The Manila Metro Rail Transit System is part of the main metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. Only one line exists within this network, and that is MRT-3, called the Blue Line. Although the network has characteristics of light rail, such as the type of rolling stock used, the system is more akin to a rapid transit system. The MRT forms part of Metro Manila's rail transport infrastructure, the Strong Republic Transit System. Although one of the original purposes of the system was to decongest Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, one of Metro Manila's main thoroughfares and home to the MRT, many commuters who ride the MRT also take various forms of road-based public transport to reach the intended destination from an MRT station. While this forms a comprehensive transportation system serving many parts of Metro Manila, the system has only been partially successful in decongesting the very busy thoroughfare. The expansion of the system to cover the entire stretch of EDSA is expected to contribute to current attempts to decongest the thoroughfare and to cut travel times on one of the Philippines' busiest roadways. The system is operated by the Metro Rail Transit Corporation, a private company operating in partnership with the Department of Transportation and Communications under a Build-Operate-Transfer agreement. Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Metro_Rail_Transit_System _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 218 BC: Second Punic War: Hannibal Barca had his first great victory over the Roman Republic at the Battle of the Trebia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Trebia) 1865: Slavery in the United States was abolished when the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was adopted. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Cons…) 1961: Indonesia invaded Dutch New Guinea to annex West Papua on New Guinea. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_New_Guinea) 1966: Epimetheus, one of Saturn's natural satellites, was discovered, but was mistaken as Janus. It took 12 years to determine that they are two distinct objects sharing the same orbit. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epimetheus_(moon)) 1987: The first version of the programming language Perl was released by Larry Wall. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perl) _____________________ Wikiquote of the day: Formerly we used to represent things visible on earth, things we either liked to look at or would have liked to see. Today we reveal the reality that is behind visible things, thus expressing the belief that the visible world is merely an isolated case in relation to the universe and that there are many more other, latent realities. Things appear to assume a broader and more diversified meaning, often seemingly contradicting the rational experience of yesterday. There is a striving to emphasize the essential character of the accidental. -- Paul Klee (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Klee)