PNR to start testing DOST-made train in March

The Philippine National Railways (PNR) will start testing the hybrid electric train made by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The train must be tested to ensure they are safe for public use, said Goddes Libiran, the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) spokesperson.

“It will still have to be certified as usable by the PNR. Validation testing pa lang,” Libiran told GMA News Online.

PNR is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) tasked to oversee the rail lines that span Caloocan to Calamba, Sipocot to Naga, and Naga to Legaspi. The Calamba-Sipocot line currently suspended.

GMA News Online has contacted PNR spokesperson Joseline Geronimo for additional details of the test runs, but no reply has been received as of this posting.

Launched in 2017, the hybrid electric train is 40 meters long and has a maximum speed of 50 kilometers per hour. It is part of the DOST’s contributions to proposals to improve the worsening road congestion in Metro Manila.

Former DOST Secretary Mario Montejo earlier noted the hybrid train will be able to service up to 650,000 commuters per day when fully operational.

The engine feeds on diesel fuel and electric-powered battery. Designed as an energy efficient transport, the train does not need electricity and suspended cables for power.

“This newest Filipino innovation also produces less smoke emission compared with existing mass transport vehicles, making it an eco-friendly mode of transport,” the DOST said. —VDS, GMA News