Arthur P. Tugade, President of the Clark Development Corporation Opened the idea of ferrying passengers from Clark Airport to the Freeport facilities.
Tugade has discussed this with the Department of Science and Technology Secretary Mario G. Montejo and want to have an efficient mass transport system that is RFID (Radio Frequency). Identification) complaiant and wifi ready.
He also prefers to have a smaller type of train to fit the need of the Freeport which has more than 1,000 business locators on its 4,400 hectare land.
Tugade also encourages DOST to toll out the road train inside the clark Freeport so that similar economic zones may adopt the same.
The Hybrid Road Train that is eyed as one of the possible solutions to ease Metro Manila’s traffic congestion and public transport wues is a 40-meter long system interlinked and air conditioned coaches.
It is estimated to serve 650,000 passengers a day when it is rolled out, or 60 passengers per coach for a total of 240 passengers. It can run at a top speed of 50kph.
Weighing about 10 metric tunes in full capacity the train uses ordinary rubber tires so there is no need for rails and is equipped with dual braking.
It is environment friendly, with the last of the five coaches dedicated to its electric power batteries which are used alternately with its diesel fuel. It is also cost-effective since most of its parts are locally sourced like the coaches which are fabricated locally.
The road train project is part of the three component projects of DOST’s Advanced Transport Program under the Makina Para sa Bayan Program or MakiBayan.
According to Dr. Rico S. Pagtalunan chief of the analysis and testing devision of DOST’s Metal Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC, The train system is still the most efficient public mass transporataion system that is why, the Science Department is looking at developing an innovative transporation system out of the train system model.
Dr. Pagtalunan assured the public that it is regularly performing trial runs to ensure the Hybrid Road train’s road worthiness prior to its rollout.
The Hybrid Road Train is one of the various technologies and programs that will be featured in DOST’s 2015 National Science and Technology week which will be held at SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Pasay City on July 24-28, 2015 (PScijourn MegaManila)
