CE 310-CE32S5 - Principles of
Transporta!on Engineering
2.0 Philippine Transporta!on
System
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2.0 Philippine
Transporta!on
System
Introduc!on to the Topic:
Transporta!on has been one of the important keys
in the boom of Manila during the early and mid
1900's. In this chapter we will talk about the
development of the transporta!on from then to the
present situa!on of our transporta!on.
Intended Learning Outcomes:
1. ) Learn the history of the Philippine Transporta!on
System
2. ) Iden!fy the different modes of Philippine
Transporta!on System
Philippine Transporta!on System
The Philippine Public Transport System
The most common means of public
transporta!on in the Philippines are jeepneys, buses,
trains, motorcycles and taxis . According to the JICA
(2014) buses and jeepneys serve almost 67% of the
demand and uses 28% of road space. Jeepneys
dominate the road-based public transport with 180,00
public-u!lity-jeepneys na!onwide, according to
LTFRB. The Asian Development Bank in 2019
conducted a study and reported that Metro Manila is
the "most congested city" out of 278 ci!es in
developing Asia, with private cars taking up 67% of
the road space.
As of 2019, according to the Land Transporta!on
Office (LTO), the number of registered motor vehicles
is at 1,644,932, and that is only for the Na!onal
Capital Region.
Brief History of the Development of the Philippine
Public Transporta!on System (early 1900's)
Road Transporta!on
During the Spanish era, the most common
mode of transporta!on of goods and people are
through carriages, either with the help of horses or
carabaos.
Hotel Oriente, 1900 (courtesy Manila Nostalgia)
Binondo (courtesy San Juan Days)
Carabao delivery (courtesy Manila Nostalgia)
large caratela
Til
today, the use of calesas can be seen throughout Manila,
though not very common, as it now used for leisure
ac!vi!es and to a"ract tourists.
The Introduc!on of Automobiles
Although records weren't clear about the
exact !me of the introduc!on of automobiles
traversing the roads of the Philippines, it was during
early 1900's that signaled the transi!on from horse
and carabao carriages, to 4 wheeled automobiles from
the West.
Rizal Avenue c.1920
Calle Rizal, later named Ta# Avenue.
Taxis
Taxis were cheap, in the Fi$ies, rates were usually 15
centavos flag down and 5 centavos per 1/2 kilometer.
Yellow Taxi Junior, Plaza Goi! c.1940
Jai Alai, Ta# Avenue c.1941
Buses
It was also during the early 1900's that the buses were
introduced in the streets of Manila.
Passenger Bus, c.1928
A$er the war, the public had to rely on the trucks and
jeeps abandoned by the US military.
Libertad Express
Pantranco Bus
Double-decker bus along Dewey Avenue, now known as
Roxas Avenue. c.1970
Jeepneys
Known as the King of the Road here in the Philippines,
jeepneys were once called as auto-calesa before the
war, as a cheap alterna!ve to taxis which were
popular since 1928.
A$er the war, any func!oning vehicle in any form
were highly regarded by the public. Surplus military
jeeps and weapon carriers have been sold to private
en!!es and then converted with two rows to carry
passengers in each row.
First Sarao shop in Las Pinas
courtesy Ed Sarao
Jeepney folk art
short jeepney c.1960
Tricycles
Although the origin is unknown, the rise of tricycles
started a$er the war, most likly derived from the
Rikuo, the Japanese Imperial Army's licensed copy of
Harleys with sidecar.
Trains
The first railroad in the Philippines was inaugurated on
Nov. 24, 1892, nearly two decades a$er King Alfonso
XII of Spain issued a decree for the establishment of a
railroad system in Luzon.
The line was founded as Ferrocarril de Manila-
Dagupan. It became Manila Railroad Co. (MRRCo)
during the American colonial rule.
From Manila Central Sta!on in Tutuban, construc!on
moved northward to Tayuman, ending in Dagupan.
The Americans subsequently built a new line from
Bulacan to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, in 1902.
Shortly a$er, the rail line was expanded to La Union in
the north and Albay in the south.
Manila to Dagupan Railroad c.1885
Tranvia - aside from steam powered trains that goes in
and out of the city, and before the electric powered
tranvias inside the city, tranvias pulled by horses were
one of the mode of transporta!on in Manila.
Escolta to Plaza Sta. Cruz c.1890
courtesy J. Tewell
Ermita, c.1901
Introduc!on of Electric Powered Tranvia
It was also the !me of the 1920's that electric tranvias
hit its peak in the roads of Manila. Plaza Goi! became
the center of city's transporta!on network- the
Tranvias. The building of Santa Cruz Bridge in 1902
and the coming of the trolley cars established the
city’s center in the area bounded by Avenida Rizal,
Plaza Goi!, the Escolta and Plaza Santa Cruz –an area
that became known as “downtown.”
Electric Tranvia, Escolta, c. 1920
Interior of Tranvia
Plaza Goi!, later named Lacson Plaza
Tranvia Route
Post-War
A$er the Ba%le of Manila, the Tranvia would fall
ex!nct and never to return to the streets of Manila.
Tranvia Graveyard, c.1945
PNR, c.1965
Despite the post-war challenges, the Philippine
railroad entered into the modern age. From 1954 to
1956, the Manila Railroad Company converted its
fleet of trains from steam into diesel engines. Within
the following decade, the Manila Railroad Company
was given a new charter under Republic Act No. 4156
, and the company changed its name to Philippine
Na!onal Railways.
What follows would seem to be the golden era of the
railroad in the Philippines. Although the War
devastated most of its network, and barely fi$y
percent was rehabilitated, during the 60s and early
70s the train and the railroad provided the
transporta!on backbone of Luzon. It had also become
the wealthiest among government agencies in terms
of assets, with such diversified investments and
proper!es such as hotels, bus lines, and freight
services. The PNR would then experience another
decline a$er Pan-Philippine Highways were built
which favored private vehicles, buses, trucks and
much faster airlines took over.
Birth of the Light Rail Transit System
It was during the mid 80's when Filipinos first
experienced the engineering marvel of LRT Line 1.
Further improvements and addi!on of Line 3 and 2 to
provide transporta!on for more commuters were
made during the early to late 2000's.
Waterways
Small boats were used to transport goods and people
in the late 1890's.
Pasig River, c.1898
Shipping lines also have been widely used in the early
1900's. Carrying goods and people, the use of ships
have been efficient for their large capacity and
rela!vely low energy use.
Air Lines
It was during the World War II when the Philippine Air
Lines was formally incorporated. This was before the
war reached the pacific.
PAL enters the jet age.
Current Public Transporta!on System
Taxis
Although metered taxis s!ll roams the metro, the use
of taxis has evolved ever since, with the advent of
smartphones and internet.