Clark Freeport has expressed the possibility of adopting the Hybrid Road Train system of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to ferry employees from various locators of the Freeport zone, during the recently held media tour and demo ride at the Clark Freeport Parade Grounds.
Eyed as one of the possible solutions to ease Metro Manila’s traffic congestion and public transport woes, the Hybrid Road Train is a 40-meter long system of interlinked and airconditioned 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. The train can run at a top speed of 50kph.
Arthur P. Tugade, president of the Clark Development Corporation, opened the idea of ferrying passengers from Clark Airport to the Freeport facilities. “I’ve discussed this with Secretary Montejo and what we want is to have an efficient mass transport system that is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) compliant and WIFI ready,” he explained.
However, Tugade prefers to have a smaller type of train to fit the needs of the Freeport which has more than 1,000 business locators on its 4,400-hectare land.
Also, he is encouraging DOST to roll out the road train inside the Clark Freeport so that similar economic zones may adopt the same public transport system in the future.
Weighing about 10 metric tons in full capacity, the train uses ordinary rubber tires so there is no need for rails and is equipped with dual braking system for efficient 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. Rio S. Pagtalunan, chief of the analysis and testing division of DOST’s Metals Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC), the train system is still the most efficient public mass transportation system that is why the Science Department is looking at developing an innovative transportation 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. (S&T Media Service)
The Department of Science and Technology’s Hybrid Road Train
