Philippine government plans eco-friendly alternatives for mass transit

Manila: While the increasing cost of fuel is seen as a bane by individual motorists, advocates of mass transport see this as an opportunity to promote less polluting alternatives.

The government plans to step up improvements to the train system in Metro Manila in a bid to lessen commuter's dependence on buses and minibuses and consequently improve air quality in the mega city.

"Buses and jeepneys [minibuses] will leave Metro streets on their own once we complete the rail system," transportation undersecretary for railway services Guiling Mamondong said.
Buses and jeepneys had been regarded as a chief source of pollution in Metro Manila with their internal combustion engines that use high sulphur content diesel.

A slew of train projects have been planned for Metro Manila, a mega city of more than six million inhabitants which is already groaning under the weight of an ever-increasing population and the attendant effects of blight.

On the immediate horizon, the government wants to develop Metro Manila's elevated train system, the LRT (Light Rail Transport) 1 and 2 and the MRT 3 (Metropolitan Rail Transport), to its full potential in the face of rising fuel costs.

The increasing price of petrol and diesel have been a bane to most Filipinos who have to commute to work but at the same time a boon to urban planners who see it as an opportunity to promote and give more government attention to the development of mass transport systems such as the MRT 3 and the LRT.

With the fuel prices rising over the past five years, use of the train systems, including that run by the Philippine National Railway system, had started to rise and this had forced administrators to introduce longer operating hours for the trains.

"Mass transit will not only address the problem of high fares it will also result in the decongestion of traffic and clean air because the trains will be running on electric power," Mamondong stressed.