A FILIPINO, Chinese and Canadian investment group said a monorail can be constructed within three years to cover the cities of Mandaue and Cebu.
The group, who asked not to be named, told Sun.Star Cebu that Mandaue, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and Talisay City are feasible areas for monorail based on the initial survey of a technical team from China.
The investment group already met Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Mandaue Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing last Dec. 22.
A representative of the group said the monorail is the long-term solution for the traffic in Mandaue, Cebu City and the whole Metro Cebu since this has several advantages compared to the light rail transit (LRT) and metro rail transit (MRT).
“The LGUs of Metro Cebu are supportive of the monorail initiative and we hope and pray that everything will go according to plan,” a part of the press release read.
The group’s representative said they will enter a memorandum of understanding with the local government units (LGU) expressing that they will conduct a study for a possible monorail.
Viaduct
After that, the group will have a detailed engineering study with China Railway Engineering Consulting Group “to check the engineering challenges and to bring monorail to SRP (South Road Properties) from Mandaue United Nations Ave. (particularly near) second bridge via SRP viaduct which is facing the sea.”
A business case feasibility study will be done to determine the passenger count and possible fare.
“If things will go according to plan, it will take 3 years as assured by the monorail supplier to complete the project from drawing board to operation,” the group said.
The investment group is among the three foreign firms that expressed interest to build mass transport for Mandaue.
Quisumbing will meet another company who has done work in Europe after the new year.
In a press conference, Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna, who served as the Mandaue acting mayor, expressed his appreciation for the monorail project.
“Compared to LRT, it is more cost-efficient and aesthetically better,” Fortuna said.
Based on the project overview of the investment group, the monorail can run on a slim concrete beam, with turning radius of 46 meters, not like MRT/LRT that has a turning radius of 200 to 300 meters.
“The advantage of monorail is that the support column is only 1.22 meters diameter spaced apart every 20 to 36 meters. Because of this there will be minimal or no right of way requirement as the size of the support column is only the size of the average center island.”
One of the group’s plans is to have a terminal hub, which will be located at the foot of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, and 13 stations from Mandaue to Cebu City.
The monorail can go to the Banilad-Talamban area, where traffic is highly congested, the group said.
Last December 23, the investment group also met with Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza to pay a courtesy call.
They were also looking at connecting the monorail to the airport.