Transportation as a System
(Philippines Transportation System)
Reporter:
Cheryl Joy Boyayot
Mary Jane Orchique
Transportation Systems
Systems and their Characteristics
A system is defined as a set of interrelated components that
perform several functions in order to achieve a common goal
and is therefore an entity that maintains its existence and
functions as a whole through the interaction of its parts.
Characteristics of system:
1. For a system to function properly, all its components must
be present and arranged in a specific way.
2. Systems tend to have specific purposes within the larger
system in which they are embedded, and this is what gives
a system the integrity that holds it together. For
transportation systems, the obvious goal is to move people
and goods efficiently and safely.
3. Systems have feedback, which allows for the transmission
and return of information. Feedback is crucial to systems
operation and to systems thinking. For transportation
systems, there is a feedback relation between
transportation and land use systems.
Three components of transportation system:
1.Physical elements- includes infrastructure; vehicles;
equipment; and control, communications, and location
systems.
 Infrastructure refers to the fixed parts of a transportation
system These include travelways, terminals, and stations.
Travelways vary depending upon the transportation
vehicle or mode.
Ex: highways and roads, railroad tracks and air corridors.
Terminals serve dispatching and storage functions by
regulating the arrival and departure of vehicles and for
storing vehicles and cargo. They represent points where
users can enter or leave the system, and they serve as
intermodal interchange points for changing from one
mode to another.
Stations serve only a subset of the functions served by
terminals. They are primarily points of system exit or
entry.
Ex: include bus, subway, and railway stations. A parking
garage or a regional airport also serves as a station.
 Vehicles are the elements of a transportation system that
move along the
travelway. They include automobiles, buses, locomotives,
railroad cars, ships, and
airplanes. Most vehicles are self-propelled (e.g.,
automobiles, locomotives, ships,
and aircraft) and some are without propulsion (e.g.,
railroad cars, barges, and truck
trailers).
 Equipment refers to physical components whose main
function is to facilitate
the transportation process.
Ex: snowplows, railroad track maintenance vehicles, and
baggage-handling conveyor belts at airports.
 Control involves the elements required to allocate right-of-
way. Allocating
right-of-way requires air traffic control centers, traffic
signals, and travelway signs.
 Communications systems link traffic control centers to
travelway equipment such as variable message signs, traffic
signals, transit vehicles, air traffic
controllers, and pilots.
 Location systems identify individual vehicles in real time,
using global positioning systems (GPSs) to track vehicles
such as transit vehicles, trucks, and emergency vehicles,
thus increasing routing efficiency.
2. Human Resources
Human resources, essential to the operation of transportation
systems, include vehicle operators, transportation managers,
and professionals who use knowledge and information to
advance the transportation enterprise.
3. Operating Rules
Operating rules include schedules, crew assignment,
connection patterns, cost/level of service tradeoff, and
contingency plans.
 Schedules define the arrival and departure times of
transportation vehicles
at the different transportation terminals and stations.
 Crew assignment involves assigning operators to the
different vehicles
(e.g., assigning bus drivers to the different buses in a
transit agency’s fleet,
assigning pilots and flight attendants to flights, etc.).
 Connection patterns refer to how service is organized over
the transportation
system or network. An example is the “hub-and-spoke”
system in which people and cargo are flown from several
cities to a hub area, at which point trips are consolidated
according to the final destination.
 Cost/level of service tradeoff involves setting operational
rules for transportation
systems, and doing so involves a tradeoff between cost
and level of service.
Example, for a transit agency, operating more buses along
a route would mean a higher level of service for
passengers but a higher operating cost for the agency.
 Contingency plans are implemented when something
goes wrong with the transportation system.
For example, a contingency plan needs to be in place for
traffic diversion when a main highway is closed because of
an accident or construction, for the evacuation of coastal
areas during a hurricane, and for handling surges in traffic
demand (such as during special events).
Philippines Transport System
History
Land transport
Vehicles
-In 1940, there were 50,000 automobiles in the region. The
carabao was used as a primary transportation source.
-In 1998, 1.3 million motor vehicles were registered with the
Bureau of Land Transportation.
Roads
-In 1940’s, there were 22,960 km of highway in the Philippine
archipelago. More than half of these roads were in central and
southern Luzon and three major highways of this island were,
and probably still are, Routes 1, 3, and 5. These routes were
two-lane roads with concrete or asphalt surfacing.
Rails
-The Philippines in 1990 had one main railroad line running
north out of Manila 266 kilometers to San Fernando City in La
Union Province and 474 kilometers south to Legaspi City in
Albay Province.
-The Philippine National Railroad began a project in 1990-91 to
upgrade its southern track system, utilizing a P1.2 billion loan
from Japan. When completed in 1993, travel time from Manila
to Bicol would be cut substantially.
-In 1984 a Light Rail Transit system began operation in Metro
Manila running from Baclaran in the south to Monumento in
the North. The fifteen-kilometer system provided some relief
from Metro Manila's highly congested traffic network.
Airport
-In 1991 there were two international airports: Manila's Ninoy
Aquino International Airport and Mactan International Airport
near Cebu City.
-About half of the national airports were served by the main
domestic and international carrier, Philippine Air Lines.
Water transport
-There was a network of 622 Public and 314 private seaports
in the Philippine archipelago in the late 1980s.
-Six ports--Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga,
and Davao handled approximately 80 percent of public port
traffic.
-In 1987 there were more than 3,000 passenger and cargo
ships in the interisland shipping industry, with a total
registered cargo tonnage of 417,500 tons.
Present significant transportation network in the Philippines
Land Networks
Highways
Highways in the Philippines include national roads that can be
classified into three types: the national primary, national
secondary and national tertiary roads.
The Pan-Philippine Highway is a 3,517 km (2,185 mi) network
of roads, bridges, and ferry services that connect the islands of
Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao, serving as the Philippines'
principal transport backbone.
The Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) is one of the most
known highways of the Philippines, the highway serves the
National Capital Region of the Philippines, it also serves as an
important highway in the metropolis.
EDSA is the longest highway in the metropolis and handles an
average of 2.34 million vehicles.
Commonwealth Avenue serves the Quezon City area and has
a length of 12.4 km (7.7 mi).
Expressways
The first expressway systems in the country are the North
Luzon Expressway formerly known as “North Diversion Road”
and the South Luzon Expressway, formerly known as “South
Super Highway”. Both were built in the 1970s, during the
presidency of Ferdinand Marcos.
 North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)
-is a 4 to 8-lane limited-access toll expressway that
connects Metro Manila to the provinces of the Central Luzon
region.
 South Luzon Expressway (SLEX)
-is another important expressway in the country, it serves the
southern part of Luzon. The expressway is a network of two
expressways that connects Metro Manila to the provinces of
the Region IV-A in the southern part of Luzon.
 Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway
-is another expressway that serves the region of Central Luzon,
the expressway is linked to the NLEX through the Mabalacat
Interchange.
The Strong Republic Nautical Highway links many of the
islands' road networks through a series of roll-on/roll-off
ferries, some rather small covering short distances and some
larger vessels that might travel several hours or more
Railways
Rail transportation in the Philippines includes services
provided by three rapid transit lines and one commuter rail
line: The Manila Light Rail Transit System (LRT-1 and LRT-2),
Manila Metro Rail Transit System (MRT-3) and the PNR Metro
South Commuter Line.
 Manila Light Rail Transit System or the LRTA System
-is a rapid transit system serving the Metro Manila area, it is
the first metro system in Southeast Asia. The system served a
total 928,000 passengers each day in 2012.
 Manila Metro Rail Transit System or the MRTC System
-also serves Metro Manila. The system is located along the
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA). The system served a
total of 400,000 passengers daily.
 Philippine National Railways (PNR) -remains as the country’s biggest airline company, it has the
largest number of international flights to the Philippines as
-operates a commuter line that serves a region from Metro well as domestic flights.
Manila south toward Laguna. PNR, a state-owned railway
system of the Philippines, was established during the Spanish  Cebu Pacific
Colonial period.
-is the low fare leader in the country, and is the country's
leading domestic airline. It links Manila to 21 different
domestic destinations in Philippines and to 39 international
5 Unique mode of transport in the Philippines
destinations with its direct flights. Launched its international
1. Jeepneys operations in November 2001.
2. Tricycles
Other low-cost carriers in the country include Cebgo, PAL
3. Habal-habal
Express, and Philippines AirAsia. These airlines have routes to
4. Kalesa
several tourist destinations in the country.
5. Pedicabs

Jeepney the most popular means of public transportation in

the Philippines. They have become a ubiquitous symbol of
Filipino culture.
Problems/Issues of Transportation System in the Philippines
Original jeepneys were simply refurbished military jeeps by
1. Traffic congestion and parking difficulties
Willys & Ford.
2. Longer commuting
Modern jeepneys are now produced by independently owned
workshops and factories in the Philippines with surplus 3. Public transport inadequacy
engines and parts coming from Japan.
4. Difficulties for non-motorized transport
In the central island of Cebu, the bulk of jeepneys are built
from second-hand Japanese trucks, originally intended for 5. Accidents and safety
cargo. These are euphemistically known as "surplus" trucks.
6. Environmental impacts and energy consumption

Waterways

River ferries

The Pasig River Ferry Service is a river ferry service that serves
Metro Manila, it is also the only water-based transportation
that cruised the Pasig River.

Ports and harbors

The busiest port is the Port of Manila, especially the Manila

International Cargo Terminal and the Eva Macapagal Port
Terminal, both in the pier area of Manila.

-Manila, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao, Clark, Subic, Zamboanga and

Laoag are the international gateways to the country.

Air transportation

Airports

 Ninoy Aquino International Airport(NAIA)

-serves as the premier gateway of the Philippines, it serves the

Metro Manila area and its surrounding regions.

 Clark International Airport

-is also a major gateway to the country. The airport mostly

serves low-cost carriers that avail themselves of the lower
landing fees than those charged at NAIA.

Airlines

 Philippine Airlines (PAL)

-is the national flag carrier of the Philippines and is the first
commercial airline in Asia.