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New train arrives for UP-Diliman's automated transit system
By CARMELA G. LAPEÑA, GMA News
(Updated 1:46 p.m., November 26) Philippine Railways on Sunday announced the arrival of the new University of the Philippines train, which will be used in the first Filipino-built Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) System within the Diliman campus in Quezon City. The train bears the logo of the Department of Science and Technology as well as the University logo on one side. Its colors are mainly blue and white, as well as maroon, the University color. DOST is in charge of the design and detailed engineering plan of the AGT, while UP gives technical assistance and implements community relations activities, a previous report said.
The DOST and UP will conduct test runs of the train on a 500-meter elevated concrete track, according to a report by Anna Kristine Regidor on the UP website. The track will connect Jacinto Street (along the College of Fine Arts) and the CP Garcia Avenue (near the CHED Building), according to another report on the website. Vice President for Development Elvira Zamora said the track is primarily for scientific research and development purposes, the report also said. “DOST and UP scientists, engineers and researchers still need to understand more accurately how an AGT can work efficiently, reliably and economically under Philippine conditions,” the report said. According to the report, the test run will feature a number of stages, including the careful testing of the structural integrity of the elevated railway, power supply reliability, automatic safety system, car reliability and safety. If the results of the test run are favorable, the AGT prototype may be designed to run throughout the entire UP Diliman campus, the report said, adding that the next phase of the project is an intracampus loop that will run approximately 6.9 kilometers. View UP Transportation in a larger map Reactions The project was welcomed by some UP students. "I think it's great. It's supposed to be an experiment and I look forward to whatever results they may arrive at through this research. This could be the future of Philippine public transportation," said fourth year BFA Visual Communication student Jessica Wee. BFA Visual Communication student Janus Nuñez said the project is "a sign of progress and innovation." "I think that it's an innovative idea and that it would be a better/faster means of transport than LRT/MRT," said fresh graduate Geca Atanacio. A few expressed interest but also had some reservations. "Maganda, masusubukan yung bagong technology pero mawawalan ng trabaho yung mga jeepney drivers lalo na yung ikot," said first year BFA Painting student Jemima Grace Yabes. "Ikot" jeepneys are the most common mode of transportation around the 493-hectare campus. "It's interesting, pero parang ang daming loopholes," said fourth year BS Metallurgical Engineering student Eunice Garcia. And others did not like the idea at all. Leo Cariño, a second year BS Architecture student, said putting the AGT in UP is a waste of funds. "Kasi, OK naman ang transportation sa loob ng university eh. Mas OK siguro kung sa ibang lugar na lang nilagay," he said. He also noted that it would ruin the landscape of the academic oval. "Masasayang 'yung mga puno," he said. One graduating BFA Visual Communication student, who requested anonymity, said the project should have been done in an urban environment. "I do get the point why they chose UP as testing ground, but I'd rather they just went and put it in an urban environment with heavy commuter traffic. Plus underground," the student said. A graduating Mechanical Engineering student, who also requested anonymity, said the project is "a waste of engineering effort, since it's not revolutionary." Homegrown According to the report, the DOST created an earlier prototype of the AGT in Bicutan, using a straight 150-meter track. The UP Diliman campus is a chance to test the system on a curved and circular track. President Benigno Aquino III cited the project in his State of the Nation Address in July 2011. According to the President, the monorail system "could potentially provide a homegrown mass transport solution that would cost us as little as P100 million per kilometer, much cheaper than the current cost of similar mass transit systems." "The potential savings could result in more kilometers of cheap transport, decongesting our urban centers and allowing rural communities easier access to centers of commerce and industry," Aquino said. Aside from serving the UP Diliman community, the AGT is expected to be a harbinger of the future of mass transport systems developed and made locally by Filipinos, an earlier report said. — LBG/BM, GMA News

A new train unit for the Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) System inside the UP Diliman campus. — Photo from the Philippine Railways Twitter account
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