Over the years—especially throughout this pandemic—we’ve seen all sorts of ideas on how to solve traffic in the city. Regardless of whether or not those pushed through, though, doesn’t matter, because traffic’s still a mess in Metro Manila right now.
There’s one interesting proposition that, who knows, might actually come into fruition in the years to come: a podway system. According to a report by Cebu Daily News, the local government unit of Danao City has just inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with foreign firm Transit X to build a podway in the locale.
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Danao City podway project details
This mass-transit project includes a solar-powered 24/7 automated podway transport network that could span 272km, according to a report by SunStar Cebu. There will be about 4,000 pods in total, each capable of traveling at 72kph for metro podways and 200kph for high-speed podways. The futuristic car-like, string-based monorail could be the first of its kind in the country.
Following the signing of the MOU, Transit X will now test the viability of the podway system in the city. The company also offered an initial investment of $759 million not just to install the podway in the city but also to build a pod manufacturing plant in the province. Nearly 2,000 jobs are expected to be generated through this plant.
Each pod could replace up to 30 cars on the road, so this could be a sustainable and efficient way of solving traffic in the city. Transit X also says the fares will be “similar to existing public transportation.” The LGU also said that the pedicab drivers that could be displaced by this project will be prioritized in Transit X’s soon-to-rise manufacturing plant.
Only time will tell if this massive project would actually push through. But what do you guys think: Will a system like this—not cable cars—actually work in Metro Manila?
