The Cebu City Council approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Tomas Osmeña to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a pre-investment study on a proposed Light Railway Transit (LRT) in the city.
This after Eldon C. Cruz, managing director of the Tranzen Group Inc., came up with a proposal for the LRT that will complement the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
“This MOU is non-exclusive. The City of Cebu may receive other Public Mass Transport Proposals, whether rail – or bus based, from the private sector during the course of the study. Or it may also proceed to execute, either by itself, or by the national government, any Public Mass Transport projects,” reads a portion of the MOU.
The MOU specifically stated the necessity of a mass transit system in Consolacion town that would traverse the Cebu South Road, specifically the streets of Natalio Bacalso, P. del Rosario and M.J. Cuenco.
The council noted the rapid motorization and increasing population in Metro Cebu which they said had congested the road network from Talisay City to Cebu City and Mandaue City.
The Tranzen Group linked up with Shimizu Corp. and Oriental Consultants Global of Japan together with some local firms to prepare an unsolicited proposal before conducting the feasibility study for the project.
The City Legal Office said the MOU is “legally in order.” Under the MOU, the Cebu City government will provide assistance in field survey activities, securing traffic data and consultations with barangays and stakeholders.
The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas proposed an LRT project with a subway component to replace the BRT which recently secured additional funding from the national government. /Silliman University Intern Alven Marie A. Timtim