On the MRT: A capacity conundrum

The Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT) has been operating at 142% capacity since 2004.
New prototype trains have been scheduled to arrive in 2015, but the actual deployment will still be in the
following year.
After more than 16 years in operation, it is clear that the MRT isn't anymore what it once was.
What used to be an enduring symbol of progress and technological innovation is now just an
uncomfortable, accident-prone, and unfortunately, inevitable mode of transportation.
Operating at the level of about 500,000 passengers per day on a capacity for only 350,000, Transportation
Secretary Joseph Emilio "Jun" Abaya says the trains continue to be worn down from the excessive
burden.
It's best not to go with the flow
Ridership isn't evenly distributed throughout the operating day, so an adequately-planned facility requires
a little slack capacity to handle the peak hour load. When this isn't the case, passengers tend to build up
inside the system and congestion ensues.
The numbers here seem quite intuitive during peak times, the system is taking on more people that it
can carry, and the number of people that are left inside the train system increase. This peak is most
apparent in the morning at around 7am, and also in the evening at 6pm. So, if you regularly take the MRT
to work or school, it would be best to have a schedule that takes you away from commuting at these
times. It might also be useful to know that the traffic load doesn't taper off until you move ahead or
behind at least two hours from these peak times.
From a systems point of view, it would seem that creating differential work/school shifts would greatly
help even out the workload and hopefully make it easier for everyone. The MRT already runs more trains
during peak periods, but it seems that even the absolute maximum capacity isn't enough.

Supply shortages lead to rolling power outages in the

Philippines

As the 12th-largest nation in the world, the Philippines has a population of more than 100 million people
spread over 7,000 islands, presenting several electricity infrastructure challenges. Currently, the country is
facing growing concerns over resource adequacy in its power sector, as the nation is challenged to add
supply quickly enough to keep up with growing demand. In late 2014, Philippine president Benigno
Aquino requested emergency powers from the Philippine Congress to enable the government to lease 600
megawatts (MW) of additional capacity and to take other measures to prevent power outages in Luzon,
the largest island region in the southeast Asian nation.

Emergency capacity additions would be mostly met by diesel generators. Other emergency measures
include paying large customers to reduce grid demand by running their own generators, under the
government's interruptible load program. Supply concerns in Mindanao, the nation's second-largest island
region, have already led to recurring announcements of rolling power outages. An announced outage in
February 2015 was partly caused by a coal-fired power plant undergoing preventive maintenance.
The nation's power sector has been through years of transformation. The National Power Corporation
(NPC) once had a monopoly on generation and transmission. Following political regime change in 1986,
the Philippine economy experienced a series of reforms, including electric power sector
restructuring. Executive Order No. 215 (1987) led to the creation of an independent power producer
sector to spur private ownership of generation.