CEBU CITY, July 22 (PNA) — The Cebu City council has asked an inventor to submit a formal proposal for a magnet-driven elevated monorail mass transport system for the city.
Jose Guardo of Maglev Vision Corporation, the inventor of the Mixed-Use, Multi-Functional Elevated Maglev Monorail, earlier told the council the monorail is cheaper than the conventional train.
The monorail, he said, will also complement the city’s P10.6-billion Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, which is expected to be operational by 2017.
Guardo said the monorail does not use electricity but runs on the rail through magnetic levitation.
“No need for electricity for it to run. The monorail uses magnetic levitation. It floats and glides through the magnet,” he said.
“It’s like a train, but it has no contact with the tracks,” he said.
Guardo said the transport system can last for 100 years with lesser cost of maintenance.
Guardo said a conventional rail lasts 10 to 20 years, and has to be replaced.
He said the transport system can accommodate at least 60 passengers with the standard of three couches and can travel at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers an hour.
Earlier, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he was not keen on the system because it could block the city’s scenic views. (PNA)