The “development” of the Metro Manila MRT/LRT
An advanced city is not a place where the poor move about in cars, rather it’s where even the rich use public transportation. – Enrique Peñalosa
Contrasting the development of the Metro Manila MRT/LRT system with that of Shanghai’s (for calibration) from 1984 to 2013.
Contrasting the development of the Metro Manila MRT/LRT system with that of Shanghai’s from 1984 to 2013.
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This post is inspired by this tweet from @UrbDemographics that contrasts the development of the subway system of Rio with that of Shanghai.
We have to understand that there are certain economic realities that need to be taken into account before this comparison can hold any credibility. China’s economy has been growing an average of 10%+ in the last three decades. They have more money to spend on infrastructure. The best way for this to be more realistic is to compare Manila’s rail infrastructure to that of a similarly-sized economy like Jakarta’s. Indonesia, by the way, has an economy way bigger than the Philippines’, and yet their first metro rail line is just coming into service in the coming years.
While it is lamentable that our metro rail line’s development is slow, and it sucks to ride the MRT and LRT due to congestion, it still compares relatively better than most metropolitan cities in the developing world.
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Thank you for the insight. The post merely illustrates objectively how our mass transit system has progressed/lagged in the last 30 years. This is how things are; this is reality, believe it or not. I didn’t discuss the why in the post as it is a complex issue. This is why I chose to leave it up to the readers to form their own opinion on the matter. No lengthy write-up, just some brief descriptions.
Be that as it may, with or without Shanghai, which is only used as a calibration tool in the illustration, I don’t think that the lack of progress is due to the lack of budget.
Also, as a matter of personal opinion, sometimes, it is better to compare ourselves, for the sake of information and perspective, with those who are doing better than us. Anyway, I’m digressing.
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P.S. On a slightly different note, this might be an interesting read: “A rich country pretending to be poor!” by Boo Chanco
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Fair enough with the economic disparity, But I doubt The Communist Party of China or even the United Front as a whole ever dealt with transport groups and a host of trade unions the way our government has in the last 30 years. Ever imagined a transport strike… that would last forever? Also consider that as far as mass transport in Metro Manila is concerned, the government has been subsidizing the MRT/LRT for years and NCR residents complain over fare hikes! What about the culture of Filipinos (particularly, people who live in the NCR) considering ownership of a vehicle as a status symbol? There’s more to it than economics as to why Metro Manila mass transport hasn’t progressed as much as other countries in the last 30 years.
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“There’s more to it than economics as to why Metro Manila mass transport hasn’t progressed as much as other countries in the last 30 years.” — Agree.
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Interesting. What should push Manila to expand the railroad network?
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Political will is definitely one.
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