The Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) has approved a resolution to create an ad hoc committee to handle the required studies for the proposed Baguio City monorail project.
In a press release on the Baguio City’s official website, it is said that the monorail, also known as the proposed Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) system, will be put in Baguio City and La Trinidad, Benguet.
The goal of the ad hoc committee is to “ascertain the conduct of a full-blown feasibility study” for the Php7 billion project, which aims to be an environmentally-friendly mode of transport in the said areas.
AGT was developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), with the goal of providing environmentally sustainable transport technologies that could help ease traffic congestion while also easing air pollution.
The goal should be possible since the AGT uses an electric train system that is also fully automated and driverless.
DOST’s Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) office and the Metals Industry Research and Development Center came up with an agreement with the Baguio City government back on December 13, 2013, to start a viability study for the deployment of the AGT train technology in the city.
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The study was done by Transport Planners, Inc., a private consultancy firm, and was funded by the DOST-CAR.
Going back, the said ad hoc committee consists of representatives from different government agencies in the Cordillera region. That includes the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communication, DENR, NEDA, PNP, and more.
They are tasked to “seek endorsements for the conduct of a full-blown feasibility study from the concerned authorities and agencies; prepare the terms of reference for the preparation of the full-blown feasibility study; oversee the conduct of the full-blown feasibility study; facilitate the conduct of consultations among the concerned sectors and explore for funding sources for the full-blown feasibility study.”
According to the pre-feasibility study, the Baguio line of the monorail project will be 5.2 kilometers long and will cost about Php4 billion, while the 2.1-kilometer La Trinidad lane will cost Php3 billion.