Tag Archives: MRT

VICE PRESIDENT JEJOMAR BINAY’S GRAND PLAN IF ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

July 11, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – If you live in, or are visiting the Philippines, you can’t really go on a road trip to visit all of the country’s more than 7,000 islands. Along the way, you’ll enncounter water and have to hop onto a ship, barge or boat to get to the next closest island.

But all that is going to change if Vice President Jejomar Binay is elected president in 2016. Forget Metro Manila’s Light Railway System (LRT, MRT). They’re peanuts compared to what Binay has in his presidential blueprint.

Before his 6-year term is over in 2022, the entire Philippines — land and water, from the northernmost tip of Aparri to the southernmost tip of Tawi-Tawi– will be connected by a high-speed railway system that would put Japan to shame.

When completed, the Pan-Philippine High-Speed Railway System will become the world’s longest, fastest and scenic mode of mass transportation.

President Aquino’s mantra is “Tuwid na Daan,” (straight path), in reference to his anti-corruption campaign. For Binay, it will be “Liku-Likong Daan” (crooked path), but via bullet trains.

International, Travel

FILIPINOS COUNT THEIR BLESSINGS; MRT NOT THE WORST IN THE WORLD

July 3, 2015 Pol Pinoy 2 Comments

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – MRT, Metro Manila’s much-maligned light railway transit system is, after all, not the worst in the world.

Filipinos came to the realization that the long lines leading up to the ticket booths and platforms, packed trains and frequent mechanical breakdowns are nothing compared to the commute time woes experienced by riders of more high-tech mass transit counterparts in other countries, including neighboring Japan.

The ‘ah-ha’ moment for Pinoys came as this video of commute hours in Japan surfaced on the Internet. It puts the phrase, ‘packed like sardines’ to shame.

Once in a while, we should all pause and count our blessings

Technology, Travel

5-DECKER BUSES TO REPLACE MRT TRAINS IN METRO MANILA

March 21, 2015 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Relief is finally coming to the millions of daily commuters on Metro Manila’s light railway system, the LRT and the MRT.

The mass transportation system has been plagued by overcrowding, long and winding lines, accidents and constant passenger frayed nerves. Not to mention the latest unpopular fare increases which have prompted quite a few protest marches.

Acknowledging that the situation is all but hopeless, Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Jose Emilio Abaya today announced that the government is giving up on the MRT and will revert to good old buses.

But in order not to make the already nightmarish traffic that’s a common daily occurence on Metro Manila’s roadways any worse than it already is, Abaya said that the government will replace the trains with 5-decker buses.

Initially, some 500 units of the tall buses were ordered from Volvo and are expected to arrive in Manila from Sweden by April 1st this year. Each bus has a seating capacity of 250 passengers. Standing capacity will easily add another 250 passengers per bus. Abaya said the 500 units should be sufficient to fill the gap that the MRT trains will create once they get de-commissioned.

The first deck of the buses will be reserved for senior citizens and people with disabilities, as well as for people who suffer from acrophobia, or the fear of heights. Acrophobics must present a doctor’s letter or certification in order to use the first deck.

Metro Manila may finally see the end to its public transportation woes and its mass transit system could become a model for the world.