The Hybrid Electric Road Train (HERT) is a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

trackless train A trackless train — or tram (U.S. English), road train, land train, or parking lot train is a road-going articulated vehicle used for the transport of passengers, comprising a driving vehicle pulling one or more carriages connected by draw ...

developed by the Department of Science and Technology of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

for

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

. The headquarter office is located at

New Clark City New Clark City is a planned community currently undergoing development, located within the Clark Special Economic Zone in the towns of Bamban and Capas in Tarlac province, Philippines. It has an area of approximately and will accommodate up to ...

under the town of

Capas, Tarlac Capas, officially the Municipality of Capas ( pam, Balen ning Capas; tgl, Bayan ng Capas), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines, and one of the richest towns in the province. The town also consists of numerous su ...

Background

The Hybrid Electric Road Train (HERT) was developed by the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and is part of the science agency's Advanced Transport Program under the Makina at Teknolohiya Para Sa Bayan (MakiBayan; ) Program. It was designed by Filipino engineers using locally available parts. It was meant to be an alternative to the

mass transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

system in

metropolitan areas A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

experiencing heavy traffic congestion. On August 11, 2021, the DOST signed an agreement with an

Ilagan Ilagan, officially the City of Ilagan ( ibg, Siudad nat Ilagan; ilo, Siudad ti Ilagan; fil, Lungsod ng Ilagan), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...

-based consortium for the manufacturing of the HERT in Isabela.

Specifications

The Hybrid Electric Road Train consists of five interlinked coaches with air-conditioning and runs on a combination of diesel fuel and electrical power via a 260-battery generator. Described as a "road train", the HERT operates on roads and does not run on

railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

. It measures long, and has a maximum speed of . Four of the train's coaches are meant for transporting passengers while a lone coach hosts the engine. Each coach has a capacity of 60 people for a total capacity of 240 passengers per trip. The HERT devises a

regenerative brake Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...

. There are two variants of the Hybrid Electric Road Train: the 160-passenger variant and the bigger 240-passenger variant.

Operational history

The Hybrid Electric Road Train was officially launched by the DOST on August 22, 2014. and had its "soft launching" at the

Clark Freeport Zone The Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone (CFEZ), often shortened to Clark, refers to an area in Central Luzon, Philippines. The CFEZ in Pampanga covers portions of the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat and portions of the town of Porac while ...

on June 25, 2015 at the Clark Freeport Parade Ground, where it was tested. In May 2015, the representatives of local government of Cebu City and the DOST signed a memorandum of understanding to work on the integration of the HERT into the city's public transport system. It was also demonstrated during the opening day of the National Science and Technology Week in

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

in July 2015. By 2016, the train with modifications has already been adopted by the

Clark Development Corporation The Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone (CFEZ), often shortened to Clark, refers to an area in Central Luzon, Philippines. The CFEZ in Pampanga covers portions of the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat and portions of the town of Porac while ...

to serve employees of its 1,000 business locators at the

Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone The Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone (CFEZ), often shortened to Clark, refers to an area in Central Luzon, Philippines. The CFEZ in Pampanga covers portions of the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat and portions of the town of Porac while ...

. On February 5, 2016, the train was demonstrated as part of EDSA Evolution, a road-sharing project by the Bayanihan sa Daan Movement and various government agencies. As part of the demonstration, passengers were transported from the

SM Mall of Asia SM Mall of Asia, also abbreviated as SM MoA, or simply Mall of Asia or MoA, is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, located at Bay City, Pasay, Philippines, within the SM Central Business Park, a reclaimed area within Manila Bay, and the ...

in Pasay to the

Museo Pambata The Museo Pambata () or the Children's Museum, is a children's museum in the Ermita district of Manila, near Rizal Park, in the Philippines. It is located in the former Elks Club Building, built in 1910, along Roxas Boulevard at the corner of ...

at the

Luneta Park Rizal Park ( fil, Liwasang Rizal, es, link=no, Parque Rizal), also known as Luneta Park or simply Luneta, is a historic urban park located in Ermita, Manila. It is considered one of the largest urban parks in the Philippines, covering an area ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. The HERT had its maiden demonstration run in

General Santos General Santos, officially the City of General Santos,; hil, Dakbanwa sang Heneral Santos; Maguindanao language, Maguindanao: ''Ingud nu Heneral Santos''; Blaan language, Blaan: ''Banwe Dadiangas''; Tboli language, Tboli: ''Benwu Dadiangas'' ...

on November 15, 2017 as a prelude to a trial run of the vehicle for as long as five months.

References

{{reflist Hybrid locomotives Proposed public transportation in the Philippines Department of Science and Technology (Philippines)

Background

Specifications

Operational history

See also

References