EDITORIAL - Derailed

The overflow crowds at most hours of the day indicate the enormous popularity of the overhead railway services in Metro Manila. The Light Rail Transit and Metro Rail Transit systems are traffic-free, generally comfortable when the coaches are not packed, and affordable. The railway service, however, has limited routes and should have been expanded years ago. This effort, unfortunately for commuters, has moved at snail’s pace. The latest scandal involving the procurement of trains for the MRT 3 can only derail the effort further.

An expanded, efficient railway system can encourage car owners to take mass transportation, as government traffic managers have advised. The development of the railway system should be accompanied by the construction of facilities where private cars can be parked for a reasonable fee and the drivers can then take the trains to work or school. This is the setup in the United States and several other countries.

A commuter train service that offers a comfortable and efficient ride at affordable fares can augment the overhead railway service. The train project, however, can’t seem to get off the ground, even with an old railway system in place that can serve as a foundation for a modern one. Investors have also been waiting for a modern, high-speed cargo train service from Metro Manila to the provinces, which will be a boon to logistics requirements and can ease traffic from Manila’s ports.

In many other countries, train services play a major role in mass transportation. The state-of-the-art high-speed train services feel like airplane rides. High-speed connecting trains with affordable fares have made it possible for many countries to build large, modern airports away from crowded cities. In this country, we can’t even revive a train service from Central Luzon to the Bicol Region without the project becoming bogged down in a corruption scandal. Three years ago, there were high hopes that the daang matuwid administration would deal with this problem. Time is running out.