DOST eyes expansion of UP transit system

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is planning to expand its Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) from the University of the Philippines’ Diliman (UP-Diliman) campus to cover Commonwealth and Katipunan Avenues this year.

Recent talks with the UP-Diliman administration has made a commitment to take care of ironing out issues with “stakeholders” such as the UP ikot jeepney operators and drivers for the expansion of the 465-meter test track around the campus, DOST Secretary Mario Montejo said.

“This year, we may be able to go out of UP,” Montejo said.

Montejo said the DOST and its units, the Metals Industry Research and Development Council and the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, was keen on finishing the research and development on the AGT technology.

“We want to finish the development of this technology. After this, anybody interested in it can adopt it. It will already be past the development stage, the technology is already tried and tested,” Montejo said.

A flagship project of the DOST in collaboration with the UP System, the elevated AGT is emission-free and powered by electricity, similar to other elevated carriers abroad and the Light Rail Transit system in Metro Manila.