Train system pushed in Baguio to lessen traffic

BAGUIO CITY – Residents may soon have comfortable means of transportation here following a proposal to create a train system.    

Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejojas ordered the Cordillera office of the Department of Science and Technology to fastrack studies to find out the feasibility of putting up a monorail or trolley train in the country’s summer capital to preserveo the city’s cool weather.

           

Dr. Julius Caesar Sicat, DOST-Cordillera Administrative Region director, met with Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan and other city officials to relay the agency’s plan to establish either a monorail or trolley train which will be an environment-friendly mode of transport that will help the national and local governments reduce pollution of the city’s air through the bad smoke emitted by the rapidly increasing number of motor vehicles.

            

“The monorail or trolley train in Baguio City is one of the major priority projects of Secretary Montejo to help boost the growth of the local tourism industry and effectively and efficiently address air pollution,” Sicat told Domogan.

            

Domogan expressed gratitude to Montejo and the DOST-CAR for exerting effort to help the local government in finding solutions on attracting more foreign and domestic tourists while addressing problems on traffic congestions and air pollution that are now besetting the city because of rapid urbanization.

            

“We will extend to DOST the needed assistance so that the required studies will be completed the soonest so that the appropriate financial and technical requirements could be given utmost attention,” Domogan said.

He added there were initial plants to put up a monorail around Burnham Park which forms part of the overall plant to develop the Baguio Athletic bowl but the same will take a longer time to be realized because of the tedious process involved in the finalization of the plans.

            

Because of the urgency of completing the feasibility study for the monorail or trolley train project in the city, Domogan instructed Engr. Leo C. Bernardez, Jr., city engineer, to be the representative of the city government to deal with DOST experts in the conduct and eventual completion of the project’s technical component that will be submitted to the DOST central office for the sourcing out of the funds to implement the same.

            

Sicat assured city officials and residents that the agency will embark on mass-based consultations so that all issues and concerns regarding the project will be addressed before its implementation.

            

“We thank President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III and Secretary Montejo for giving priority to Baguio city6 as the place to build the monorail or trolley train because the realization of the project will surely boost the growth of the city’s tourism industry that will translate to increased employment opportunities and sources of livelihood for the people in the future,” Domogan said, citing that the monorail will also serve as one of the mass transport system in the city that will be one of the solutions to the worsening traffic problems.