[sustran] Re: Manila MRT

[Dr. V. S. Pendakur]

It appears that basic tenets of good planning are missing both in Bangkok and
Manila.  There is not much consideration of user convenience in the design of
stations and access to stations.  The estimates of ridership appear to have been
made as if the riders would not balance cost, time and convenience factors.
Were there any sensitivity analyses done? If so, what were bottom ridership
figures to make this financially viable?  Feasibility decisions appear to have
been made outside of the context of users and rider convenience.  No wonder the
ridership in both cases is much less than expected.  Have people forgotten that
there is a strong relationship between incomes, costs, time values and
convenience?

Strange things happen and will continue to happen, including the selection of
technology for all the wrong reasons.  Now the entire political and
administrative system will try to repair the damages and make it, possibly, yet
worse than it already is.

Under these circumstances, what is the appropriate role for the NGOs in both
cities?

Cheers.
----- Original Message -----
From: tjb <tjb at pc.jaring.my>
To: <sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2000 3:25 AM
Subject: [sustran] Re: Manila MRT


> So let's get real. Why is it that ALL MRT systems except Hong Kong lose
> money (and Hong Kong is losing money on new lines too)
>
> . The fact is that the figures NEVER add up and the only ways for MRT
> systems to operate is either
> a) Government subsidies or
> b) other subsidies to operators - normally provision of prime land in city
> centres for commercial development
>
> These conclusions from numerous MRT/LRT projects around the world are so
> obvious that the only conclusions I can draw from the failed systems are
> that
>
> a) developer/operators are simply STUPID
> and/or
> b) developer/operators are politically well connected and simply expect to
> get bailed out when things go wrong
> c) I am missing the point!!??
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> Tony Barry
> EValue Engineering Sdn Bhd
>
> www.evalueco.com
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Heckler <heckler at quickweb.com.ph>
> To: Sustran Discuss <sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>
> Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2000 12:00 PM
> Subject: [sustran] Manila MRT
>
>
> > To those of who interested in what's been happening to the EDSA MRT since
> > its opening last Dec. 15, here's the scoop as far as I can tell.
> >
> > The main thing is no one's riding the train which is, of course, too bad.
> > Personally, I think it shows what corporate greed can do despite this
> > supposed age of "corporate social responsibility." Well. the market
> > responded and rejected the fares set for the MRT. I think commuters
> > generally appreciate the convenience (comfort, time savings, throw in
> > everything you can think of) the MRT offers since the trains were
> supposedly
> > packed on the first day of operations -- when a ride was free. After that,
> > only a handful have been using the trains -- 10% of the projected daily
> > ridership of 300,000 (to a maximum of 500,000).  Someone calculated that
> it
> > would cost Php100 for someone living in Quezon City (one end of the
> tracks)
> > to commute to Makati (the opposite end) because when you get off the
> > station, you still have to find transport to get to your final
> destination.
> > That's a substantial chunk out of the wages of us folks who don't have
> slush
> > funds.
> >
> > The government, specifically the Dept. of Transportation and Communication
> > (DOTC), operator of the MRT, believes that it's the half-finished
> condition
> > of the stations that's discouraging ridership.  I've been on the train
> twice
> > and I can vouch for that. The stations are about three storeys high which
> is
> > the height of the stairs one has to climb to get to the platform.  (In
> some
> > stations, one has to climb up this flight, walk down another flight and
> then
> > walk up again a second set of stairs to get to the platform.) I say people
> > taking breathers mid-way as they tried climbing up to the platform. The
> > government has had to get the builder to build escalators. The built-in
> > elevators for the disabled and elderly are supposed to be small and narrow
> > and I haven't seen anyone using them. It's probably because the disabled
> and
> > elderly can't even get to the stations because access to them isn't easy
> > even for us temporarily abled types. OK, so the DOTC says when the
> stations
> > are all finished, they expect ridership to increase to projected levels.
> But
> > if that doesn't happen (which by all indications won't), only then will
> they
> > reconsider the fare levels. I don't think the bureaucrats even believe it
> > themselves because they are already trying to get the MRT builders to take
> > less than the guaranteed $1 million a year or so that they've been
> promised
> > as lease payment.
> >
> > So, trying to determine a fare that will attract ridership (i.e, a fair
> > price for the comsumer), not just to line the pockets of the
> > owner/operator/builder and their banks, is important after all. I wonder
> > what's the story with the Bangkok Sky Train?
> >
> > Ramon Fernan III
> >
> >
>