‘Trains’ designed for roads, can run only 50 kph: DOST
THE Department of Science and Technology (DOST) yesterday said the train that was the subject of a hearing conducted by the House committee on transportation last week is designed for roads and not for rail.
DOST 7 Director Edilberto Paradela said that it’s called the “Centrally-Powered Hybrid Electric Road Train” and the project is “Technology Promotion and Field Testing
Train designed to be “energy-efficient, eco-friendly”
of Hybrid Road Train in Cebu City.”
And because the train will run on roads, it only has a maximum speed of 50 and not 200 kilometers per hour (kph), Paradela said.
MOU
He said he can’t imagine a train running on roads at 200 kph. Only the train on the railway can run at high speeds.
Paradela said DOST and the Cebu City Government signed a memorandum of agreement (MOU) last year to test if this mode of transportation is feasible here and if it can complement the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and other means of public transportation.
The MOU was signed by then DOST secretary Mario Montejo and then mayor Michael Rama.
“So, this train is different from BRT and that on the railway. The train cited in the MOU is more of a test to determine if there is a big chance of viability,” Paradela said.
The train is in operation in Clark in Pampanga where roads are wider.
Designed by Filipino engineers and made with local parts, the 40-meter long train-like bus is one of DOST’s answers to the mass transportation dilemma in Metro Cebu.
Paradela said the road train is composed of five interconnected fully airconditioned coaches, four of which can accommodate 60 passengers each, or a total of 240 commuters per ride. The last one is the power coach that contains gadgets and batteries.
2014 launching
Paradela said the road train was launched in August 2014.
He said it is mainly powered by a hybrid diesel fuel and electric-powered battery. Moreover, the train is designed to be energy-efficient, which means it does not need electricity and suspended cables to operate.
Paradela said this Filipino innovation also produces less smoke emission compared with existing mass transport vehicles, making it an eco-friendly mode of transport.
If the project pushes through, DOST will provide the funds for its deployment and fieldtesting, while the City Government will provide security for the road train.