Fleet management technology to be introduced in Manila by PNR

Credit: GMV

Philippines National Railways (PNR), the Philippines’ public rail operator has awarded the contract to set up South-East Asia’s first railway fleet management system to GMV, an innovative solutions business group.

The fleet management system will run Manila’s local commuter trains, being utilised across the whole metropolitan area and, later, extend to the Island of Luzon. The project is expected to be completed by October 2020, and will provide PNR with an all-in railway fleet operation, management and planning system.

The new system will keep all users constantly informed of the position and state of the train fleet and any operational incidents that may occur. It will control the whole railway operation in real-time, including:

• Monitoring train activity and driver behaviour
• Performing all regulation activities to ensure on-time running
• Supplying passenger information (bus-stop and on-train panels)
• Managing communications between trains and the control centre
• Supervising the rest of the onboard systems (radio equipment, ticketing equipment, the train’s own equipment, etc). 

The new fleet management system will be put into operation in 45 driver cabs with an onboard computer, screen and microphone for audio-text communication with the control centre, providing a receipt of real-time operation regulation orders and notifications to deal with any unforeseen running events.

The contract is part of PNR’s ongoing modernisation programme, which includes the purchase of new trains and setting up new trackside infrastructure. It will ensure the substantial improvement of the control of the railway service which has a current monthly ridership of over 100,000 passengers in the metropolitan area of Manila.