Philtram Transportation Consortium, Inc. has asked the city council to support its plan of putting a tram in the city to solve its traffic problem.
Cerwin T. Eviota, company chief relations officer, said the facility will cost about P5.8 billion and that it will be funded by their company as it will also be the one to operate it.
However, Eviota said their proposal is to make the project a joint venture with the local government so that the latter will be able to assist it in securing the necessary documents as well as help address the right-of-way concerns.
“We hope to get the support of the city council,” he pointed out as the company has yet to start its feasibility study for the projects.
He assured the commuters that the fare will be very affordable as the company is “proposing two loops, one is the Lanang loop and the other is the Ecoland Loop,” he said, adding that the fare for each loop will be P10.
“We also have the infinity loop which will crisscross between Lanang and Ecoland. It’s P15 only wherever you hop in within Lanang or Ecoland infinity loop,” he added, adding that stations will be established.
Among these stations are the key government offices.
He said that the proposed facility tram combines the versatility of a train and three buses with the capacity of 300 passengers and a lifespan of 25 years.
It will also feature green technology as it will only be charged for 10 minutes to run 25 kilometers, and will also be using modern technology in its system, including an anti-collision warning mechanism.
The facility is seen to be PWD and children friendly because of its stability and that it will also be using a facility developed in Zhouzhou, Hunan Province, China.
“We understand that there is already a proposed monorail in Davao. Our design will complement with the monorail but with or without the monorail, our tram can operate and increase the movement and productivity of people and even products in the city,” Eviota said.
Meanwhile, Eviota suggested that the government look into new policies in relation to the transport system in the city, including color-coding as well as revising the routes of public utility vehicles.
