LRTA to put up research, training lab on railway technology at TUP

MANILA, Philippines - The Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is planning to put up a research and training laboratory on railway technology at the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) campus in Manila.

Lawyer Rafael Rodriguez, LRTA administrator, said that the establishment of such a laboratory will help budding Filipino engineers keep abreast with the advancement in the railway industry.

The research laboratory will focus on the localization of spare parts for trains, railway tracks and maintenance of rolling stocks.

Rodriguez bared that a container van equipped with modern equipment and facilities is planned to be set up at LRTA Line 1 Depot in Pasay City. It will be manned by LRTA engineers, TUP professors and railway engineering students.

The research lab, Rodriguez said, could be tapped to look into the proposal for a study on the utilization of solar power system in stations to minimize power consumption.

“As we bring innovation in our railway system, the solar-powered stations will significantly contribute to the global preservation of our environment. This is an effort also to promote energy conservation,” Rodriguez stressed. 

It was learned that the plan to set up the research lab was discussed when Rodriguez, Eleanore Domingo, manager of the planning department along with TUP Professor Enrico Hilario, dean of the College of Industrial Technology, Prof. Ian De los Trinos and some professors from the University gathered in a collaborative meeting last week at the LRTA office in Pasay City to address the needs of and benefits for both institutions.