DOST, UP conduct test run of first ever Filipino-developed train
Posted on | December 20, 2012 |
QUEZON CITY, Dec 19 — Experts from the Department of Science and Technology and the University of the Philippines conducted a test run of the country’s first ever train developed by Filipinos. Aboard the maiden test run last Friday were DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo and University of the Philippines (UP) President Alfredo Pascual.
The train, also called the Automated Guideway Transit System (AGTS) was designed by DOST engineers in consultation with UP experts. The AGTS’s test run, when completed, would establish the train’s speed and capacity; polish its mechanisms, controls, power, and stress systems; and fine-tune its troubleshooting procedures. The goal is a fully-automated and emission-free transportation capable of carrying up to 60 passengers per trip.
The AGTS is one of DOST’s solutions to the worsening vehicular traffic in Metro Manila and in other metropolitan areas in the country.
More than creating a Filipino train version, according to Secretary Montejo, part of the goal is to “train local engineers to operate their own designed transport system and enhance their competency in the area of transportation technology.”
Plus, developing the train costs just about one fifth of the cost of acquiring a similar foreign train. “We want to locally fabricate the components to make the vehicle cost-effective and sustainable,” Secretary Montejo said.
Meanwhile UP President Alfredo Pascual, when asked about the economic benefits of the AGT said, “One practically stimulates the economy by reducing costs, speeding up the movement of people, or developing an industry.”
He also said that the AGT can help reduce pollution inside the campus. Moreover, the AGTS being an electric-ran transport system, helps mitigate the effects of climate change.
Meanwhile, UP Diliman Chancellor Caesar Saloma said the AGT test site also serves as a good laboratory site for the university’s engineering students.
Like the Manila Metro Rail Transit (MRT) in EDSA, the DOST-UP AGT is fully-air-conditioned, spacious, and has a fine industrial design. One difference of the AGT over the former, on the other hand, is the lack of cables suspended above and along the track as its DC-electrical system is built along the guideway itself. This gives it a “cleaner look” according to its designers.
The train’s 465-meter guideway or test track stretches from the College of Fine Arts to CP Garcia Avenue, where it makes a 25-meter radius curve to the direction of the University Avenue where the tracks stop. The guideway is made of high-quality concrete and stands at an average height of 6.1 meters.
The testing stage is scheduled to finish by June next year, while results and recommendations that will come out from the test will become bases for designing a regular-sized version of the train to be built in Taguig City, adjacent to the DOST Complex. The next AGT would accommodate up to 120 passengers, twice the UP Diliman version’s current capacity.
Meanwhile, designers of the AGTS also clarify that the AGT is “not monorail.”
“The AGTS was initially designed as a monorail but subsequent modifications from last year’s prototype no longer fits the AGTS into that category,” explained Engr. Elljay P. Mutuc, one of the train’s designers.
He said that what differentiates the AGTS from a monorail system is that the AGTS rolls on two rails instead of one. Moreover, the monorail has narrower guideways with respect to the coaches’ widths, but the AGT moves along two parallel bars whose distance across almost equals that of the coaches, he said.
One of DOST’s High-Impact Technology Solutions or HITS, the AGTS is being developed through DOST’s consultations with the UP National Center for Transportation Studies, College of Engineering, and the National Institute of Geological Sciences.
The project’s lead implementing agency in DOST— the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC)—constructed the train’s main mechanical frameworks or “rolling stocks”, and subcontracted local companies Miescor Builders and Fil-Asia Automotive to construct the guideway and the coaches, respectively, based on the design team’s specifications.
The Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) funded the project under the MakiBayan Program, short for “Makina at Teknolohiya para sa Bayan”, of MIRDC.
Meanwhile, UP has expressed plans to conduct a study on the marketability of the AGT, and pledged full commitment to provide the test site its needed security. (PCOO/DOST)
Popular Tags
abaca art bamboo bed bench book buddha candle holder center table chair clock coffee table console console table design desk dining chair dining set dining table divider floor lamp frame glass ig instagram kamagong lamp metal mirror photography pr rattan set shelves side table stainless steel stool storage table tv rack vase wall clock wood woodwork
Quick Links |
Recently Posted
- Happy New Year 2024!
- New Leoque!
- Condominium Living Room Furniture Design and Supply
- Acacia wood buffet cabinet with wine rack
- Custom wall accent, wall planter
- Single bed with headboard
- Bedroom furniture set, bed and night tables
- King-size bed, wood frame with headboard and night tables
- Mahogany wood, shoe cabinet storage
- House of Leoque, CFIP Member Since 2013
Archives
Subscribe to our feed
Elsewhere
