Meralco subsidiary to undertake P22-M monorail project

MANILA, Philippines - A subsidiary of the Manila Electric Co. will undertake the P22-million monorail project within the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) revealed yesterday.

Miescor Builders Inc., Meralco’s engineering, construction and industrial services subsidiary, will construct the 465-meter test track of the all-Filipino mass transport – the Automated Guideway Transit System or AGTS.

The AGTS will run on a track that curves from C.P. Garcia Avenue to the College of Arts and Letters building on Roxas Avenue of the Academic Oval.

“The AGTS is one of DOST’s high-impact technology solutions and is the first among the agency’s several proposed public transportation systems for Metro Manila,” Science Secretary Mario Montejo said.

The elevated guideway will be 6.1 meters high supported by high-quality concrete material, while the train’s body will be composed of two adjoining coaches, each capable of carrying 30 people.

The coaches will roll on rubber tires instead of metal wheels to minimize track noise.

The project team is composed of engineers from the DOST, UP Diliman, and the Project Management Engineering and Design Service Office. The team aims to create a fully automated, driverless electric transport that travels on an elevated track or guideway.

“If all goes as planned in the construction of the guideway, we will be able to initiate the testing in October,” Jonathan Puerto of the DOST’s Metals Industry Research and Development Center said.

Montejo said the system is environment friendly and non-polluting.

“It is also reliable because it is fully automated, and safe because the elevated guideway will not get derailed or cause road accidents. The AGTS also helps reduce traffic congestion and its economic costs,” he added.

The AGTS technology is also in use in the United States, Japan, Singapore and Canada, the official said.