The Strong Republic Transit System was launched to integrate the various rail lines providing
public transport in Manila
The transportation system in Metro Manila is currently inadequate to accommodate the mobility and other basic needs of a densely populated metropolis, the result of many factors and problems that the government has failed to provide or address. ...
in 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 ...
. The program was initiated by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House Deputy Spe ...
on June 14, 2003. It aimed to provide a "reliable, seamless and integrated mass transit system that would be at par with international standards" through the unification of already-existing rail infrastructure under one transit system and fare structure. The
Manila Light Rail Transit System
The Manila Light Rail Transit System ( fil, Sistema ng Magaang Riles Panlulan ng Maynila), commonly known as the LRT, is an urban rail transit system that primarily serves Metro Manila, Philippines. Although categorized as a light rail system ...
(
Line 1 and
Line 2), the
Manila Metro Rail Transit System
The Manila Metro Rail Transit System (MRTS), commonly known as the MRT, is a rapid transit system that primarily serves Metro Manila, Philippines. Along with the Manila Light Rail Transit System and the PNR Metro Commuter Line, Metro Commuter L ...
(
Line 3) and the
Philippine National Railways
The Philippine National Railways (PNR) ( fil, Pambansang Daang-Bakal ng Pilipinas and es, Ferrocarril Nacional de Filipinas) is a state-owned railway company in the Philippines which operates one commuter rail service between Metro Manila an ...
(PNR) Northrail and Southrail lines were covered by the SRTS project.
The Strong Republic Transit System
www.lrta.gov.ph, February 3, 2004
Links
The SRTS project provided for seven "links", i.e. interchange station
An interchange station or a transfer station is a train station for more than one railway route in a public transport system that allows passengers to change from one route to another, often without having to leave a station or pay an additional ...
s where commuters would be able to seamlessly transfer from one line to the other. When the program was initiated four links were in use. The Santa Mesa and Recto Link were added in April 2004, when the already under construction Line 2 became fully operational. The Northrail project has been cancelled in September 2012, as a result the Caloocan Link is missing. The proposed extension of Southrail services to Caloocan, which was part of SRTS, was not executed either. The closing of the loop has as of 2015 almost been completed by extending Line 1 with five new stations, unlike originally outlined by the plan. Line 1 would require one more station to connect it with Line 2. In order of operation the following links have been realized (color coding has since been changed):
Fare integration
The project aimed to unify fare systems on the lines through the use of contactless smart card
A contactless smart card is a contactless credential whose dimensions are credit-card size. Its embedded integrated circuits can store (and sometimes process) data and communicate with a terminal via NFC. Commonplace uses include transit tickets ...
s, similar to the Octopus card in Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
and the EZ-Link
The EZ-Link card is a rechargeable contactless smart card and electronic money system that is primarily used as a payment method for public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, o ...
card in Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. The integrated system has not been implemented, as the project was dropped. A weekly ticket which is valid on Lines 1-3 has been introduced in 2004 though. For ₱ 250 one can make an unlimited number of rides per day on Lines 1-3 during one calendar week with the so-called ''Flash Pass Card''.
See also
*List of rail transit stations in the Greater Manila Area
The following is a list of rail transit stations in the Greater Manila Area, which incorporates the Manila Light Rail Transit System, the Manila Metro Rail Transit System and the Philippine National Railways Metro Commuter Line. The list inclu ...
*Manila Light Rail Transit System
The Manila Light Rail Transit System ( fil, Sistema ng Magaang Riles Panlulan ng Maynila), commonly known as the LRT, is an urban rail transit system that primarily serves Metro Manila, Philippines. Although categorized as a light rail system ...
**Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 1
The Light Rail Transit Line 1, commonly referred to as LRT Line 1 or LRT-1, is a light rapid transit system line in Metro Manila, Philippines, operated by Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) and owned by the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA ...
(Line 1)
**Manila Light Rail Transit System Line 2
The Light Rail Transit Line 2, also known as LRT Line 2 (LRT-2) or Megatren, is a rapid transit line in Metro Manila in the Philippines, generally running in an east–west direction along the Radial Road 6 and a portion of the Circumferential ...
(Line 2)
* (Line 3)
*Philippine National Railways
The Philippine National Railways (PNR) ( fil, Pambansang Daang-Bakal ng Pilipinas and es, Ferrocarril Nacional de Filipinas) is a state-owned railway company in the Philippines which operates one commuter rail service between Metro Manila an ...
** PNR Metro Commuter (earlier names: Metro South Commuter, Orange Line, Metrotren, Commuter Express or Commex)
References
{{Transportation in the Philippines
Public transportation in the Philippines
Rail transportation in Metro Manila
Rail transportation in the Philippines
Transportation in Luzon