock for LRT2 is NOT an LRT Rolling stock but Heavy Rail Rolling Stock from ROTEM [Hyundai 's Subsidairy] ... ROTEM also produced subway rolling stocks for Seoul Metro and Delhi Metro .....

ROTEM should offer a great deal once we call a new bid to supply the new rolling stocks for Blue Line Southern Extension as well as the future Orange Line ... but ROTEM needs to get the Japanese alliance (Marubeni, Mitsui) so that JBIC would approve the funding ...

[absent-minded]

the trains look awesome!! so much better than the ones used on the LRT1 and MRT3... and the stations look very modern...

@Wisarut - I don't think they'll be able to use these big trains on the LRT or MRT. they are probably too wide.... but i agree, the LRTs and MRTs should replace the PNR.

[absent-minded]

a few images "stolen" from the Philippine forums... :)

Outside the Santolan Station:
http://www.pbase.com/image/25228143.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/25228144.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/25228145.jpg

Inside the Santolan Station:
http://www.pbase.com/image/25228146.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/25228147.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/25228148.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/25228149.jpg

Inside the trains:
http://www.pbase.com/image/25228150.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/image/25228152.jpg

Route Map:
http://www.pbase.com/image/25228151.jpg

I'm both sad and happy to say that the LRT Line 2 has most of the few stations in Manila's rail system equipped with elevators and escalators...

[Wisarut]

Look Pretty Cool :cool: However, I hope that after Megatren Line 2 has been colpleted, the via duct to create 2 Interchange (those in the Red dot) with Line 1 and Line 3. Otherwise, it wont' work ... :bleep: :rant:

[absent-minded]

Originally posted by Wisarut

Look Pretty Cool :cool: However, I hope that after Megatren Line 2 has been colpleted, the via duct to create 2 Interchange (those in the Red dot) with Line 1 and Line 3. Otherwise, it wont' work ... :bleep: :rant:

yeah, that's what they really have to do...

they aren't gonna be getting the passengers they expected if these people have to walk from one line's station to the other line...

once they get the huge crowds of riders, the next thing they've gotta tackle is the maintenance of the facilities. older lines 1 and 3 were said to have deteriorated because of the lack of maintainance on stations and trains as the systems were put to use extensively (read: TO THE MAX). let's hope the same will NOT happen on this brand new line - the best we've seen in the country so far...

[ryanr]

This has been on of the most successful topics, lets continue this discussion.

Absent, post your map again...

[renell]

ok, what's up with the MRT3 extension then?

[renell]

Tatad: Shakedown at LRT

By Paolo Romero
The Philippine Star 03/22/2004


DAVAO CITY — Opposition senatorial candidate Francisco Tatad accused yesterday "some groups" identified with Malacañang of attempting to extort campaign money from at least two large Japanese multinational corporations interested in undertaking the $204-million Light Rail Transit (LRT) expansion project, allegedly to beef up the war chest of President Arroyo.

In an interview, Tatad vowed to unmask the alleged extortionists who he said were railroading and limiting the bidding of the LRT Line-1 Capacity Expansion Project to just two private firms — Kanematsu-Kawasaki Steel consortium and Sumitomo-Itochu joint venture.

A third interested bidder, Marubeni Corp., was rejected during the pre-qualification stage of the bidding process even as it said it had complied with all the bid requirements of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Marubeni is questioning the bidding process conducted last year, saying it was done "in undue haste."

"There are reports, unconfirmed, that a group closely identified with Malacañang had demanded some unofficial participation fee of $1 million each (from the bidders)," Tatad said. "Whether or not they obliged, we cannot say."

The former senator dared the President, who is seeking a full six-year term in May, to launch a probe into the alleged extortion try.

"Mrs. Arroyo must have this investigated if only to prove she is against such illegal transactions," said Tatad, who is running under the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) banner of Mrs. Arroyo’s chief rival, Fernando Poe Jr.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo, the only Palace official reached by The STAR yesterday, refused to respond directly to Tatad’s allegations.

All Saludo would say was, "Did you ask him (Tatad) if he has proof? If he does, then we could take this further."

The STAR tried to get in touch with DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza but he could not be reached for comment.

Transportation Assistant Secretary Robert Castañares, chairman of the pre-qualification and bidding awards committee (PBAC), was also unavailable.

According to Tatad, the same group perceived to be close to the Palace is also demanding a five percent kickback from the total project cost, or about P571 million.

He said this group is pushing for the bidding to proceed despite a contrary recommendation early this year from the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the DOTC to restart the process to ensure it is aboveboard.

However, the DOJ’s legal opinion issued last month was vague.

While it leaned in favor of canceling the first bidding, the DOJ also noted that the decision to rebid the project shall be left to the discretion of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), the government body which has jurisdiction over the project.

Nonetheless, Tatad said the DOJ has cited the DOTC’s bidding rules that a bid proposal must include a letter of credit confirmed by a reputable international bank.

Kawasaki, Tatad said, merely submitted a financial advisory while Sumitomo submitted a bank statement from a local bank.

Marubeni, he noted, submitted the required documents but even its technical proposal was not read by the DOTC.

Through a legal counsel, Marubeni accused the LRTA, in coordination with its technical consultant, the Manila TREN consortium, of conducting a questionable evaluation of the bids of the three competing contractors on Sept. 4, 2003.

Marubeni said the LRTA has overlooked the defects in the bids of Kawasaki and Sumitomo.

LRTA’s PBAC opened the bids submitted by the three contractors on Aug. 14. A technical evaluation was conducted by the Manila TREN consortium, which recommended the approval of the proposals of Kawasaki and Sumitomo but rejected the bid of Marubeni on grounds of non-compliance with the requirements.

Manila TREN submitted the evaluation report to the LRTA on Sept. 4, which was approved the following day.

In the original schedule of the bidding process, the PBAC was given seven days to study and approve the evaluation report and the LRTA Board 19 days to concur with the PBAC approval to ensure a thorough evaluation of bids.

The LRTA has reportedly sought the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP’s) opinion on its grounds for acceptance of prequalified bidders.

The LRT Line-1 Capacity Expansion Project 2 will be funded by a loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). It is due for completion by September 2006. - With Marvin Sy, Rainier Allan Ronda

[Francis20]

we have a JBIC office here beside us. It belongs to the company, i dunno what they are really up to. The guys seem to be real tough Phillies...and paid more than twice as mine.

[absent-minded]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid107/paa9873b22dcae09782e7390d7d06678c/f95f4cc7.jpg

I'll add the information later...

[ryanr]

Yup, thats it. Such a good estimation of how the lines will all look like.

[weirdo]

ang sarap sarap i view nitong thread na to while listening to my metrocard.

first stop: katipunan! next stop: anonas! next stop: transfer to the M-R-T-3! my my metrocard!!

[renell]

you change to MRT3 in anonas? :?

[weirdo]

no. after anonas, araneta center. at araneta center (lrt2) you can transfer to cubao (mrt3).

[renell]

oh right. :D


when will be the other 6 stations opened? in GMA's birthday?

[weirdo]

or maui taylor's birthday?

ir tita glow's (official impersonator of gma) birthday?

[renell]

in that article posted, the LRT1 extension isn't named LRT6.. is that name, LRT6, official?

[absent-minded]

Originally posted by renell

in that article posted, the LRT1 extension isn't named LRT6.. is that name, LRT6, official?

no... that project is the "LRT Line-1 Capacity Expansion Project", not the line extension project. or at least that's what I think it is. the LRTA site has both those projects. the LRT Line-1 Capacity Expansion Project is increasing the capacity of the line by adding new trains or something. that's why it's only costing $204M. the extension to Cavite is around $900M+

[ryanr]

Yup, absent is right. LRT 1 extention (LRT 6) is pretty expensive...We could be in for a state-of-the-art mass transportation system. The NAIA station is a multi-modal station, maybe pushing up the cost of the entire project. I bet the trains will be futuristic like:D

[absent-minded]

Originally posted by weirdo

ang sarap sarap i view nitong thread na to while listening to my metrocard.

first stop: katipunan! next stop: anonas! next stop: transfer to the M-R-T-3! my my metrocard!!

hehehe... what do u mean "listening to my Metrocard"?? what's a Metrocard? :? :? :?

[weirdo]

it's a not so popular song.

[absent-minded]

Originally posted by weirdo

it's a not so popular song.

ok... hahaha! :happy:

[bagel]

@weirdo: that's right... I finally figured it out...

My my metrocard!

[bagel]

NEDA body approves MRT Line 7

By Des Ferriols
The Philippine Star 03/29/2004


The proposed Line 7 of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) has been given a "first phase" approval by the Investment Coordination Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-ICC).

NEDA director general Romulo Neri said over the weekend, however, that the approval was only provisional and the final nod was contingent on the repackaging of the project.

Neri said the project also has to be cleared by the Department of Justice (DOJ) since it was being presented as an unsolicited proposal under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme.

Neri said the $1.4-billion MRT7 would not get the final approval unless it was packaged to be deficit-neutral.

When completed, MRT7 would run along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City up to Tala in Caloocan City, and the adjoining municipality of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.

MRT7 would likewise involve the construction of a bus-rail transfer hub to be located at the Tala Caloocan-North, connecting the line to the North Luzon Expressway by a private highway. It would also connect to Light Railway Transit Line 1 and 2 through the MRT7’s elevated railway transit system.

The Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) took up the proposal in a recent meeting to discuss the recommendations made by the committee’s executive technical board.

The DBCC-ETB had proposed that the MRT7 project should have no impact on the government’s deficit reduction program and its contingent liabilities be reduced to the absolute minimum.

However, the DBCC itself only "noted" the proposal and the approval of the project was still up to the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC).

The DBCC pre-requisite, however, would have an impact on the decision of the ICC which has to approve it’s inclusion in the Investment Priority Program (IPP).

When approved, the project would extend the Mass Rail Transit line all the way to Bulacan. It will be undertaken by the consortium Universal LRT Corp.

Sources said the DBCC was being careful to avoid the pitfalls of the MRT Line 1 project which was undertaken under the government’s build-lease-transfer (BLT) scheme. The government, in effect, pays both debt rental and equity rental.

Government’s debt rental payments are covered by automatic appropriations in the national budget but the equity rental payment was more problematic and has caused conflict between the government and the Fil Estate-led company.

Under the controversial BLT contract for MRT1, government has agreed to guarantee MRTC a 15 percent return on equity, a provision that has been harshly criticized for removing the pressure on MRTC to increase the usage of MRT Line 1 since its return was guaranteed by the government anyway.

The DBCC directive meant that MRT7 would not be able to count on huge sovereign guarantees from the government when it goes to the market to raise funds for the project.

Universal LRT Corp. said 75 percent of the project cost would have to be financed with loans and the remaining 25 percent would come from shareholders’ equity. Funding would commence within the next 12 months and the proponents planned to start construction within the next two years.

Universal LRT is composed of Alstom Transportation of France, the world’s second largest transportation system provider; Alstom Signalling of the United States; Redfort Assets Ltd, representing SM Investment Corp. and PentaCapital Management Corp., the Merlin Pacific Capital Inc. Group; Earth Tech, a member of Tyco International Group of the US; Engineering Equipment Inc., a member of the Yuchengo Group; tcgi Engineers’ and E.L. International Holdings Group and a group of Israeli investors.

[renell]

i was gonna post that, but ssc was down when i saw it..

good news, im hoping this line will be on par with MRT2

[ryanr]

sweet....i doubt it will be on par with MRT 2, i think it will be better!!:D Look at the price tag on that thing, wow!

So when are they gonna start construction? This is something to look forward too!

[renell]

how about some TVs in the trains? they have that on Singapore NE-line.. thatd be cool

[ryanr]

thats not a priority...its a luxury...maybe, but most likely not.

[renell]

thats not a priority...its a luxury...maybe, but most likely not.

well, how can line 2 be beaten by line 7,what needs to be added?

[ryanr]

Dunno...better technical systems? nicer design...electronic signage.

[renell]

dont they already have that in LRT2? maybe it is just longer,therefore the moremoney ndeed

[renell]

have they opened the new stations? it's april already

[ryanr]

Yeah, i was gonna ask too...

[renell]

well LRTA.gov.ph said it would be during the first week of april, but most of the first week it will be closed due to repairs and Holy Week

[ryanr]

This ought to clarify things out::okay:

LRT 2 Phase 2 to start comm’l operations

By EMMIE V. ABADILLA

The second phase of the Light Rail Transit (LRT), which runs from Betty Go-Belmonte St., Quezon City to Legarda, Manila, starts commercial operations tomorrow.


The entire 13.8 kilometer system, from Santolan, Pasig City to Recto, Manila, will be fully operational by October this year, announced new LRT Authority (LRTA) Administrator Pacifico Morales Fajardo.

The P31-billion LRT 2 had an inaugural run for the six stations (Betty Go Belmonte, J. Ruiz, Gilmore, V. Mapa, Pureza and Legarda) under its second phase yesterday and will offer free rides today.

The 4.5 kilometer first phase of LRT 2, covering Santolan, Pasig to Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City, had been running for a whole year now.

“LRT 2 will ease traffic congestion in downtown Manila,” according to Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza.

The transit system is capable of carrying over 300,000 passengers a day. To date, it has 18 electricallydriven trains made from South Korea. Each train has 4 cars, each with a capacity for 1,600 passengers per trip.

LRT 2 is the first railway system to connect the Eastern part of Metro Manila to the Western part. It is also known as the “Megatren” because it is the biggest and the most modern of all the railway lines.

It is the first in the country to use ticket vending machines (TVM) and highly-sensitized operation control centers (OCC).

TVMs accept coins and bills in P50 and P100 denominations, dispense single journey tickets and stored value tickets per person. The OCC networks internal and external linkages to serve commuters efficiently.

[SKYLINEPIGEON]

Gov't planning to unify rail, train system

The Department of Transportation and Communications plans to connect the rail transit transport systems to the trains of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) in a bid to unify the transport systems in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Sec. Marietta Jimenez of the Presidential Priority Programs of the Office of the President said the move is in line with the vision of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of a transportation "loop" connecting the different lines of the rail transit transport systems.

The plan also involves connecting the LRT/MRT (Light Rail Transit/Metro Rail Transit) lines and the PNR trains and to link nearby provinces to Metro Manila.

"With this, commuters won't have to go from one end of a transport line to another, the system connections or the loops will be created for their convenience," Ms. Jimenez said.

"Soon, the rail transit systems and the train systems of the PNR will be connected also. We will be creating both physical and ticketing links," she added.

For example, the PNR station in Blumentritt, which is a part of the Main Line North of the PNR, can be connected to the LRT station in Blumentritt. This will make it easier for passengers coming from San Fernando City or La Union to go straight to Cubao using the LRT-PNR connecting loops.

Ms. Jimenez made the announcement during the inauguration of the second line of the LRT on Monday.

At present, a transportation loop between the Cubao stations of the LRT and MRT is under construction via the Gateway Mall in Araneta Center.

Ms. Jimenez said the Araneta family had put in P100 million in investments in the Gateway Mall to serve as a connection of the LRT and MRT systems. The Gateway Mall connection is targeted to be finished by the last quarter of this year. By then, commuters can easily cross from one rail transit line to another using the loop.

At present, Line 1 of the LRT in Taft already connects to the Taft station of the MRT 3. The loop, thus, has connected the Baclaran-Monumento line to the North EDSA-Taft stretch.

[ryanr]

Great news...will make commuting much easier. It will also encourage more people to use the PNR (i still wouldnt though:D) and ease traffic congestion.

[renell]

im looking forward to more inter-line connections..

btw, whats up with the MRT3 extension

[ryanr]

MRT 3 extention has been delayed for a long time now. Maybe they will start when the North Triangle mall/station gets started.

[renell]

im not sure but i heard there was digging along EDSA... north part..

[Edmundtanso]

wow! the gov't should get all these infrastructure going! it would be good for metro manila. less pollution, less traffic, less commute time.

so are they doing the MRT 3 extension?

[Edmundtanso]

looking forward to take this train to see the metro manila!

[Edmundtanso]

imo the appearance of the train is not very modern and aerodynamic unlike the train of lrt 1 and mrt 3

[ryanr]

imo the appearance of the train is not very modern and aerodynamic unlike the train of lrt 1 and mrt 3

I'd have to strongly disagree with that. I think it is very modern and much more aerodynamic than the LRT 1 and MRT 3 trains. It is larger, faster and more silent than the other trains. It is also electronically driven (meaning no driver). The interior is also kickass...

[ryanr]

As of now, they are not working on the MRT 3 station. We dont know when they will start construction. Unless somebody in the Philippines can confirm there is construction going on, we really havent heard much about this lately.

[renell]

imo the appearance of the train is not very modern and aerodynamic unlike the train of lrt 1 and mrt 3

i think the opposite, LRT1 and MRT3 trains look more like streetcars, while Line 2 trains are very mass rail..

[Edmundtanso]

okay, i guess i have to see the actual trains =) you guys could be right though =)

[absent-minded]

this is great news! i haven't been on for so long cuz the internet connection here i freakin slow... I am so gonna get a ride on the megatren when I get back next month. hopefully it'll still be as good as new.... hehehehe!!!

[absent-minded]

Gov't to set aside P1B for MRT 3
Posted: 1:12 AM | Apr. 06, 2004

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

THE TRANSPORTATION department said Monday it would settle within the year its P1-billion obligation with the Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC) for operating the Metrostar Express running from North Edsa to Taft Avenue in Baclaran.

"I think we would be given the budget." Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza said. Under the build-lease-and-transfer arrangement with the MRTC consortium led by the Fil-Estate Group, the government must pay the private sector group a total of $2.4 billion over a 25-year period.

This year, the government must pay MRTC about $20 million; in 2005, $38 million; and in 2006, $39 million.

The payments will peak at $118.33 million in 2010.

The government collects an average of about P100 million a month from the estimated 380,000 people who ride the Metrostar Express every day.

From the collections, the transportation department must make rental payments to the private sector group. In cases of shortfalls, the DOTC uses a stand-by letter of credit from the Philippine National Bank to settle the dues.

Mendoza said that the government still needs to evaluate its other obligations to the MRTC as there could be items that the government could use to offset the obligations to the private sector group.

The national government settled some of MRTC's maturing obligations in the past as part of the guarantee the government gave the consortium's creditors.

The DOTC Monday inaugurated the Light Railway Transit Line 2 that stretches from Santolan in Pasig to Legarda in Manila.

By the end of the year, LRT Line 2 would extend all the way to Recto. Next year, the last three stations in Masinag, Antipolo will be operational.

"Because of the legal problems we encountered in extending the MRT-3 line from North Edsa to Monumento, we are shifting the focus of interconnecting the lines to LRT Line 2," said the transport chief. "The government would like to complete the loop eventually."

The railway loop would include putting up an LRT line from Baclaran to Cavite, another one from Cubao to Calumpit in Laguna, through Commonwealth Avenue, and the last stretching from Marilao, Bulacan to Edsa.

"Railways are among this administration's priority projects," the DOTC secretary sad. "We want to make it easier for people in the provinces to travel from their homes to their work place without having to reside in Metro Manila."

The Metrostar Express will suspend operations from April 7 to 10 and resume regular service on April 11, according to the management of the railway system.

The Metrostar Express said it would undergo major maintenance work on its facilities and equipment during the Holy Week break. MRT-3 would shut down its coaches at 10 p.m. of April 6 and resume operations at 7:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 11.
-----------------------------------------
the gov't went way wrong with the build-lease-transfer contract of the Metrostar... they should've done it with the BOT instead like the Megatren was done.

"Next year, the last three stations in Masinag, Antipolo will be operational."
I guess this confirms the planned eastern extension of the Megatren too... I thought that was only planned for later. never knew they were already working on it. I just wanna get a ride on this now... hahahaha!

they should also start interconnecting all lines soon. good thing the MetroGateway mall is almost opening... hope that by the time the Recto terminal is opened, lines 1 and 2 will already be linked up. is the MRT 3 extension still pushing through? I hope it does, cause that could be a north-western terminal linking the Northrail, LRT 1 and MRT 3. North Triangle Commercial Complex sounds great... looking forward to it. LRT-6 is also coming soon. good to know that the gov't is providing faster and better modes of transpo for people in nearby provinces. we could declog some of manila and people from these provinces now living in manila could move back home and still come for work everyday...

"another one from Cubao to Calumpit in Laguna, through Commonwealth Avenue"
which line is that supposed to be? MRT-4???

sorry if I stuff everything into one post... the internet is just way too slow for me to keep on switching from one post to another... hehehe...

[renell]

well the extension is no surprise, line 2 is very successful.

i havent heard of the Cubao-Calumpit line... thats new to me

[ryanr]

Cubao-Calumpit?? Never heard of it either...

MRT 4 is Recto-northern QC via Espana and Quezon ave.

[renell]

what's the next line thats to be constructed?

[absent-minded]

most probably line 7 will be next... and maybe line 4 halfway through the construction of line 7... or line 6. i wonder if they're still pushing through with the transformation of the southrail (from Monumento to Buendia or ayala of MRT-3) into a commuter line...

[renell]

my guesses are line 7 will be next..is that the SM supported line? or was that line 8

[Edmundtanso]

think line 7 is the one of SM

[absent-minded]

yeah... line 7 is backed by SM....

[ryanr]

I think LRT 1 extention will be then next to be built. Followed by MRT 7 which will most likely be u/c simultaneously with LRT1 extention. And then MRT 4 is after those two.

[weirdo]

metro manila seems extending. maybe in the future some parts of bulacan, rizal, laguna and cavite will be considered part of metro manila.

[absent-minded]

yeah... there's this plan to expand Metro Manila into Mega Manila... I forgot which provinces and nearby cities are included though.

[ryanr]

Oh yeah, i heard about that. Mega Manila will be produced with the construction of more MRT lines and vehicular expressways. Cavite, Cainta, Antipolo, Rizal, Tagatay, Bulacan and even Clark will be part of Mega Manila.

[lumpia]

wow! i really hope to see a "mega-manila" in my lifetime.. the opportunities it would bring are boundless... the metro is already starved of space.. MM definately needs more space to GROW

[rico]

trivia: valenzuela used to be in bulacan until it was eaten up by metro manila. :D

[weirdo]

cainta and antipolo are areas in rizal, tagaytay is in cavite and/or batangas. wow even clark? cool.

in reality, it seems that these nearby provinces are already part of the metro. maybe some more visible structures like the LRTs in the future will make this mega manila thing look much real.

[weirdo]

trivia: valenzuela used to be in bulacan until it was eaten up by metro manila. :D

hey, i went to bulacan a few days ago. nm roadtrip. guiguinto and then malolos then to bocaue exit. almost reach santa maria bayan but the driver turned right and the next stop over was an ugly place called grotto with lots of people.

from manila we used the way from valenzuela. and yea, it seems to me that valenzuela is still very much like bulacan.

[rico]

hey, i went to bulacan a few days ago. nm roadtrip. guiguinto and then malolos then to bocaue exit. almost reach santa maria bayan but the driver turned right and the next stop over was an ugly place called grotto with lots of people.

from manila we used the way from valenzuela. and yea, it seems to me that valenzuela is still very much like bulacan.
wow. i'm from sta. maria. that trip must be the closest you've been to my hometown. hahaha. ;)

[weirdo]

yep. sayang nga e. next time i'll really come to that bayan.

here's the only pic i was able to take. rubbish at di kapostpost at off topic. pero i popost ko na lang. hehe.
ito (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid111/p0e5b48e9169d5888453366c5b9b8a5b7/f90fe7a2.jpg)

wala lang.

edit: nilagay ko na lang ung url kasi baka magalit kayo dahil mrt/lrt thread ito. hehe

[rico]

that's true eh. medyo naligaw tayo. sorry. :D

[weirdo]

i think it's my fault. sorry rin. :)

[renell]

im not into the mega manila idea. no one wants Bacoor, Antipolo, etc. to be gobbled up to become a city full of trash and shanties. imo MM is good the way it is, it's just spreading out the population properly

[weirdo]

expanding the metro doesnt have to go the way you perceive.

expanding area -not equal to- distributing the dirt of metro manila

this can be a positive thing.

[ryanr]

expanding the metro doesnt have to go the way you perceive.

expanding area -not equal to- distributing the dirt of metro manila

this can be a positive thing.

exactly. With the right infrastructure, the city might even get less congested and polluted if the city moves out.

[renell]

expanding the metro doesnt have to go the way you perceive.

expanding area -not equal to- distributing the dirt of metro manila

this can be a positive thing.

well it can be a positive thing, but the way this country moves, any city included in the expanding Metro will be like other metro cities, unless the mayor acts.

imo i'd rather see ppl moving to other cities in the country. but then again, those will be the cities that will get congested and trash infested.. so now one has to balance out, MM expanding or other city congesting

[weirdo]

but the way this country moves, any city included in the expanding Metro will be like other metro cities

but the way our people move, any city included in the expanding metro will be like other metro cities, unless people change their attitudes.

[renell]

well the country is made out of the people, so our country will be made out of our people. same thing.

[weirdo]

your earlier post implies that it's all in the hands of the mayor.

[Francis20]

here we go again...what about a "Renell vs Weirdo" thread?

[Edmundtanso]

here we go again...what about a "Renell vs Weirdo" thread?

:bash: :)

[mhe-ann]

lol! :poke: :down: :horse: :guns1: friends lahat dapat dito. :grouphug:

[ryanr]

Let them debate...I love reading their debates. As long as it doesnt get messy, their debates are good for the forum. Besides, their topic is quite an interesting read.

[weirdo]

i dont think we need such thread

[Francis20]

haha...now what about....
kung rumble na lang kaya? i think u two got the same built. so u most likely have equal footing. tho Renell is a younger. but hey, you can do that Renell, weirdo's not so huge im telling u. pagkakataon mo na makaganti. errrr, wait, u two got glasses right? so it's -2 apiece for the built and imperfect vision. ooopppsss....im messing around, im sorry. im sooo bored and busy! :D

[Edmundtanso]

=) francis you are suppose to get them to be friends and not kill each other =)

[Francis20]

dun worry...they're the best of friends in real life...
gusto ko lang makakita ng square fight bet two buds! howd that be? hehehe...im kidding! di ako mahilig sa fights....let there be peace everyone...now, bk to the main topic, which is? making a 'weirdo vs renell' thread.

[weirdo]

i think u two got the same built. so u most likely have equal footing. tho Renell is a younger. but hey, you can do that Renell, weirdo's not so huge im telling u.

renell is way bigger. i'm a very small guy.

pagkakataon mo na makaganti
what have i done? :cheers:

dun worry...they're the best of friends in real life
friends yea. best of friends in real life? nah. were not even the best of friends in 'unreal life'

bk to the main topic, which is? making a 'weirdo vs renell' thread.
there was one before in skybar. created by the flip forums mod. i dunno if it's still there.

back to the main topic which is Metro Manila - MRT/LRT lines

[mhe-ann]

[QUOTE=weirdo]renell is way bigger. i'm a very small guy.

comment lang po...@weirdo, you're something like 5'5 right? you're not a 'very small' guy. :)

[weirdo]

i think 5'6-5'7 is the average height of an adult male pinoy. some jobs won't accept me for being short. ;)

[ryanr]

Lets go back to topic guys. So renell and weirdo were debating whether or not MM should spread further with the help of the MRT/LRT lines. I think that MM should spread further as long as the infrastracture such as MRT, highways, garbage disposal, etc are able to cope with the growing population and landarea.

[renell]

your earlier post implies that it's all in the hands of the mayor.

i didnt said that, you thought that.


MRT lines to the provinces are good, but that doesnt mean MM expansion. id prefer development of other metro areas in the country

[bagel]

This is actually a valid concern. New York City, and particularly the northern half of Manhattan and all of the Bronx were mostly farmland until the New York City subway system was built at around 1904, allowing New Yorkers to live north of downtown. And look at NYC today.

While Metro Manila today is certainly more built up than New York in 1890, we still have the concerns of expanding urban life. New York was able to do so because the infrastructure was able to keep up with expansion. In Metro Manila, there needs to be a concerted and well-coordinated effort to make sure city services keep up with the influx of population. In most developed cities with an efficient tax system, the rationale for investment in infrastructure in outlying areas soon to be connected to the mass transit network is the potential profit community profit from local merchant sales, rising property values and tax collection from new or growing businesses. But these factors are not dependable factors in the Philippine case because efficient taxation is not guaranteed.

[absent-minded]

Smooth run for LRT-2
Source: Philippine Star, Tuesday, 13 April 2004
Author: Rainier Allan Ronda

The Santolan, Pasig City to Legarda, Manila run of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) ran smoothly on its first day of commercial operations yesterday.

Engineer Ed San Juan, LRT Line 2 operations manager, said there were no hitches, save for long queues appearing in stations particularly at Santolan and Legarda during Peak hours from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

San Juan revealed that the trains were packed during the peak hours. He said that the long queues of passengers lining up to buy single journey tickets are expected in the coming days.

San Juan said this would entail educating and urging passengers to prepare small change and avoid paying in large bills such as P500 or P1,000 bills.

Light Rail Transit Authority administrator Pacifico Fajardo earlier said the opening of the Santolan Legarda run of the line was crucial in decongesting traffic at the traffic prone corridor of the peripheral areas of Marcos Highway, Aurora Boulevard, Magsaysay Boulevard and intesecting streets and avenues.

The entire LRT Line 2 which runs from Santolan to the western end of C.M. Recto Avenue in Manila is projected to open by October. Previously, the LRT Line 2 only ran from Santolan to Cubao.

Yesterday, six new stations including , the Legarda station, were activated, namely: the Betty Go-Belmonte station in Cubao, Gilmore Avenue in New Manila, J. Ruiz in San Juan, and the V. Mapa and Pureza stations in Sta. Mesa.

Four stations, covered under the LRT-2 phase I package, has been operational since April 5, 2003. These are Santolan, Katipunan Avenue, Anonas and Araneta Center Cubao.

Fajardo said that with the commercial operation of the rail line from Santolan to Legarda this April , they project travel time from Santolan to Legarda to take only 20 minutes, a huge benefit for the riding public particularly those living and commuting regularly from the Rizal province areas, Marikina, Pasig, San Juan into Manila.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Mercado cites a new MRT line
Source: Philippine Star, Tuesday, 06 April 2004

Former senator Orly Mercado lauded the National Economic Development Authority recently for approving the first phase of the proposed Line 7 of the Metro Rail Transit, saying that interconnecting the metropolis by rail is the way of the future.

"Definitely there will be a quantum leap in economic and infrastructure development in areas that will be served by the MRT-LRT lines, not to mention the convenience it will give ordinary commuters," said Mercado, who is running under administration ticket of President Arroyo.

When completed, the MRT-7 will run along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City up to Tala in Caloocan City and San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan. The project will also involved the construction of a bus-rail transfer hub to be located at Tala, connecting the train line to the North Luzon Expressway and the Light Railway Transit Lines 1 and 2.

The $1.4 billion project will be undertaken under a build-operate-transfer scheme, subject to clearance by the Department of Justice.

Mercado, a former assemblyman of Quezon City, said the MRT-7 will definitely spur the development of the Quirino-McArthur Highway corridor, which he said is long overdue.
---------------------------------------------------------------
LRT 2 to bring in P1.76-B revenue in 2003
Source: Manila Times, Tuesday, 06 April 2004
Author: Sheryll Casanova-Alhambra

The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is seeing an additional P1.76-billion revenue next year, with Monday's launch of operations of the Santolan-Cubao LRT Line 2.

In a press conference at the Araneta-Cubao station Monday, newly appointed LRTA administrator Pacifico M. Fajardo said LRT 2, which will start its commercial operation on April 12, is expected to serve around 345,000 passengers a day in 2005.

Until April 9, rides on the LRT Line 2 are free of charge. After this period, LRTA will start charging P12 to P15 distance-related fare for every ride in the MRT.

Fajardo said however, the LRTA expects a minimum ridership of 18,000 passengers daily on Line 2 on its first year.

"It is being subsidized by Line 1 until the ridership grows. By next year, we can restructure the debt servicing," Fajardo said.

The project, which was financed mainly by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), amounts to P31 billion. Of the amount, the government shelled out about P10 billion.

Fajardo said the LRTA intends to tap commercial advertisements, among others, to bring in additional revenue for the company to service debts.

He said LRTA expects a total of P500-million-a-year additional income from advertisements alone. The company gained P68 million in revenues last year from advertisements alone from the the Monumento-Baclaran MRT 1 Line.

While Line 1 and 2 will be offering a distance-related faring scheme, Fajardo said, however, that loose change would no longer be available so commuters have to pay the exact amount.

The LRTA said this was the decision reached by the LRTA board of directors chaired by Department of Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza. The scheme is aimed at avoiding long lines at ticketing booths.
---------------------------------------------------------------
these were posted on the LRTA site...

lotsa good news for Mega Manila's future railway systems! MRT-7 will most likely come next...

[renell]

btw, i'm only 5'5 myself, so im not supertall. i'd be an Ayala Tower One in Makati, while Francis would be GT, Ryan LKG and Weirdo probably ExportBank


good news for LRT2, long lines mean many people

[bagel]

If you are Ayala Tower One, I will be The Peak.

[ryanr]

This is actually a valid concern. New York City, and particularly the northern half of Manhattan and all of the Bronx were mostly farmland until the New York City subway system was built at around 1904, allowing New Yorkers to live north of downtown. And look at NYC today.

While Metro Manila today is certainly more built up than New York in 1890, we still have the concerns of expanding urban life. New York was able to do so because the infrastructure was able to keep up with expansion. In Metro Manila, there needs to be a concerted and well-coordinated effort to make sure city services keep up with the influx of population. In most developed cities with an efficient tax system, the rationale for investment in infrastructure in outlying areas soon to be connected to the mass transit network is the potential profit community profit from local merchant sales, rising property values and tax collection from new or growing businesses. But these factors are not dependable factors in the Philippine case because efficient taxation is not guaranteed.

I strongly agree with you:okay:

[renell]

If you are Ayala Tower One, I will be The Peak.


sobra ka naman mr. flood, hinde ka naman pangit eh:D

[ryanr]

How come i'm LKG?:D

Thanks for all the news, Absent. Nice to hear that MRT 2 is doing really well. Much better than MRT 3 which suffered from poor usage during its first few months of operation.

Great! MRT 7 should come real soon, then!:)

[renell]

lol so they're jumping from line 3 to 7?

[bagel]

4 is already planned out. so are 5 and 6. it's just a matter of securing funding. lucky for 7, there is an SM mall connection. i guess mr. sy got jealous of the potentials of malls that grew around mrt 3 and the ayala involvement.

[ryanr]

Yes, true. And after 7, i think 4 is next.

[renell]

so line 7 is the SM-funded, i thought line 8 was the sm funded one

[bagel]

oh hmm... this is when we start to miss the pre-hack phil forums. i'm sure we covered this there somewhere.

[renell]

well im sure one of the other guys here know. maybe ryan or lance

[ryanr]

MRT 7 is the SM funded one, yes. But one thing confuses me, Lance said that it will be linked to the Ayala North Triangle station mall just like the MRT 3.

[renell]

ok, what about line 8, i'veheard about one...

[Francis20]

sobra ka naman mr. flood, hinde ka naman pangit eh:D

hey, let's talk some more about this...:D
Boyflood is The Peak? haha...a Joaquin Phoenix would mean ur enterprise Tower 1. :D And hey Renell, im not everyone's fave, so dun u compare me with GT. Id settle for Philamlife for now. hahahaa...GreyX is LKG? Alright! that's too thin . Make is RCBC. Weirdo is Export Bank? Errrr....he's weirdo but he's not green. let's make it Equitable Tower. haha...btw, u came and will go soon, pero wala ka man lang pasalubong. la ka naman wenta Renell. heheeh...joke lang.

OK, im spamming.

any news about the North Mall something project? it would be thrilling to have malls at both ends of MRT 3, and malls along the stations in between.

[bagel]

Kung maging Enterprise Tower ako, hindi ako Tower 1. Tower 2--> Medyo pandak. Pero kung satotoosin, siguro Ortigas scraper ako. Siguro Orient Square-- because I am dark and brooding, like the dark blue and black of its facade.

[ryanr]

My neck must be deformed then, if im LKG:D hehehe...
renell was just using the heights of the buildings, nothing else.

[weirdo]

i didnt said that, you thought that.


MRT lines to the provinces are good, but that doesnt mean MM expansion. id prefer development of other metro areas in the country

i didnt say you said it. i said your post implies something else. go read.

[weirdo]

btw, i'm only 5'5 myself, so im not supertall. i'd be an Ayala Tower One in Makati, while Francis would be GT, Ryan LKG and Weirdo probably ExportBank


good news for LRT2, long lines mean many people


no. i would be rizal tower. h :)

[absent-minded]

STORED VALUE TICKETS FROM VENDING MACHINES
Ref.: Anna Ferrer / Mariecar Jara-Puyod

http://www.lrta.gov.ph/news_image02.jpg

Riding the mass rail has become easier as the Light Rail Transit Authority has stocked in their Purple Line ticket vending machines stored value tickets.

"This means ," LRTA administrator Pacifico M. Fajardo said, "that our riders will now spend less time at our terminals to buy their tickets and be in their destinations earlier than the usual."

The tickets, yellow in color and known as SVTs, are valued at P100 each, which the passenger can use up to the last P1.

As this developed, Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza announced that the LRTA board of directors and the DOTC fare policy committee had approved the adjustment of train fares for the Purple Line.

Mendoza said: "DOTC and LRTA had adjusted the fare rates, patterned after the distance-related fare scheme implemented by the Yellow Line (LRT 1) last Dec. 15."

Fajardo explained: "Based on the LRT 2 fare rationalization matrix, LRT 2 passengers who will travel between 4.5 km and 13.8 km of the entire stretch, shall pay between P12 and P15, depending on where of the 11 stations they board and alight."

"These are still reasonably-priced," he added, citing that the LRTA fare structure is cheap, compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors.

For the same distance, it was learned that Taiwan RTC charges P75.04; Taipei Hsin Tien, P58.46; Japan TRTA, P57.18; Singapore MRT, P35; Kuala Lumpur LRT, P29; and Singapore Bukit Panjang, P25.82.

The 11 stations of the Purple Line or LRT 2 are Santolan, Katipunan, Anonas, Araneta Center-Cubao, Betty Go-Belmonte, Gilmore, J. Ruiz, V. Mapa, Pureza, Legarda, and Recto. While the station Betty Go-Belmonte to Legarda will start servicing the public this April, Recto, the westernmost station, shall be operational late this year.

Purple Line operations and maintenance department officer-in-charge Engr. Ed San Juan said that commuters who will be buying stored value tickets get the benefit of enjoying the last ride bonus.

"Even if the value left at the SVT is P1, the passenger could still ride our train and arrive at his destination," San Juan said.

Meanwhile, loose change are no longer available at the passenger assistance offices of the Purple Line as the management encourages all passengers to use the SVTs, based on a decision reached by the LRTA board of directors chaired by the date of purchase, and those from which the SVTs could be obtained.

"We now have separate TVMs for the SJTs and SVTs. Hence, the public can avoid the long lines, especially if they go for the SVTs," he said.

"It is the goal of the Arroyo administration, through the Strong Republic Transport System, to provide swift, safe and comfortable means of transportation to the public as well as the fast delivery of goods and services through the interconnection and interfacing of at least seven mass rails within and outside of the metropolis," Mendoza said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SINGLE TICKETING SYSTEM TAKES EFFECT
Ref.: Anna Ferrer / Mariecar Jara-Puyod

http://www.lrta.gov.ph/news_image01.jpg

The Department of Transportation and Communications has announced the implementation of the Flash Pass ticketing system at the three mass railways in Metro Manila starting April 15, 2004.

DOTC Undersecretary for Rail Transport Jose L. Cortes, Jr. said the Flash Pass is an alternative means of providing passengers of LRT-1 (Yellow Line), LRT-2 (Purple Line) and MRT-3 (Blue Line) with a single ticket as the Unified Ticketing System-Smart card is under the bidding process.

"The Flash Pass is independent from the magnetic system that is currently used in LRT and MRT. It is more economical and convenient for passengers using the three mass transit system," Cortes said.

In use now at LRT and MRT are their respective single journey tickets (SJTs) and stored value tickets (SVTs).

The SJTs are good for one ride and valid on the day of purchase. The SVTs are priced between P100 and P200 from which users have the benefit of enjoying the last ride bonus.

Cortes said the Flash Pass card, at P250, can be bought from Friday to Sunday prior to, or during Monday of the applicable week at selected LRT and MRT stations. It is valid for one week upon date of purchase.

The project is under the Strong Republic Transit System (SRTS) of President Arroyo aimed at providing a reliable, seamless and integrated mass transit system at par with international standards.

Included in the SRTS is the integration of the existing and future mass rails using the Contactless Smarcard Technology to facilitate the transfer of passengers between existing lines making it more convenient to travel using the railway systems.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
some more good news from the LRTA!!! can't wait til the contactless Smart Cards similarly used in HK and other countries are finally introduced into Manila's rail and mass transit systems. the unified ticket is a good start though - even if it's still the magnetic, swipe kind.... the Smart Card is supposed to be like the e-pass of SLEX, right? where you don't have to swipe it through the reader anymore? that is so cool...

anyways, I guess this kicks off the integration of the different lines.

[absent-minded]

Info on Flash Pass of the SRTS (http://www.lrta.gov.ph/flashpass_project.htm)

pretty good deal! it says UNLIMITED rides for the week purchased!! very good deal for people who regularly take LRT/MRT to work or school....

btw... the page says it has to be checked by LRT personnel and can't be swiped through the magnetic readers. oh well... better than nothing. hopeflly, the smart card bidding will push through cleanly and quickly...

pretty nice system they created though... you get two cards pala! one permanent card with name/sig/pic and user number and then you buy a P250 coupon with your personal user number (the one on the card) and the week no. of the year for the week you want to use the pass... this is real nice!!

[mhe-ann]

Info on Flash Pass of the SRTS (http://www.lrta.gov.ph/flashpass_project.htm)

btw... the page says it has to be checked by LRT personnel and can't be swiped through the magnetic readers.


wahhh! Magnetic Readers...reminds me of my frustration in our thesis!!! :wallbash:

[ryanr]

Sweet!! Finally we get these types of tickets, just like Singapore where u just tap them on the reader. No need for swipping. Definitely will make commuting easier with common tickets for all lines. And no more single journey long lines!:okay:

[SunKing]

I miss Singapore!

[ryanr]

Why? You used to live there? Yeah Singapore is a pretty cool city. But i wouldnt wanna live there. I just love visiting.

[SunKing]

Why? You used to live there? Yeah Singapore is a pretty cool city. But i wouldnt wanna live there. I just love visiting.
I'm just a frequent visitor. You know, for a country which is about just the size of Clark AB, they're pretty damn doing well!

[ryanr]

"pretty damn well" is an understatment;) They are damn well!!:D

Same with me, i'm just a frequent visitor of Singapore. I love their infrastracture and their skyline is great. In fact, Changi is the airport i pass through the most.

[absent-minded]

Sweet!! Finally we get these types of tickets, just like Singapore where u just tap them on the reader. No need for swipping. Definitely will make commuting easier with common tickets for all lines. And no more single journey long lines!:okay:

yeah... hopefully we'll get the swipe-less cards soon.... but I guess the Flash Pass can do with manual personell checking for now and the regular tickets through magnetic readers. by the time they get the contactless cards, they'll hopefully make all tickets compatible on differrent lines... they should make reloadable tickets too. or just stick to the Flash Pass CARD that's issued individually to each person so they can just keep on reloading...

[renell]

those tap only cards are scary, they're too simple:D

[ryanr]

its cool. You can even have them in your wallet and just tap your wallet:D

btw, how do you get your picture in it? And so you keep that card forever, and just keep loading it with more money?

[renell]

yeah, does LRT2 ticketing system only needs a tap?

[ryanr]

Well according to the articles, all of lines (LRT 1, MRT 2 and 3) will use common tickets that require only a tap, just like Singapore MRT.

[renell]

sweet, that is awesome. oh and good thing the faces of the presidents are there anymore. phew

[absent-minded]

its cool. You can even have them in your wallet and just tap your wallet:D

btw, how do you get your picture in it? And so you keep that card forever, and just keep loading it with more money?

you have to apply for it at certain stops along the three lines. forgot which. it's on the site though. so they put your picture on it with your own number and name. every friday, sat or monday, you can then buy P250 coupons at the stations which will have your number (same as on the card) and you have unlimited rides on all lines for that week (if you buy monday) or the next week (if you buy fri/sat). so I guess you'd have to show both card and coupon...

sweet, that is awesome. oh and good thing the faces of the presidents are there anymore. phew

yeah... hahaha! the SJTs and SVTs still have them though. hope they make new cards for the purple line. I like the design of the yellow line's tickets. the line 2 ones look pretty ugly right now - but it's not all that important anyways... i just don't like it. who cares?? hehehe...

[absent-minded]

ok... I just wanna kill Erap and everyone else who was behind MRT 3 right now!!! HERE'S WHY!! (http://www.pbase.com/image/13504722)

that's how nice the Metrostar was planned to be. but thanks to corruption... ARGH!!!! fuck them stupid, corrupt, incompetent retards behind the gov't!

[thomasian]

What do you mean "Tap" :?
Is the technology like our ID in UST wherein you place the card on top of this sensor thingy in whatever way you wanted even inside your wallet then your (ugly?) picture appears on the screen?

[renell]

i reckon those plans were scrapped because of "financial constraints". haha.

@thomasian, something like that. i remember my cousin telling me that when he was touring me around UST. though he told me it often broke down:D

[absent-minded]

yeah... I guess... it looks so damn big. but they could've just asked for a bigger loan! hehehehe.... and we would have had enough money if we didn't have to involuntarily pay for ccorruption...!

[renell]

what i was saying was we wouldnt have those "financial constraints" if it weren't for corrupt government officials. sad

[ryanr]

That thing is massive. Nice looking, futuristic and stylish. But i dont think it would work out too well, coz its just to damn big.
but yeah, erap's corruption most likely did downscale the project.

[renell]

well those MRT3 stations are quite big too. the only difference is that the current stations suck, and i heard the concrete is showing cracks. and i heard that 4 years ago, what about now.

[ryanr]

Thats true. But i dont really care for MRT 3. I just like LRTA projects, they are much better and more assuring. MRT 3 trains suck, the stations stuck and the overall infrastrature sucks.

[renell]

i wonder why they had a different contractor and a different company to run the Blue Line... LRTA should take over all LRT/MRT lines

[ryanr]

I agree with you. LRTA have more experience, expertise, professionalism, "money" (not sure, but i'm assuming because their lines are better) and they are just down right better!

My guess is that they needed a new line (MRT 3) right away, and LRTA couldnt do it during that time so MRT developers (not sure who, but Ayala-Greenfield is involved) stepped in to do it.

@ absent, had the MRT 3 project been under Ramos, we could have seen those grand stations. Unfortunately, the project which was started (proposed) by Ramos was finished by the corrupt Erap.:(

[Francis20]

hahahaha...so was it considered Erap's flagship proj?
btw, the turnover of LRT1 to LRTA was a total mess under this Build-Operate-Transfer scheme. hope it wouldn't happen to the other lines.

[ryanr]

Thats why Erap put is face on the old tickets, to gain credit for it!!:mad:

[renell]

same goes for Skyway Project. that was so much hype. yet it is rarely used, expensive, and too short to make an impact in Philippine roads

[weirdo]

Thats true. But i dont really care for MRT 3. I just like LRTA projects, they are much better and more assuring. MRT 3 trains suck, the stations stuck and the overall infrastrature sucks.

i feel bad everytime i use the mrt from the south. the lines are unbearable. too long. the area is too crowded. the personnel are willing to organise things but the design does not permit them to make things go very well. sad.

[renell]

shame MRT3 is that bad. how about line 1? it's been running for decades now.. how's it going?

[absent-minded]

if you compare the yellow line to EDSA's blue line, I would say the Line 1 has fared a whole lot better than the Metrostar. The two are practically over decades apart and yet the Line 1 is almost at par with the MRT 3... I mean, for their age, the LRT 1 has been maintained by the LRTA way, way better than Line 3 has over its short 6 years. however, compared to maintainance of subways and MRTs of other countries, the LRTA could still go a lot further. not saying they don't do nothing, just that they could do better. luckily, they'll start with the great new Purple Line. still can't wait to get a ride next month!!!

[ryanr]

I agree with Absent. Despite being built more than a decade apart, MRT 3 and LRT 1 are quite similar. While MRT 3 and MRT 2 are very different, MRT 2 being so much better even though they are only a few years difference. LRTA does a much better job than MRT.

[SunKing]

New Urban Transit Systems
The Metro Manila LRT System— A Historical Perspective
Gary L. Satre

Introduction

Long before light rail transit (LRT) vehicles started gliding above Metro Manila road traffic, streetcars were trundling past sidewalks, accompanied by the clip-clop of horses. Just prior to the arrival of rail in the city, up to the early 1880s, three types of horse-drawn carriages served this distant outpost of the Spanish empire. The carruaje, the most expensive, was four-wheeled and drawn by two horses. The quiles had two wheels and was drawn by one horse so it was cheaper to ride. Its close cousin, the calesa, can still be seen plying the streets of Binondo, one of the oldest parts of the city. The often dilapidated and dirty carromata charged the lowest fare.

Arrival of the tranvia

In 1878, Leon Monssour, an official of the Department of Public Works, submitted a proposal to Madrid for a streetcar system. Apparently inspired by the systems in New York and Paris, Monssour envisioned a five-line network with a central station outside the walls of Intramuros, the fortress-like seat of Spanish power in the Philippines. From Plaza San Gabriel in Binondo, the lines were to run to Intramuros via the Puente de Espania (today's Jones Bridge), to Malate Church, Malacañang (where the Philippine President now lives and works), and Sampaloc and Tondo, large districts north of the Pasig River today. The proposal found favor with the government, but it had to wait for an entrepreneur's initiative.

That entrepreneur was Jocobo Zobel de Zangroniz. Together with Spanish engineer Luciano M. Bremon and Madrid banker Adolfo Bayo, in 1882, the three formed La Compañia de tranvias de Filipinas to operate the concession awarded by the government. The Malacañang Line was not built and was replaced by the Malabon Line. These five routes became popular with commuters. The Manila-Malabon Line was the first to be finished, opening for business on 20 October 1888. All five were constructed between 1885 and 1889. The first tranvias were horse-drawn omnibuses for 12 seated and 8 standing passengers. The system was 16.3-km long—slightly longer than today's only operating LRT line.

While four lines were horse-drawn, the Malabon ran on steam. Some 4 years later, the Manila Railroad Company, the country's first long-distance rail line north to Dagupan, 196 km away, started operation. So strictly speaking, the first steam railroad in the islands was a modest streetcar! Malabon's transfer points were Tondo, Maypajo, a working-class neighborhood in the suburb of Caloocan and Dulu, at the north end of that community.

The long communication line between Madrid and Manila, plus much delayed economic reforms, conspired to slow development of the Philippines, particularly Luzon, the archipelago's largest island. While other countries were in the throes of the Industrial Revolution and the wave of mercantilism, Spain lagged behind. As early as 1842, a study mission headed by Don Sinibaldo de Mas came to the Philippines to find the best way to carry out reforms—reforms later promoted by Filipinos like Dr Jose Rizal and his contemporaries, known collectively as the Propagandists.

The 1890s were turbulent years for the Spanish colony. The clamored-for reforms prompted Rizal to pen two novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, required reading in schools today. Though fiction, the stories were too close to the truth for the Spanish to tolerate. Eventually, Rizal was charged with sedition and executed in 1896—four years after the Manila-Dagupan railroad was completed. Less than 18 months later, Filipinos declared their independence from Spain. The revolution to assert that claim soon followed.

http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/21784/tran.jpg
Photo: Circa 1890s horse-drawn tranvia in Manila with San Sebastian Church in background (Meralco)

New Colonizers

Meanwhile, the Americans were also at war with Spain. After winning the conflict and claiming the Philippines under the Treaty of Paris, US forces soon arrived. Early in 1899, war (some called it an insurrection) between the Filipinos and the Americans broke out. The Spanish imprint was already etched indelibly on the Philippine landscape, and by the turn of the century, an air of uncertainty characterized everyday conversation as Filipinos wondered what life would be like under the new colonizers.

Transition for tranvia

By 1902, La Compañia had long since stopped expanding or improving its system. An average of only 10 streetcars plied the five lines daily. This was a far cry from the hourly service that provided 14 runs in each direction on the Malabon Line alone.

One year later, Manila city officials blamed slow economic growth and population congestion to ‘the antiquated horse-car system and the poorly constructed, unsatisfactory, and generally undesirable system of public vehicles,’ to quote from their official report. These leaders reasoned that with improved transport, the railroad was specifically named, ‘many of those now paying high rents for small and unhealthy quarters will take advantage of this quick transportation and secure comfortable dwellings in better localities.’

Birth of Electric Streetcar

The Philippine Commission on 20 October 1902 passed a law that set into motion franchises to be awarded to bidders for the construction and operation of electric power and transportation networks. Although publicized in newspapers in America and the Philippines as well as in a leading US railway journal, only one bid was submitted. On 24 March 1903, the Municipal Board of Manila passed Ordinance 44, accepting the bid of Charles M. Swift of Detroit. Three days later, a New Jersey company was established which eventually became the Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company—better known as Meralco. Today, Meralco is still in the electric power business in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. Later, the Philippine Commission allowed Meralco to take over the properties of La Compañia de tranvias. Meralco paid a small fee for its streetcars to La Compañia's lines.

Swift was now under a deadline. He had 6 months to start building his systems and 20 months to get the job done. Ordinance 44 specified 12 lines. Today's LRT Line 1 closely follows the Meralco route to Pasay south of Manila and the Santa Cruz route . LRT Line 2, now under construction, also adheres fairly well to the original lines Meralco laid down. With the exception of the Binondo and Intramuros areas, the network was double-tracked and powered by an overhead catenary of 500 V maximum. The track was standard gauge.

By 1913, Meralco had completed nine of the 12 lines, still called the tranvia by commuters. Swift under another franchise granted in 1906, was also operating a 9.8-km extension line from Paco to Fort McKinley and Pasig. The operator, the Manila Suburban Railway, later merged in 1919 to form the Manila Electric Company. The extension line was one of the most profitable in the Meralco system.

Meralco's lines crossed the Manila Railroad Company's lines (now the Philippine National Railways (PNR)) at three points. Sometimes, I go to Blumentritt Station on the LRT just to see a PNR commuter train crawl directly under the elevated track as I wait for an LRT train to approach its station of the same name, 5 or so meters above. LRT Line 2 will cross the PNR at Santa Mesa in another repeat of history. The Santa Ana tranvia crossed not far from today's PNR Paco Station, currently under renovation.

Dr Leonardo Q. Liongson, Engineering Professor at the University of the Philippines, and railroad enthusiast, made an astute observation in a paper he presented last January: ‘It is also interesting to note from the 1913 (route) map that the three principal tranvia lines (Santa Cruz, Santa Mesa and Santa Ana) led directly to outlying cockpits in suburban La Loma, San Juan and San Pedro de Macati respectively.’ Cockfighting was and still is a popular form of gambling. He concluded, ‘From the point of view of city-wide commuter service, commerce and cockfighting, the Manila electric tranvia was indeed a complete system serving the city by the end of the first decade of the 20th century.’

As the road network improved, Meralco introduced electric- and gasoline-powered bus services in the 1930s. The company also promoted the use of electric appliances such as radios and refrigerators. The tranvia continued running but stopped expanding.

http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/21784/tran2.jpg
Photo: Open-sided streetcar on Escolta, Manila's original business and financial district in 1910s (Squires, Bingham and Co., Manila)
http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/21784/tran3.jpg
Photo: Circa 1920s enclosed streetcar on Pasay-Rizal Line (Meralco)

War Takes Its Toll

During WWII, service deteriorated due to poor maintenance and the floods of 1943. The death blow came during the Battle of Manila in February 1945. The destruction to life and property was so horrendous that General Dwight D. Eisenhower observed that the city was the second-most destroyed, after Warsaw in Poland.

At the war's end came the independence promised by the Americans in 1935, and the task of rebuilding the city and nation. Necessity and resourcefulness teamed up to put the tranvia out of business. Meralco concentrated on restoring electricity to the city. Meanwhile Filipino ingenuity came to the fore. Using what was available, numerous army jeeps were pressed into service, becoming the jeepney transport system that continues to serve large sections of the metropolis. Many of today's jeepney routes in Manila follow the old tranvia lines. It is said that the jeepney is the most photographed object in Metro Manila. However, today, there are signs that King Jeepney is slowly being replaced by other forms of road transport, among them the Tamaraw FX, Toyota's entry into the Asian utility vehicle market. It is proving to be a more comfortable alternative to the mostly non-air-conditioned jeepneys. ‘Take the FX’ has become part of the commuter lingo of Metro Manila in recent years.

http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/21784/tran4.jpg
Photo: Workers preparing roof of Santolan Road Station on LRT Line 3
(EDSA MRT Project)

Literally Raising Public Transport to a Higher Level

Construction of the first LRT line got underway in October 1981, just 4 months after I arrived in Quezon City to study at the University of the Philippines. Public transport was nearing its saturation point but was still barely able to meet demand. Hanging on to the back end of a moving jeepney—a common practice today—was not necessary in the early 1980s. This indicates how bad the traffic situation has become.

It is said that the former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos, who happened to be Governor of Metro Manila, wanted her ‘City of Man’ to be on a par with other world capitals. She noted that the National Capital Region lacked an operating rail-based transport network. The end result was the elevated ‘no frills’ basic transport line now known as the LRT, or Metrorail.

The government-owned Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines (now the Philippine National Construction Corp.) was the sole contractor for the project. One reason for choosing the north-south Monumento-Baclaran route was because it is fairly straight for most of its length. Nonetheless, there were obstacles to overcome including a 5-year-old high rise department store and a classroom building at nearby Feati University. Both were torn down to make way for Carriedo Station and the tracks going to the Pasig River bridge, the very last section to be built. The north and south sections were not connected for about 5 months until they were linked on 12 May 1985. After an absence of almost 40 years, the tranvia was back.

Meralco was also back in the transport business, albeit just for 10 years because the Meralco subsidiary that operated Metrorail is now completely controlled by the Light Rail Transit Authority.

http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/21784/tran5.jpg
Photo: Looking south from Shaw Boulevard overpass on LRT Line 3 with part of EDSA straddled by station support columns (EDSA MRT Project)

Too Much of a Good Thing

By 1990, the LRT was showing premature aging due mostly to poor maintenance and overloading. Rush hour tested the Filipinos' legendary patience and resilience. Conditions called for drastic measures. Overcrowding, both on the platforms and trains put a heavy strain on rolling stock, stations and track. For example, at one time, trains actually crept into Central Station to reduce vibration when cracks were discovered in beams and floors. Quick repairs soon brought operations back to normal.

At present, massive rehabilitation is underway. Stations will be expanded, and track work improved. In 1981, an air-conditioned taxi or bus was extremely hard to find. Now, the opposite is true. Forced-air ventilation is not enough to ensure comfort on trains in a tropical climate, but the ‘no frills’ LRT had no air conditioning. Fortunately, second-generation trains with air conditioning will be put into service, making the LRT synonymous with comfort.

Back to the Future

Largely due to the LRT's success, coupled with improved economic conditions, the government is coming back to following Meralco's lead earlier in this century. Over the last 10 years, the number of automobiles on Metro Manila's streets has grown by an average of 10.82% annually. Metro Manila has 39.26% of all vehicles nationwide. Thus, the new LRT lines are greatly anticipated. A journey that takes 7 minutes per kilometer by road during commuting hours, should be halved by the new LRT.

Epifanio De los Santos Avenue (EDSA) is without a doubt the Philippines' most expensive thoroughfare. It started as a 12-lane diversion highway around Manila in the 1960s but has been absorbed by the eastward growth. In 1961, the population of Greater Manila was about 2.5 million. Today, the estimates range from 9 to 12 million, about 20% of the total population. The last 12 years have seen the addition of four overpasses, one underpass and the Ortigas Avenue intersection. These connections are now challenges for the builders of LRT Line 3 which follows the old EDSA road.

Started in October 1996 as the first project in 11 years, LRT Line 3 is applying the lessons learned from LRT Line 1. Better public relations are being used this time around, keeping grumbling to a minimum, unlike during the Line 1 construction, when lack of communication added to the chaotic conditions along the already narrow Rizal and Taft Avenues.

Unlike LRT Line 1, which is entirely elevated, LRT Line 3 takes advantage of the EDSA's undulating ground surface. Consequently, there will be elevated, surface and underground sections, helping get the tracks past obstacles. The first phase of the line runs 17.8 km and will have 12 stations. Eventually, all 23 km of EDSA will get train service.

The estimated cost for Phase I is US$655 million. The American firm, Kaiser Engineering International, is the engineering and construction manager. Sumitomo and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan are the turnkey contractors. Ckd Tatra Ltd/Tradeinvest of the Czech Federal Republic is supplying the rolling stock. Operations are expected to begin in mid 1999.

LRT Line 2 is scheduled for completion in late 2001. Construction started from Katipunan Station in November 1997, the line's only underground stop. It has been much delayed by equipment sourcing and alignment problems. LRT Line 2 has 11 stations over a distance of 13.8 km. It will be almost totally elevated and higher than LRT Line 1 where they cross. It runs east to west following Marcos Highway, Aurora Blvd., Ramon Magsaysay Blvd., Legarda St., and Claro M. Recto St. Work on two other stations in and west of the Cubao, Quezon City shopping district is also underway.

LRT Line 4, another east-west route from Manila to Quezon City, is just over the planning horizon. It will follow España, Quezon Ave., and Commonwealth for 22 km and is planned to have 20 stations.

Metro Manila has had a long experience with rail-based transit, even if it hasn't been continuous or always happy. I have four personal criteria to measure good public transport—it must be safe, comfortable, clean, and reliable. It seems that the public transport arteries in Metro Manila are finally moving towards meeting my four criteria.

http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/21784/tran6.jpg

[renell]

in Corregidor, they have tour buses which try to look like tramvia. at first i thought it was pathetic, but now actually i find those buses better than if they restored the tramvia.

[SunKing]

LRT 2 line extension expected to boost visits to Araneta Center

Philippine Daily Inquirer
27 April 2004

THE ARANETA Center, the country's first retail and entertainment complex, will get a big boost in customer visits following the Light Rail Transport Authority's line expansion of LRT 2 up to Legarda or just one more stations hort to complete the line all the way to Dortoeo Jose adjacent to the terminus of LRT 1.

The Araneta Center is the country's first owner-managed, mixed-use shopping and entertainment destination in Metro Manila with visitors averaging over a million daily. It is a 35-hectare expanse where metro Manila's major mass railway transport systems (i.e. MRT 3 and LRT 2) converge.

Leading retail stores

Within its boundaries, one can find the country's leading retail stores like Ali Mall, Farmers Plaza, Value Station, SM, Rustan's, National Bookstore, Isetann, Plaza Fair, Pure Gold, Shopwise, and soon, the Gateway Mall. Here, one can buy the freshest produce from the country's cleanest wet market, the Farmers Market.

The Araneta Center also serves as a transport hub to public conveyanves going to al directions of the metropolis and its immediate environs. It also hosts a provincial bus terminal whose operatiosn reach Visayas and Mindanao.

Singularly, the Araneta Center has one of the world's biggest and most famous dome structures, Araneta Coliseum. Recently, it started to metamorphose into a most modern, yet, lush garden environment with several on-going developments to once again become Metro Manila's premier lifestyle center.

Ulltimate lifestyle center

Providing unparalleled access to LRT 2 is the Gateway Mall, which is scheduled to open in June this year. This is a Ps2.5-billion, 100,000-square-meter retail property development that is the first major leg of the Araneta Center Redevelopment Plan.

The Gateway Mall is the only mall in the world taht connects to a world-famous sports and entertainment arena, the Araneta Coliseum. It provides a nexus to Metro Manila's two mass transport systems, MRT 3 and LRT 2, effectively linking Edsa to Aurora Boulevard. It features a 450-sq-m, four-level, lush, tropical-themed, open-air interior garden called the "Oasis."

The Gateway Mall also has a Cineplex with 10 state-of-the-art movie theaters with centralized ticketing facilities, centrally controlled projection rooms and skylights. There are 16 entry points, plus, three loading and unloading bays, specifically designated for PUJs, FX shuttle transports, and private vehicles, effectively segregating each type for better traffic clow. The Gateway Mall is projected to capture the imagination of the public in its search for the ultimate lifestyle center.

LRT 2 Project

When completed, the LRT 2 project stretches to a total of 13.8 km. It will answer the need for a safe, comfortable and quick way to traverse Metro Manila. The tracks extend from Santolan, Pasig int he east to Doroteo Jose, Manila in the West.

The LRT 2 will transport people from Pasig, Marikina, San Juan, Quezon City, Manila and other outlying cities and towns. Later, the line can further be extended as far as the North Harbor in the west and Cogeo, Antipolo in the east.

The project consists of 11 stations interconnected by mostly elevated mass trasnti lines expcept the Katipunan station, which is underground. The depot lies in the east with the line crossing the Marikina River along Marcos Highway. Then, it travels along Aurora Boulevard, Magsaysay Boulevard and Legarda to end at the Recto Avenue station adjacent to the Doroteo Jose station of LRT 1.

18 four-car trains

The LRT 2 line will be served by 18 four-car trains from the Asia-Europe MRT Consortium led by the Marubeni Corp. All tarins are air-conditioned. Each train with four motorized cars has a total length of 92.6 meters. one train has a seating capacity of 232 passengers seated longitudinally on fiberglass benches or 1,628 passengers per train.

The trains can travel at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour and travel time between end terminals Santolan and Recto will be about 25 minutes only. Each train has 20 doors per side to facilitate fast and convenient boarding and alighting. The passenger seats are positiond along the sidewalls, and there are dedicated seats for the eldely and the disabled.

With this development, residents from the west of Edsa who had difficulty traveling across the metropolis will now find it a lot easier to visit Araneta Center to witness and experience the significant new developments taking place and for them to say, "At Araneta Center, the future has just begun."

[renell]

while some stations are made to be located in built-up areas, it seems like some stations are creating built-up areas around it;)

[bagel]

in Corregidor, they have tour buses which try to look like tramvia. at first i thought it was pathetic, but now actually i find those buses better than if they restored the tramvia.

Those buses aren't trying to look like tranvia. They're actually original tranvia retrofitted to be buses. It would be cool if they actually had some of those running around the Manila Bay area as part of a tourist attraction, perhaps shuttling people from museum to museum.

[renell]

hmm.. right. my mistake.

[weirdo]

magandang idea yang tranvia sa may bandang manila bay na magtotour ng mga tao from museum to museum. kumpara naman sa cheap looking shuttles na nakapark sa may baywalk. yuck. sana ung museums well maintained saka sana mas bigyan ng exposure. kasi minsan may mga astig ng nakaexhibit e wala namang kaideidea ung mga tao. sayang lang.

sana umunlad nga ang araneta center dahil jan sa mrt3 at lrt2 na yan. kaya lang dapat siguraduhin nila na maganda at ligtas na jan sa may bandang cubao. andaming snatcher saka nanghohold up. mas mapanganib pa ata jan kumpara sa maynila.

[ryanr]

@ Sunking, thanks for that little history lesson:D hehehe. I found it very interesting.

It is good that the MRT 2 has opened just in time for Araneta Center's redevelopment plan. It is sure to provide a boost to Araneta and make it a shoppers paradise once again. Their redevelopment plan is quite exciting and because of MRT 2, we should see it happening really soon starting off with Gateway. :okay:

[renell]

it's gonna be hard to establish those tramvia. i'd even say there's little chance of re-establishing it. maybe tramvia-look-a-likes, but not the real thing restored.

[ryanr]

I dunno, i was just thinking but it would be pretty cool if they had a tram or trolly along baywalk (like in SF and Melbourne)...wala lang:dunno:

[SunKing]

Well don't we have some sort of tram-like contraption plying the Baywalk itself?

[ryanr]

I dont think so...is there? I dont recall seeing any.

[SunKing]

I remember seeing it over Christmas, it was jampacked with people, as was the entire length of the Baywalk, but it wasn't on rails. It was like the Corregidor "tram." I guess that's the closest we'll be able to get to a tram along the Baywalk.

[renell]

small "tramvia" looking buses like those ones in Corregidor are much more feasible. or maybe like a hop-on hop-off bus.

[bagel]

That's what I meant. I didn't mean for actual Meralco Tranvia style tracks to be laid in Manila. I meant that restored tranvia coaches with bus wheels underneath should ply Roxas between museums.

[JudeD]

I've seen those as well. I think their route is CCP - Plaza Rajah Sulayman/Remedios Church - Intramuros. They're a lot like the shuttles that you can ride around Camp John Hay. In fact I think they're the same model, medyo iba lang yung detailing.

[lumpia]

found this on a japanese site on the development of the LRT/Mrt lines.. u can see clearly where the lines would meet:

http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/manirarosen1.gif

[SunKing]

It'd be cool to see that LRT-1 extension to the South Metro, I can't help but think though that Alabang-Zapote road might end up looking like Taft Avenue.

[SunKing]

Some miscellaneous pictures of the MRT/LRT cars:

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/manila/images/manila6.jpg
The first of the Praha-built LRVs is despatched to the Philippines via a Russian heavy-lift aircraft. (From the Czech Republic?)

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/manila/images/manila5.jpg
The new LRV fleet is being built by CKD Tatra of the Czech Republic, with civil engineering contracted to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/manila/images/manila3.jpg
The tram's two + one seating configuration and low-floor section are apparent in this view.

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/manila/images/manila11.jpg

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/manila/images/manila4.jpg
The light rail vehicles under construction at the Hyundai plant.

(railway-technology.com)

[renell]

That's what I meant. I didn't mean for actual Meralco Tranvia style tracks to be laid in Manila. I meant that restored tranvia coaches with bus wheels underneath should ply Roxas between museums.

i was commenting to Sunking's comments. a double-decker, hop-on, hop-off bus looking like a tramvia would be cool:D

[federal]

anyone familiar on the plans of a subway in Makati or BGC? ano yung mga stops... thanks :)

[ryanr]

They dont use this seating arrangment, do they?
http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/manila/images/manila3.jpg

I mostly see the seating arrangment that is against the wall and facing each other.

@ Federal, even though a subway is proposed. I dont think there are any detailed plans yet. So we do not know the stops yet.

[renell]

don't think any of the MRT's use that arrangement.

[ryanr]

I know...

[Jerico_08]

I have'nt heard about subway plans in Makati or FBGC... I think it's in San Juan area am I right. But I guess the'yre only in the planning stage, so expect the construction of this new transit system to take so much time... Maybe 3-5 years???

[ryanr]

Well here is a map that absent-minded made...the greenline is subway

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid107/paa9873b22dcae09782e7390d7d06678c/f95f4cc7.jpg

[bagel]

LOL I know this is frivolous but I recently found this image that I made almost a year ago in the pre-hack Philippine forums.

I was responding to the suggestion that perhaps it would be cool to have our MRT and LRT coaches reflect a Philippine design aesthetic the way jeepneys do. I think it would be cool to have our LRT and MRT be expressions of Philippine art... but I think my image looks ridiculous.
http://www.geocities.com/mikerasalan/mrtjeepney.txt

[absent-minded]

I saw an ad from the gov't related to Arroyo's campaign featuring the future plans of the SRTS. it had a map and descriptions of proposed lines included in the system. only MRT-1/2/3/6/7/8 and North/Southrails were included. I guess line 4 is pretty much shelved and there was never really a line 5 anyways (unless it's the Northrail like that Japanese map says). I'm pretty optimistic though that the Makati gov't could propose the monorail/subway. just doubt that they are capable of pushing through with it alone....

I'll try to scan it later... :)

[Francis20]

Some good news!

WB, OPIC to guarantee MRT 7

World Bank's subsidiary Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the Overseas Private Investment Corp. (OPIC) agreed to guarantee the $1.3-billion mass railway transit (MRT) project of the Universal LRT Corp.

MRT 7 will link Marilao, Bulacan to EDSA-Quezon Avenue through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme.

Universal LRT Corp. is composed of local and foreign investors including El International Holdings, EEI Corp., TCGI Engineers, US-based Tyco International Group and French firm Alstom.

The consortium has recently acquired the necessary approvals from the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and from the technical committee of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). It is now awaiting approval from NEDA's Investment Coordination Committee.

[pau_p1]

http://www.railjournal.com/2001-06/images/Manila.jpg

http://www.railjournal.com/2001-06/manila.html

this was dated June 2001
-----------------------------------

Manila's Ambitious Plans To Expand Rail Network
Manila, the Philippine capital, plans a major expansion of its rail network to cope with a population explosion and rapidly worsening road congestion and pollution. More LRT lines, a metro, and improvements to the heavy rail network are planned.
David Briginshaw
Editor-in-Chief

MANILA

Manila plans to build more LRT lines, plus a metro.
MANILA currently has two light rail lines in operation and a third under construction. In addition, Philippine National Railroad (PNR) operates a limited commuter rail service to the south. The rail network is woefully inadequate for a city with a rapidly increasing population and traffic congestion.

The population of greater Manila is expected to increase from 14.4 million in 1996 to 25.7 million by 2015. In addition, 2.5 million people commute into Manila each day. Car ownership is expected to soar from 730 million and 18.5% of households in 1996 to 2.34 billion and 28.2% of households by 2015, which will increase the ratio of vehicles to road space from 0.7% to 2.3%. "This will result in a massive heart attack for Manila," said Mr Carlos Borromeo, under secretary, railways and mass transit projects, with the Philippine Department of Transportation & Communications.

Expanding bus services is not an option even if more road space could be devoted to them, as buses generate about 70% of air pollution in Manila. As Borromeo explained, "Our planners have taken the approach of trying to move people rather than vehicles to solve Manila's transport problems."

Unfortunately, Manila has only had moderate success in expanding its rail network so far. Its first LRT line, which runs north-south, forms the backbone of the city's transport network. Line 1 was designed to carry 225,000 passengers a day, but has been carrying far more passengers than this for several years. It currently transports about 425,000 passengers/day. The line is now being upgraded, which should eventually boost capacity to 800,000 passengers/day.

The first part of the city's second line, called Line 3, finally opened in December 1999 after delays caused by funding and legal problems. Line 3 is transporting about 235,000 passengers a day, which is well below its original forecast of 400,000. The line runs from Taft Avenue in Pasay City on Line 1 in a semi-circle to Quezon City. However, the final section from there to Monumento, which would complete the semi-circle and provide a second connection with Line 1, has yet to be built. "Without this link, ridership is only likely to increase to between 270,000 and 300,000 a day," Borromeo explained. The ridership projection for Line 3 when it is completed is 650,000 passengers/day. Traffic on Line 3 is also below expectations because passengers face a long climb up stairs to reach the elevated stations. To make matters worse, the stations are poorly sited in relation to bus stops, and there is no through ticketing with Line 1. Borromeo says rail and bus will be coordinated better when lines are built in the future.

Construction of a 5km extension to complete the Line 3 semi-circle has been approved subject to funding. The cost of the project is estimated at $US 250 million including rolling stock. The government is considering whether to fund the project itself using the existing operator or take advantage of a new offer to build it. However, Borromeo recognises it would be difficult to have two operators on one line. In addition, the builders of the first stage of Line 3 have proposed a 5km extension from Taft Avenue to Manila Airport as a build, lease, transfer project.

LRT Line 2, running from Central towards the east of Manila, is under construction. The project has been delayed by nearly three years and is now expected to open in December 2003. It should carry about 350,000 passengers/day.

Line 1 is to be extended 10km north and 12km south initially. SNC-Lavalin, Canada, is negotiating a public-private partnership for the southern extension (see article below). "This will serve as a model for all future projects," Borromeo affirmed.

Negotiations have also started for the construction of Line 4. This will run from Quezon Avenue on Line 3 via San Mateo to North Caloocan. It will help to relieve heavy road congestion in this corridor and help to boost ridership on Line 3.

The first underground metro line in Manila is at the planning stage. The 9.5km line would form a loop connecting at each end with Line 3. "It will link several business districts, a development area, a shopping centre, and a 110ha government-owned area which will be the government's contribution to the privately-funded project," Borromeo explained. It is hoped to start work on the project in mid-2002 and to open the first section by the end of 2004.

Various attempts have been made to upgrade PNR and to get the North Rail project off the ground. Some track upgrading has been done, and services have been expanded a little. But, as Borromeo explained, "PNR only carries 17,000 passengers on a good day. PNR is overstaffed, so its payroll has to be subsidised. It is saddled with debts it cannot service. PNR has been overtaken by too many events and has failed to keep up with the times. The most radical path would be to dissolve PNR, but PNR is autonomous so it is difficult for the Department of Transportation to wield influence."

Under the new 2001-04 transport plan for Manila, the central section of PNR is to be replaced by a light rail line which would carry up to 225,000 passengers/day. The project has been approved by the Metropolitan Manila Development Agency (MMDA) and funding will come from Korea.

Advanced feasibility studies have been done to upgrade the PNR line from Magallanes south to Calamba. "It looks viable because of a high ridership potential as it would serve about four million people," Borromeo said. "It would be a joint venture with a private proponent."

The North Rail project was originally conceived to provide a rail link to a new airport to be built on the site of the former Clark US Air Force base about 100km north of Manila. The North Rail organisation is now to be dissolved, and PNR is preparing to take over the project. It is now proposed to rebuild the line as far as Calumpit.

There are ambitious plans beyond 2004 to expand the light rail network still further and to build a substantial metro network. It is proposed to do the work in two stages, first up to 2010 and then into the second decade of the 21_st_ century. The projects planned for the period 2004-10 include further extensions to Line 1, an eastern extension to Line 2, an extension to Line 4 from Quezon Avenue to Central, phases 2 and 3 of the metro, and North Rail phase 2. Phase 4 of the metro and a further eastern extension to Line 2 are proposed beyond 2010. IRJ

These articles are based on papers presented at the Asia Pacific Rail conference staged earlier this year by Total Focus Conferences in Singapore. IRJ is the official publication for Asia Pacific Rail.

Line 1 South Extension To Be Built As A PPP
NEGOTIATIONS are underway between Manila's Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), which owns and operates the existing LRT Line 1, and SNC-Lavalin, Canada, for a public-private partnership (PPP) to extend Line 1 south from Baclaran to Niyog. Finance for certain advanced works for the $US 597 million (at 1999 prices) project are already in place, and full financial closure is sched-uled for October. Design work and land acquisition are already underway. SNC-Lavalin hopes to partially open the 12km extension in March 2004 and to complete the project by the end of that year.

The financing structure for the extension has been conceived by SNC-Lavalin. Mr Bob Adachi, SNC-Lavalin's senior vice-president, explained the background: "In 1998, LRTA collected gross revenues of Pesos 1175 million ($US 23.6 million). Total operating costs, on the other hand, only reached Pesos 825 million. The fare-box ratio of 1.32 in 1999 was much higher than the targeted 1.14 ratio. This fare-box ratio is one of the best of any established rail system worldwide.

"SNC-Lavalin, in its studies, quickly concluded that the effective use of this revenue was the key to a private sector initiative to extend the system with partial recourse to the Philippine government's balance sheet. SNC-Lavalin will provide a fixed price for the project, with no counterpart funding from the Philippine government. We didn't ask for a ridership guarantee."

The extension and the electrical and mechanical (E&M) equipment will be entirely compatible with the existing line to allow through running. The magnetic ticket automatic fare collection will be integrated with the planned AFC system for lines 1 and 2. "We need to negotiate integration with Line 3," Adachi said. Three of the eight stations on the extension will provide an interchange with bus and jeepney services, and will have pick-up and drop-off points.

SNC-Lavalin has set up Manila Bay Areas Rapid Transit Corporation (MBart) as a special purpose company to be used by SNC-Lavalin and other investors to fund and implement the project, own the E&M equipment, and participate in the operation and maintenance of the line. SNC-Lavalin and LRTA will integrate the operations and maintenance of the existing line and the extension.

Under the 30-year joint venture agreement, SNC-Lavalin will design and build the civil works and E&M systems under fixed-price time-certain contracts awarded by MBart. MBart will fund the design and construction of the civil works and transfer them to the LRTA on completion. The government has guaranteed the performance of LRTA's civil works payment obligations. MBart will pay its E&M loan, recover its equity investment, and earn a return through a revenue sharing agreement with LRTA. MBart will be allowed a larger proportion of the revenue during the early years to help it repay its E&M loan. Revenue from such things as advertising, shops, and property development will be shared between MBart and LRTA. The E&M systems will be handed over to LRTA for $US 1 after 30 years.

Ridership on the extended Line 1 is forecast to be 847,147 passengers/day in 2005, 987,919 in 2010, and 1,112,024 by 2015. The extension project is expected to produce an economic internal rate of return of 32%. As Adachi commented: "Most of the risk for project completion is with the private sector."

[absent-minded]

found a pic of the Megatren running somewhere over Santolan...

http://www.geocities.com/alcogoodwin/LRT2_Santolan_May2003.jpg

[ryanr]

@ pau...yup that article and map is really old. Its been posted many times before, hehe. Especially before we got hacked.

MRT 4 will be shelved? I thought it was one of the lines that has a high possibility of getting built? Man, it should not be shelved because it is supposed to go through a very important route.

[pau_p1]

yeah... MRT4 shouldn't be... I am from Caloocan North and will have to pass through Commonwealth Ave or Novaliches to get anywhere else... this would be very helpful for many residents of that area.... I'm hoping for this line to cut short my travel time...

anyways... last year I hear a news that the Manila Council are debating that they wouldn't allow any above ground MRT to be constructed along Espana (where MRT4 is designed to cross) because it might kill business like what happened to Avenida...

[ryanr]

Atienza wanted it underground while other officials wanted it elevated as it will be cheaper. The problem is that Espana gets flooded a lot, so building a subway will be difficult. Whatever they decide, i hope they will do.

imo, MRT 4 is very important. As there are many commuters traveling from QC into downtown Manila through Espana and Quezon Avenue. I think that the government will think twice before cancelling this project. I am sure it is still in the proposals. Hope LRTA will focus their attention to this once MRT 2 is 100% complete.

[JudeD]

Here's a pic of where LRT 2 crosses over LRT 1, taken at the corner of Avenida and Recto.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid115/pe5f018fafeb0cb51811ed72aefb1cea6/f8c69f83.jpg

Good planning here, because one goes above the other, the line can easily be extended all the way beyond Tutuban. Unlike the MRT 3 Taft Station that runs into LRT1 Edsa Station. They'd have to reconstruct the station and approach all over again if they want to extend it to Roxas and Diosdado Macapagal. Dapat kasi talaga elevated eh. Diba nga F. B. Harrison was really supposed to be the last station and not Taft?

[federal]

JudeD : well yeah... oo nga.. kaya lang, on another point of view I think it's still bad planning. why? kasi clearly an interchange station between lines 1 and 2 could have been built. perfect transit point. hay. all projects are isolated from one another....

[rico]

JudeD : well yeah... oo nga.. kaya lang, on another point of view I think it's still bad planning. why? kasi clearly an interchange station between lines 1 and 2 could have been built. perfect transit point. hay. all projects are isolated from one another....
well in the future, they can build a massive station that would cover both lines making moving from one line to the other easy. it has been done elsewhere. just like shinjuku in tokyo. at least 6 railway lines meet in shinjuku and they have one big shinjuku station.

[ryanr]

i agree with you, JudeD. The MRT developers weren't thinking correctly. In fact i dont like them, LRTA is much, much better. First they scaled down the MRT 3 project, it should have been much more grand and state-of-the-art. Second, they use crap trains. LRTA uses awesome trains in the MRT 2. Third, the stations are ugly and not as modern and sophisticated as it should have been. Lastly, it was finished on 1999, but only achieved a level of the LRT 1 which was built during the mid 80s.

Great planning by LRTA, we can really see that they are willing to expand. It would be great if MRT 2 goes all the way to Tutuban.

[ronnaveth]

on flaw of mrt corp is that they build the tracts before buying the trains

[ronnaveth]

JudeD : well yeah... oo nga.. kaya lang, on another point of view I think it's still bad planning. why? kasi clearly an interchange station between lines 1 and 2 could have been built. perfect transit point. hay. all projects are isolated from one another....
well, they can do the same way they did with metropoint at taft-edsa

there's this old cinema at the intersection. they can convert it into METROPOINT rizal-recto.

even at edsa, there's also this old cinema building. they can tranform it into METROPOINT aurora-edsa.

ok no?

[ronnaveth]

Atienza wanted it underground while other officials wanted it elevated as it will be cheaper. The problem is that Espana gets flooded a lot, so building a subway will be difficult. Whatever they decide, i hope they will do.

imo, MRT 4 is very important. As there are many commuters traveling from QC into downtown Manila through Espana and Quezon Avenue. I think that the government will think twice before cancelling this project. I am sure it is still in the proposals. Hope LRTA will focus their attention to this once MRT 2 is 100% complete.
well, i hope they could just over rule the manila local gov't. it's a national concern

[pau_p1]

yeahh.. I think it would be best if only one manages all our MRTs... anyways... isn't it that MRT3 will be handed over to LRTA after how many years of operation...(5 yrs i think)....

and they should have made intersecting stations closer to each other for convenience... :D

[renell]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid115/pe5f018fafeb0cb51811ed72aefb1cea6/f8c69f83.jpg

are the two lines here connected by any mall? like line 3 and 2 in Cubao...

[absent-minded]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid115/pe5f018fafeb0cb51811ed72aefb1cea6/f8c69f83.jpg

are the two lines here connected by any mall? like line 3 and 2 in Cubao...

no, I'm pretty sure there isn't a mall to connect lines 1 and 2 at this intersection. however, ronnaveth's idea to connect the two with the cinema (the grey building behind the LRT-2 tracks from that picture, I THINK) could possibly work. from that point of view, the Recto Station of the Megatren is a few meters away in the direction of that white van and the Doroteo Jose Station of the Yellow Line is a few meters away in the direction the two women (bottom left) are facing. if they demolished the cinema and built the Recto terminal (with the bus/jeep/car park and transfer facility) there, they could've just built a walkway to connect to the Doroteo Jose Station.

but I guess that's not how it was planned...

what they're doing right now is building the Recto Terminal (in the location I pointed out a while ago) with what seems like two bus/jeep/car park/transfer buildings (one on each side of the main station/platform). so that's somewhere past the cinema, not at the corner. they could still build the walkway that would connect the two stations from there, but that would seem to be more complicated and I'm not sure how that'd work. in any case, people could just get off and turn a corner to switch stations. they're not all too far apart anyways...

[ronnaveth]

why don't ayala land take advantage of the idea and buy out the old cinema at lrt1-lrt2 intersection and at lrt2-mrt3 intersection and turn them into METROPOINT chains of mall since they're the one who build the metropoint (edsa-taft).

it would be a great idea. since filipinos love malls (air con)

[absent-minded]

the LRT-2 and MRT-3 intersections are already planned to be connected by the Gateway Mall of Araneta though...

[renell]

Lines 1 and 3 are already connected in Taft by a walkway, or a mall, according to greyx. and Lines 2 and 3 are to be connected in Cubao, like absentminded said.

[apiong]

Lines 1 and 3 are already connected in Taft by a walkway, or a mall, according to greyx.

yup, with this one... Metropoint Mall
http://www.ayalamalls.com.ph/othermalls/images/metropoint.gif

Metro Point is a five-level shopping center with more than 8,000 square meters of leasable space located at the corner of EDSA and Taft Avenue, Pasay City. It currently is the only shopping center linked to two of the busiest transport hubs in Metro Manila: the LRT1 and MRT 3 stations. The second floor of the mall is connected to the MRT Taft station while the mall's third level is connected to the LRT EDSA station. (from http://www.ayalamalls.com.ph/othermalls/index.asp )

[ryanr]

Yup..Its Metropoint. To transfer between the two lines, you can either go in through the mall or through the walkway outside the mall as seen in the picture.

ronnaveth, Recto station of MRT 2 is going to be the last station they open, so maybe they will build some kind of connection to LRT 1. And like absent said, Araneta's Gateway Mall and Farmer's Plaza will connect MRT 2 with MRT 3.

[renell]

hm... cool walkway. i never thought of that. i reckon that's possible for Lines 1 and 2 connection

[federal]

hehe. regarding the blue line and yellow line connection at metropoint mall at pasay taft, super tarik ng stairs.....

[absent-minded]

hmm... so they could make a little walkway curving around that corner of the MRT-2/LRT-1 intersection as well... just like the way they did it on MRT-3/LRT-1... but it seems awfully crowded in that part of Manila already.... we'll see....

[ronnaveth]

the LRT-2 and MRT-3 intersections are already planned to be connected by the Gateway Mall of Araneta though...
yes, i know but it would be nice to also have an external wallkway independent of the mall cause malls open bout 10 am while rail operation starts at 5:30 in the morning

[ronnaveth]

hmm... so they could make a little walkway curving around that corner of the MRT-2/LRT-1 intersection as well... just like the way they did it on MRT-3/LRT-1... but it seems awfully crowded in that part of Manila already.... we'll see....
precisely...i don't think it's crowded at all remember they have already stop the flow of traffic at the other side of the supposedly walkway(the avenida pedestration project)...so, there won't be much traffic affected.

plus, i would be cool if they replace one of those derelict buildings

i would also be cool for ayala land to have a metropoint chain of malls

[ronnaveth]

hehe. regarding the blue line and yellow line connection at metropoint mall at pasay taft, super tarik ng stairs.....
the point of the walkway is that people transferring from each line to the other won't need to walk past dark and dangerous street underneath

[thomasian]

I don't think building another Metropoint mall is a good idea because it's very ugly inside, I was even shocked to know that Ayala is part owner of the mall.

BTW, LRT2 is really nice. The trains are wide, quiet, long (and the seats are purple - hehehe). And I also like how you can walk from end to end of the trains unlike in MRT and LRT1 wherein trains have separate cars.

The only thing I don't like is that most of their stations doesn't have washrooms and they dont change your money.
You should also have the exact amount of fare in coins because the TVMs (Ticket Vending Machines) accept only coins.
And don't expect to be able to use the elevators because they are labeled as PWD (Persons with Disabilities) elevator.

Never mind if the TVMs are not user friendly and if some of the guards are quite rude because you get a great view in the trains - you get to see the Makati and Ortigas skyline all at the same time.

[federal]

the point of the walkway is that people transferring from each line to the other won't need to walk past dark and dangerous street underneath

i know. am just pointing out na hirap umakayat sa stairs. i actually wrote to LRTA before to make reklamo about the super gross condition at the ground level.

[pau_p1]

yeah.. LRT2 was very nice... great train, spacious... and the stations seemed like airport terminals... :D

[absent-minded]

do they have escalators/elevators (even if they're exclusively for the use of disabled) at every station??? I've been wanting to get on one of them since we got back to Manila. seen it running a few times across Aurora on Gilmore and in Cubao over Edsa. the trains and the stations look awesome!! we're gonna be gone for about a week and a half from tomorrow so hopefully I can get a ride when we get back...

my parents keep stopping me cause they argue it's "unsafe". how bad can it get up there as compared to on the road for crying out loud!! hahaha!! and when we get to Bangkok we'll be "forced" onto their skytrain the first dang day we arrive! damn it!! as if there aren't any bomb threats there... sheeeesh!!! that's what I call crab-mentality...

[rico]

hehe. regarding the blue line and yellow line connection at metropoint mall at pasay taft, super tarik ng stairs.....
don't they have escalators? malls usually have escalators anyways i don't see any reason for ayala not to add escalators to the route that connect the two stations.

there are so many malls now in metro manila i couldn't keep track anymore. :drunk:

[lumpia]

how can we expect to keep on a par with our SE Asian neighbours' mass transit systems if there arent any escalators installed @ the stations.. only those fit enough will use the LRT (especially!) older people and whole families still have to settle with the personal car/private jeep.. and the whole point of the LRT (especially.. not much critcism against MRT2 :D:D) was to ease the traffic congestion in the metro.. how can they still achieve this if its much easier to get into a car?

btw i found this thread totally in thai on the MRT/LRT transit systems.. http://www.bts.co.th/Question.asp?GID=1572 can anyone translate this from thai (HAHA have no idea what they're saying.. mayb they're making fun of d LRT ;)) i'm posting this in the thai forum too :)

[absent-minded]

@lumpia - i think rico was talking about Ayala's Metropoint Mall :) - though I doubt LRT1 and MRT3 stations have escalators either. I've seen a few along some of MRT3's stations but never heard of LRT1 having escalators at all. I'm sure the Katipunan station of the MRT2 has both escalators and elevators. you can clearly see them in the pictures on the first page of the thread. I'm not too sure about other stations though.... I hope they do.

and I've been to that thai site with stuff about our MRT/LRTs a few times... I was searching on google and that came up. hahaha! have you gotten anything at the thai forums??

[ronnaveth]

I don't think building another Metropoint mall is a good idea because it's very ugly inside, I was even shocked to know that Ayala is part owner of the mall.

BTW, LRT2 is really nice. The trains are wide, quiet, long (and the seats are purple - hehehe). And I also like how you can walk from end to end of the trains unlike in MRT and LRT1 wherein trains have separate cars.

The only thing I don't like is that most of their stations doesn't have washrooms and they dont change your money.
You should also have the exact amount of fare in coins because the TVMs (Ticket Vending Machines) accept only coins.
And don't expect to be able to use the elevators because they are labeled as PWD (Persons with Disabilities) elevator.

Never mind if the TVMs are not user friendly and if some of the guards are quite rude because you get a great view in the trains - you get to see the Makati and Ortigas skyline all at the same time.
there's this view somewhere bet vmapa station and another station where you can see a continuous skyline running from the malate area to makati to ortigas to quezon city

[ryanr]

LRT 1 is old, so it is understandable that it doesnt have escalators. Some MRT 3 stations had escalators when it first opened, but due to the complaints of many commuters, more stations got escalators. I think most if not all stations have escalators now. All MRT 2 stations have escalators, which is good since it is the most modern line.


hmmm...i wonder what that thai website is saying about our MRT/LRT:sly:

[JudeD]

What happened with the MRT 3 was most of the stations were built without escalators at first. And then later on (after some complaints by commuters) they began adding escalators to some stations.

The way the stairs up to the LRT 1 stations are set up, they'd really have to rebuild them from scratch to put in any escalators. Maybe elevators would be easier. They have been renovating and repainting some of the stations recently. I'll try to grab pics of Quirino station soon. It's the nearest station to where I live that isn't too busy.

[rico]

and i don't think lrt1 really needs the escalators. the stations aren't that high from the ground not like mrt and lrt2. but of course, it would be more convenient if they do have escalators. :D

[polo_stig]

found this on a japanese site on the development of the LRT/Mrt lines.. u can see clearly where the lines would meet:

http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/~Philrail/manirarosen1.gif

i think there's a lot of correction in the names of some stations indicated there, mostly misspelled... here are the correct names for the benefit of those who dont know:
LRT-1: Libeltad = Libertad
LRT-2: Santran = Santolan, Gilmare = Gilmore
PNR: Laonlern = Laong Laan, Sta Messa = Sta Mesa
LRT-6 [or LRT-1 extn] = Redlmp torist = Redemporist, Niyoc = Niyog, Dasmorinas = Dasmariñas

[polo_stig]

Here's a pic of where LRT 2 crosses over LRT 1, taken at the corner of Avenida and Recto.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid115/pe5f018fafeb0cb51811ed72aefb1cea6/f8c69f83.jpg

Good planning here, because one goes above the other, the line can easily be extended all the way beyond Tutuban. Unlike the MRT 3 Taft Station that runs into LRT1 Edsa Station. They'd have to reconstruct the station and approach all over again if they want to extend it to Roxas and Diosdado Macapagal. Dapat kasi talaga elevated eh. Diba nga F. B. Harrison was really supposed to be the last station and not Taft?

I really agree that it is a bad planning. One bad example is the Tramo intersection in Pasay City. Ang original plan is from Magallanes to Taft is mostly elevated kaya it should have been extended to F.B. Harrison noon. It became a subject of debate in Pasay especially yung mga nakatira doon because kailangan pa nilang umikot ng Magallanes [and Taft Ave. before the flyover to airport was constructed and clearway scheme was implemented] just to cross the intersection. The end result tuloy: MRT became at ground level and it is really needed to construct a flyover there to cross.

[ronnaveth]

regarding line 1, i guess it won't be necessary to build an escalator since there are long ques everyday

[rico]

regarding line 1, i guess it won't be necessary to build an escalator since there are long ques everyday
makes sense. :D

[renell]

and i don't think lrt1 really needs the escalators. the stations aren't that high from the ground not like mrt and lrt2. but of course, it would be more convenient if they do have escalators. :D

an elevator for the disabled, old, or lazy would be nice though, in the main stations...

[JudeD]

I rode the LRT2 kanina! And it's REALLY impressive. The terminals beat most domestic airports! The stations are VERY roomy, and so are the trains. And the view is great by the way. Absent-minded, you have nothing to worry about, your parents are being silly. The LRT2 seems VERY safe. Security is VERY tight, TOO tight in fact. I was approached by the guards several times when I was taking pictures. I told them it was for a project, but they said that it was bawal daw because they had security cams (and so?). I couldn't take pics of the ticketing and turnstile area tuloy. At the time, I just shrugged and pocketed my camera (although I was still able to sneak a couple more pics). But now, the more and more I think about it, it just doesn't make sense why they would prohibit picture taking. If you can take pictures in airports and planes with totally no problem, why not on the LRT2? I know for sure that it's okay to take pics on the LRT1 and MRT3 because when I was showing some foreign friends around we kept on taking pictures and the guards barely paid attention. What's so special about the LRT2 besides its newness?

That's the other thing, their guards are REALLY strict and paranoid, para silang mga praning. They keep pacing up and down the station and in the trains checking up on everybody and everything. Instead of making your ride more relaxing, it kinda makes you more nervous. Even though they're really just doing their job. Maybe it's because nga it's still new that's why the guards haven't gotten jaded yet.

I got on at Legarda, then got down at Cubao to switch to the MRT. Biglang naluma tuloy MRT. Than I transferred at Taft where I got on LRT1. So I rode all three lines today. And do you know how long it took me to get from Legarda to Cubao then Taft then to Pedro Gil? 45 minutes! All around a huge chunk of the Metro in just 45 minutes. Amazing! By the way, they're now offering the "Flash Pass", a card that will allow you to ride all three lines an unlimited number of times for 7 days. It costs P250, good deal na rin although it'll be even more sulit in October when LRT1 and LRT2 are connected at Recto. Although I guess they might raise the price then.

Another thing I noticed on my joyride is how Legarda station seems to be quite far from Recto station, They could have inserted one more station in the middle (Morayta?). In my opinion, the length between stations should be a distance walkable within 15 minutes, but not less than 10 minutes. I'm sure that it'll take you 20 minutes or more to walk from Taft/Recto to Legarda. On the other hand, the distance between Betty Go-Belmonte and Gilmore stations seems very short, parang siningit lang yung Belmonte station between Gilmore and Cubao.

I also took a pic of the Gateway Mall construction. I was in a hurry na and it was getting a bit dark so I couldn't take more and better pics. I'll post it up in the Mall thread.

Another thing I noticed when I was riding LRT1 naman is there don't seem to be too many non-airconditioned trains anymore. I could see the trains when I was walking on my way to the LRT from the MRT and I saw 3 airconditioned trains pass by one after the other. Are there still any non-airconditioned trains ba or have they been totally phased out? And I got on at EDSA station at 6 pm, which is rush hour, but the trains aren't as packed as I remember them. In fact they're rather roomy na. No trouble at all getting in and getting out. I even got to sit down. It seems that they've really added a lot of trains. The stations still need lots of work though.

Here are the pics:

Legarda Station.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid116/p96d3f1713435857237d81f94c68faee0/f8b1ba36.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid116/pc4bf93e41a4e6cc81a4b5368ab3f3343/f8b1ba3b.jpg


In the train

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid116/pef466d22d0e4d5cb7dfe32ffaeb5eb8a/f8b1ba38.jpg

[JudeD]

I guess I might as well post the pic of the Gateway Mall here. And another thing I really like about the LRT2 trains is the funky ethnic design strip that runs along it. Nice accent!


National Bookstore at left, Gateway Mall U/C in the middle, Araneta Coliseum at right

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid116/p3a627e42e50bb78d4e7be34ffc6e5069/f8b1ba40.jpg

[bagel]

:applause:

Great job JudeD! Cool photos!

I can't wait to ride it the next time I get to the Philippines... oh who knows when....

If you guys do get a meet together in the Philippines, one of the topics of discussion should be "How to shoot digital photos stealthily from the hip."

[renell]

nice pics! and it helps even more the subject is nice too :guns1:

[SunKing]

Nice to see the stations and the cars are well-maintained.

[lumpia]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid116/p96d3f1713435857237d81f94c68faee0/f8b1ba36.jpg

WOW! MRT2 platform is sorta Similar to the PUTRA-LRT platforms in KL..
http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~m_endo/malaysia/kl/0208b014h.JPG

Actually all that needs to b done now is to get the LRT lines seriously modernised.. i hate the MTRC run LRT3! considering everything, i think that the LRTA should think bout full-modernisation before expansion.. LRT1 needs much more capital put into it! the MTRC should just give up NOW and hand LRT3 over to LRTA who actually know how to maintain their lines :D

[lumpia]

hehehe i like the fact that the ppl in this pic are goin the "hide-the lip" pose..
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid116/pef466d22d0e4d5cb7dfe32ffaeb5eb8a/f8b1ba38.jpg
thats original pinoy body-language indicating "i'm aware that u are takin my pic now :D" hahah

[bagel]

hahaha... "hide lip pose"... haha! :colgate:

[amras]

:hilarious

[ronnaveth]

i guess kaya mahigpit sila sa camera kasi baka may mag plot ng bombing sa station and they have to know their orientation and one way of doing it is by video camera

[ronnaveth]

I guess I might as well post the pic of the Gateway Mall here. And another thing I really like about the LRT2 trains is the funky ethnic design strip that runs along it. Nice accent!


National Bookstore at left, Gateway Mall U/C in the middle, Araneta Coliseum at right

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid116/p3a627e42e50bb78d4e7be34ffc6e5069/f8b1ba40.jpg
sana i rennovate na rin ng national yung building nila

[ryanr]

Thanks JudeD!! Those are great shots, man:okay:

I rode the MRT 2 from Cubao to Santolan last August. I also had the same problem when the gaurds saw my camera. They told me to take it away and bawal daw mag picture taking. So, i ended up not taking pics. They said that for security reasons, no photos allowed as terrorists might attack the stations. hmmm.....

I see that Gateway construction is almost done. Very good..:)

@ Lumpia - Imo, MRT 2 is better than KL's Putra line;)

@ ronnaveth - They will, in later stages. They will renovate the whole Araneta Center that surrounds the colosium. Not just renovate but build a huge mall to wrap around the dome. Gateway is just phase I.;)

[bagel]

OK here's what I've been working on in my house when I'm procrastinating:

(note: this only works if your camera has a long strap, has a fold out screen and has a remote control)

1. strap camera around your neck so it faces outward on your chest. be sure to have screen flipped out and pointed up so you can glance down at it. set camera to accept remote control commands.

2. look around room very slowly. only glance down at screen periodically to make sure your shot is in frame. oh and be sure your flash is turned off.

3. use remote to take shots.

the sekyu will not know you're taking shots because you're not holding a camera up to your face.

by the time i get back to the philippines, i will have perfected this method. then we will get more pics of lrt2.

[JudeD]

I also think that banning cameras is useless since there are lots of cameraphones that people can easily use clandestinely. Or PDAs like the Zire, Clie, or Viewsonic that have built-in cameras. I used to have a camera sleeve for my old iPaq but my current iPaq doesn't use sleeves anymore, kaya I sold it na. Sayang.

[Wisarut]

Khun Lumpia,

Fro the case of BKK Subway Stations, Please took at here:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=99543&page=6&pp=20

At Phaholyothin Station - Got o Gate 5 if you want to go to Central lad Phrao
http://www.yimsiam.com/cgi-bin/data/fanrotfaithai/pic/0003084.jpg

Huay Kwang Depot
http://www.yimsiam.com/cgi-bin/data/fanrotfaithai/pic/0002954.jpg

Bangsue - Terminal Station - Passngersa who want to Ride Northern Train, please go to Gate 1
Those who want to ride Southern Train, Please goto Gate 2
http://www.yimsiam.com/cgi-bin/data/fanrotfaithai/pic/0003082.jpg

Security Guard at BKK Subway - Better use Arintharat Unit [or Queenspark Ranger & Marines from Chonburi] to disguise themselves as these guards ...
http://www.yimsiam.com/cgi-bin/data/fanrotfaithai/pic/0002951.jpg

For thsoe Who want to see Skytrain & Subnway Clearly, Please go to Rail Thai Website and click the thumbneil pictures ...

Skytrain: http://www.geocities.com/railthai_gallery/bts.htm
Subway: http://www.geocities.com/railthai_gallery3/mrta.htm

IF the rollign stocks for North Rail-South Rail in Manila came from Daewoo, the would be soemthing like this [but electrified version ...]:

http://www.thaimtb.com/webboard/59/29683-2.jpg

BTW, What make BTSC Skytrain equal or EVEN better than Megatren ?
However, MRTA Subway need to be ironed out since the system is NOT fully functioned .... Despite fo that the popularity of Subway is REALLY high ...
Wait unti it is fully functioned in August 2004 ...

[ronnaveth]

Thanks JudeD!! Those are great shots, man:okay:

I rode the MRT 2 from Cubao to Santolan last August. I also had the same problem when the gaurds saw my camera. They told me to take it away and bawal daw mag picture taking. So, i ended up not taking pics. They said that for security reasons, no photos allowed as terrorists might attack the stations. hmmm.....

I see that Gateway construction is almost done. Very good..:)

@ Lumpia - Imo, MRT 2 is better than KL's Putra line;)

@ ronnaveth - They will, in later stages. They will renovate the whole Araneta Center that surrounds the colosium. Not just renovate but build a huge mall to wrap around the dome. Gateway is just phase I.;)
do you have a layout of the planned rennovation

[ryanr]

we lost the layout of the planned redevelopment when this forum got hacked. Araneta Center changed their website, and they no longer show it.

but i got this from their website:
"The Gateway Mall is just part of a much larger mall which will eventually envelope the Coliseum and connect to Farmers Plaza and the MRT 3 Station at EDSA."

so basically it will be a huge mall surrounding the coliseum at 360 degrees.

[ryanr]

IF the rollign stocks for North Rail-South Rail in Manila came from Daewoo, the would be soemthing like this [but electrified version ...]:

http://www.thaimtb.com/webboard/59/29683-2.jpg



But they will not look like that. the Northrail and Southrail are being funded by the Chinese and they will provide the rolling stock. They will be DMU (diesel multiple unit) trains, not electrified. However, they can be upgraded to electric trains.

If you want to see how they can possibly look like, go to this thread: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=98073
I posted numerous possibilities. They are much nicer that the one you posted. The current trains PNR uses are like the one you posted.



BTW, What make BTSC Skytrain equal or EVEN better than Megatren ?
However, MRTA Subway need to be ironed out since the system is NOT fully functioned .... Despite fo that the popularity of Subway is REALLY high ...
Wait unti it is fully functioned in August 2004 ...

what do you mean by this? :?
Imo, the Megatren is on par with your skytrain, but your subway is better, of course. We would just have to wait till MM builds its subway lines before we can compare them.

[Wisarut]

Khun GreyX, I though that South Korea will provide DMUs for North rail and South rail - -> thus I show you Daewoo DMU which SRT is using for Intercity Trains .... My Apology ... :cheer:

Well, China Railway may have to compete with Daewoo (actually Rotem since Rotem has already taken over the rollign stock production of Daewoo) as well as Hitachi, Bombadier Alstom and Siemens tooth to nail for the additional batches of DMUs for the popular Intercity Trains and of course -> Suvannabhum Airport Link EMUs .... because many Thai people still have full trust on Hitachi, Siemens, and Daewoo ...

Oh, Lumpia has posted at http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=104732
that "we hav got the new MRT2 line now.. its good.. but the one in BKK is still way better ..." That's why I ask Pinoy that "BTW, What make BTSC Skytrain equal or EVEN better than Megatren ?"

Khun GreyX, I agree with you that Skytrain rolling stock are at par with the rollign stocks of Megatren ... even though shorter (3 cars vs. 4 cars) ... No so sure how many daily passenger of megatren is .... even though I know that LRT1 has abotu 600000 passengers a day and MRT (LRT3) has abotu 300000 passengers a day -> On the otehr hand, the daily passengers of BKK Skytrain is about 400,000 passengers a day ....

However, I want the Central Government NOT play politicking by planning to take overe the concession of bot Skytrain and BMCL (the concession holder of MRTA Subway) ... Playing politicking thorugh the nationalization is to gain more voters before the new election while dragging the extension projects down to please Automobile and Oil Interests .... Such kind of connections with the vested interests alogn with series of controversies (e.g. proposed rice importation, National entrance leak, the chicken flue mishanding, privatization controversies, the delay on the implementation of National Broadcasting Committee, privatization to fill the coffer for upcomign elections, Thai troops in Iraq .. etc. etc.) and series of "spnning doctors" (e.g. promising massive mass transit expansions, football club purchasing, BKK Governor race without candidates .... etc. etc.) will only IGNITE the revolts if the last straw breaking the back ... When Premier Thaksin thought that Prime Minister is TOO SMALL for His shoes .... and want to OVERTHROW His Majesty to change the dynasty ....

[ryanr]

No, problem wisarut:) Cheers

The rolling stock of the skytrain is made by whom? Siemens? I know that your subway is Siemens. I'm not so sure, but i think MRT 2's rolling stock is made by Daewoo, since its Korean.

Yes, I think Lumpia was just thinking less of his own nation (Filipinos do that a lot):D But the MRT 2 is indeed on par with the skytrain, and prolly better than the elevated sections of Singapore's MRT. LRT 1 is far behind, it is afterall, SEA's first mass transit line. MRT 3 is also bad...dissapointing for a line that is not too old. That line was badly hit by corruption.

The LRT 1 line is definitely the busiest line in MM. Second, and increasing in usage is MRT 3. MRT 2 has much more capacity than the other two lines, so we could see that becoming the busiest line in the future. Other lines in the future that could see high usage is MRT 4 and MRT 7. I really hope they get going with the subway proposal. It is supposed to link up the Makati CBD to Ortigas, BGC, the airport and Binondo (older part of Manila). It should really help with the traffic congestion.

btw, earlier i forgot to post a link to the Northrail thread. I edited my post, and it is there now:)

[ryanr]

Another thing I noticed when I was riding LRT1 naman is there don't seem to be too many non-airconditioned trains anymore. I could see the trains when I was walking on my way to the LRT from the MRT and I saw 3 airconditioned trains pass by one after the other. Are there still any non-airconditioned trains ba or have they been totally phased out? And I got on at EDSA station at 6 pm, which is rush hour, but the trains aren't as packed as I remember them. In fact they're rather roomy na. No trouble at all getting in and getting out. I even got to sit down. It seems that they've really added a lot of trains. The stations still need lots of work though.



The LRT 1 trains that were non-airconditioned are being upgraded. Airconditioners are being installed in them, and soon all the trains will have aircon. LRTA is really doing a good job in upgrading our oldest line, LRT 1. But yeah, the stations really need a lot of work. They look neglected and old. They are re-painting them, though:)

hahaha lol at hide-the-lips pose:lol:

[bagel]

I prefer the newer Hyundai coaches they purchased some years back for LRT1 rather than the aircon-retrofitted original trains. They sound cool too-- like a spaceship.

IMO since this train has a proven trackrecord for Philippine LRT guage tracks, the Hyundai train would've been a better choice for MRT3 rather than those old fashioned uglies they have right now.

[renell]

the LRT1 and the MRT3 trains look so identical, one's just color blue and one's yellow to me..

[Wisarut]

Khun GreyX, Both Skytrain and Subway Rollign Stocks come form Siemens AG ...
Well, for Megatren rollign stocks they come from Rotem (the largest Korena rollign stock producers -> after merging the rollign stock dept. of Hyundai, Daewoo and Ssangyong to form KOROS and later on Rotem) ...

[lumpia]

that "we hav got the new MRT2 line now.. its good.. but the one in BKK is still way better ..." That's why I ask Pinoy that "BTW, What make BTSC Skytrain equal or EVEN better than Megatren ?"

Sawasdii Krub Wisarut, Mai pen rai :) HAHA i'm sorry pipol.. its just that i saw THIS pic of the skytrain and thought the train design was especially nice..
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid116/pbbb64993d43bbe1847fbb172d020e8c9/f8ab2c85.jpg
(haha, the original website didnt allwo hotlinking, so i downloaded n uploaded this pic onto imagestation.com.. i'm exhausted now :D)IMO it sure looks more like the trains in Europe than MRT2's current design..
http://www.airticket.com.hk/Image_MNL12Sep03/megatren_lrt2.jpg
(i dunno, the purple ethnic-stripe-thingy seems nice, but it looks sorta outta place and sooo computer-made; looks stretched slightly, i like the train-body better than that of the BLS, but design of MRT2 looks sorta less professional to me :D)

ok in reality the comment "BTS is better than MRT2" was abit diplomacy driven tho ;) LOL.. but i still love the BLS design! :crazy:

Wisarut, Chan dii jai mark tii dai pob khun (seeah krub, porm pood pasa Thai mai dái krub :) its a beautiful language so one day maybe ;) ) NEway, Khorb Khun Mak Krab for postin ur reply here.. make sure u come back ha :), we'll visit the thai forums too :D

[ryanr]

hehehe, Lumpia of course the skytrain looks more European. It is made by Siemens from Germany. Ours, according to Wisarut is made my Rotem from Korea. The trains in Line 1 and 3 are european but are not from Siemens. They are made from the Czech republic and are smaller than Siemens' trains.

[lumpia]

omg really!.. i didnt kno rotem made the MRT2! lrt1 n 3 were made in eastern eurpoe diba??.. accordin to my modern history i took in high school, wasnt the czech republic's (czecoslovakia at the time lrt1 was made especially) worse off economically than phils at the time?? :crazy: rather have made the lrt1-3 ourselves :laugh:

[ryanr]

:okay: yup....i said that, above:)

Imo, the MRT 3 trains are horrible for its age. Its still quite new, but its only as good as the LRT 1 trains (maybe a little better). They should have gotten Siemens or Rotem to make the MRT 3 trains.

[polo_stig]

just askin where the original trains from LRT line 1 came from? Is the 4-fleet train the one from Korea?

[polo_stig]

I rode the LRT Line 1 last week and as what I have seen most of the stations are repainted, if not renovated... the ones that are not yet repainted are D. Jose, Bambang and Abad Santos

The LRT 1 trains that were non-airconditioned are being upgraded. Airconditioners are being installed in them, and soon all the trains will have aircon. LRTA is really doing a good job in upgrading our oldest line, LRT 1. But yeah, the stations really need a lot of work. They look neglected and old. They are re-painting them, though:)

hahaha lol at hide-the-lips pose:lol: