Financial constraints hinder expansion of Metro Manila’s mass rail system —expert

Financial limitations has hindered the expansion of train systems in Metro Manila, contributing to the worsening traffic and public transport situation in the National Capital Region, a transportation, traffic, and urban planning expert said Wednesday.

The Duterte administration was right when it made the mass rail transit system a priority, but the results and performance are “too optimistic,” said Primitivo Cal, a consultant of the Senate public services committee and a former Transportation undersecretary.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has proposed a P147-billion budget for 2020, of which around 98% would be allotted to railways development.

“First of all, tama ‘yung ginawa nila na priority ‘yung rail. Kaya nga lang very optimistic, based on their performance so far,” Cal said.

The DOTr targets to develop 1,900 kilometers of railways in five years.

Cal noted that Metro Manila started its Light Rail Transit system in 1984, which when completed should run 52 kilometers and could move around 948,000 passengers daily.

He compared five Asian cities—from Seoul, Metro Manila, Shanghai, Taipei, and  Bangkok—in terms of meeting commuter demand and the supply of mass rail transit.

The stark reality was that there was “rapid expansion” of the mass rail transit system in three urban centers, except for Metro Manila and Bangkok. In the case of Seoul, there was a “rethinking for alternative modes, such as the Bus Rapid Transit system.”

However, for Metro Manila there was “no expansion due to financial constraint.” As a results the mass rail transit system remains of “low capacity” and unable to meet the demand from commuters.

“Seoul, which has a denser population in its area than Metro Manila, was able to expand its train system to 287 kilometers, catering to around 5.6 million passengers daily since it started in 1974,” Cal noted.

“Metro Manila has constructed a 52-kilometer train system in 26 years, while Seoul has built a 287 kilometers in 36 years,” Cal said, citing a series of case studies.

“It means ‘yung size ng rail transit ng Seoul, at least five times pa of Metro Manila,” he said.

In sum, Cal said the problems of mass transport and traffic in the country is a result of “rapid urbanization … with urban growth concentrated in Metro Manila.

But the “urban form” in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu is “mono-centric,” meaning commerce and business and people are fully concentrated in a single central area.

Cal noted that a mass transit network is limited to Metro Manila, and absent in other urban centers in the country.

On top of that, Cal said the road network in the country is quite limited compared to the number of of vehicles even if the number of vehicles is relatively low compared to the population at large. —VDS, GMA News