Wishing for an interconnected lrt-mrt

The traffic in my normal route to work for the past days have been heavy so I decided to take a taxi and try another route yesterday and I realized that the concrete posts connecting the MRT (Manila Railway Transit) Station in North EDSA to the LRT Station in Monumento are already in place and they are already placing the horizontal beams to connect these posts, pretty soon the MRT and LRT will be connected.

I have heard that there will also be an LRT line along Commonwealth Avenue (the killer highway which is my main street) from San Jose Del Monte Bulacan up to Monumento. If that finally push through it will probably connect with the station in North-EDSA then to LRT-Monumento but I am not really sure. How I wish that the line along Commonwealth Ave (if it finally pushes through) doesn’t head to Monumento but instead proceed to Quezon Boulevard going to either Recto or Central Station in Lawton. Espana St. always gets flooded during rainy season and an elevated railway would really ease the burden of commuters especially those going to the University Belt.

One of the things I love about Hongkong is their interconnected mass transit system (their LRT and train system) that allows you to go almost everywhere just through that system. It is something that I wish for in our country and an implementation of their octopus card for our LRT/MRT would likewise be neat. Instead of holding the ticket-cards and swiping them in the entrance you could have a pre-loaded card in your bag/purse and just pass it through their scanners, you don’t have to get it out of your bag anymore!

I recall that Melbourne also has a good tram and train system but as I can remember they don’t seem to be connected as in the mass transit system in Hongkong. Trams can be taken along the road but you will have to go to the train station separately if you’ll take such ride and if you ride beyond Melbourne could even ride the Puffing Billy (I wonder if that old train it is still working). But the trams in Melbourne, I think are pretty neat, they sort of work on trust system since no one checks if you validate your ticket plus they have a free tram that allows you to see part of the city. It was one of the first rides we took when we went there and it was our van driver who brought us from airport to our hotel there that suggested to us so we get to have a quick look of the district. There is no tram here nor will there ever be one I think but it will be neat to have a ride (tram or monorail) that would take you around Manila and have a glimpse of tourist spots around the city.

Ahh just seeing those concrete posts set my mind to wishful thinking. In time I’m sure it is going to happen just hope it comes soon!