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By Darwin G. Amojelar Reporter
The number of people riding the
Metro Rail Transit-Line 3 (MRT-3) is forecast to jump by 9 percent
this year, driven by soaring fuel prices, an official of the Metro
Rail Transit Authority said.
More people are finding it too
expensive to use their cars, General Manager Roberto Lastimoso of
the authority told The Manila Times. The authority operates MRT-3.
Last year, MRT passenger traffic grew about 7 percent.
“MRT is still the most
convenient, fastest and cheapest mode of transport in the
country,” Lastimoso said, adding that the government has no plans
to raise MRT fares at this time.
The growing number of MRT
commuters will also mean that the government will be raising its
fare subsidy. Last year, the Congressional Planning and Budget
Department predicted that the proposed MRT-3 fare subsidy will
amount to P2.4 billion, or P16.30 per passenger, from this year’s
P15.60. The subsidy is already higher than the P12.50 average fare
per passenger.
A recent study from the National
Economic and Development Authority showed that any increase in oil
price would primarily affect expenditures on fuel, transportation
cost, and other household expenses. The study said even the most
affluent Filipino families are vulnerable from the surging oil
prices.
Data from the Department of
Energy showed that the local prices for diesel ranges from P45.80 to
P48.47 per liter; gasoline, from P53.03 to P55.57 per liter.
The impact of rising pump prices
was already felt for many years, and last year, Lastimoso said, as
average daily passenger volume rose to 410,000.
The MRT-3 system is designed to
accommodate only about 23,600 passengers per peak hour, but now
demand has ballooned to 25,753 during rush hour. The MRT-3 capacity
of 23,600 had been breached as early as 2004.
Given this, the authority has
sought the legal opinion of the Department of Justice about
government’s plan to procure more trains through the Department of
Transportation and Communications (DOTC), which is aiming to lessen
passenger congestion. “The Metro Rail Transit Corp. has no plans
to buy new trains, so the government will procure more trains
through DOTC,” Lastimoso explained.
He said the government plans to
buy 73 light-rail vehicle trains to meet the growing number of MRT-3
passengers.
The Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC),
which owns the assets of MRT-3, is a consortium led by the Sobrepena
family’s Fil-Estate Management. Other investors include Ayala Land
Inc., Anglo-Philippine Holdings Corp., Ramcar Inc. and Greenfield
Development Corp.
“They [MRTC] have the right of
first refusal. Without their approval, the government cannot procure
additional trains,” Lastimoso said, adding that the government is
“looking at 2010 or late 2009 for the delivery of 30 new trains”
for the first phase and 43 for the second phase.
The “emergency capacity
expansion” is needed to meet the projected 30,031 passengers per
peak hour demand by 2010.
The government estimates it needs
about $67 million to buy 30 three-car trains with three minutes
headway or four-car trains with 2.5 minutes headway. At present, the
system is using a three-car train with three minutes headway.
The MRT-3 was built to speed up
the commute and alleviate traffic congestion along Epifanio de los
Santos Avenue (EDSA), a major Metro Manila thoroughfare.
Currently, the rail system has a
fleet of 73 Czech-made air-conditioned rail cars, of which up to 60
three-car trains operate daily. The trains run at a top speed of 65
kilometers per hour to cover 13 stations in about 30 minutes,
stopping for 25 seconds to 35 seconds per station.
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