Bicol Express back June 29

Five years after a supertyphoon derailed its operations, the famous train line that has inspired both cool nostalgia and a fiery dish of meat and chili is back on track.

The Bicol Express of the Philippine National Railways (PNR), whose on-off run since the 1930s has mirrored the struggles of the country’s mass transport system, is resuming trips to southern Luzon on June 29, Palace officials announced on Thursday.

The latest test run conducted on May 22 saw the Bicol-bound train completing the trip from Manila to Naga City in nine hours 50 minutes. The return trip the next day was about 15 minutes faster.

The PNR hopes that the reopened line would offer commuters a more attractive, comfortable alternative to buses, which also take about 10 hours to cover their Manila-Bicol routes.

Our Lady of Peñafrancia

Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office said the Bicol Express would initially offer “basic” commuter services between the PNR’s Tutuban and Naga City stations.

“There are existing stations (in between) but not all stations would be ready because some are still being rehabilitated,” Quezon told the Inquirer, adding that not all coaches would be air-conditioned at this point.

Full capacity service—up to four round trips a day—is expected to be achieved in September in time for the Festival of the Blessed Virgin of Peñafrancia. This would include so-called sleeper coaches and other amenities.

3 classes of coaches

President Aquino’s spokesperson Edwin Lacierda added that, as planned, the restored Bicol Express would have three classes of coaches, like the “tourist class” with reclining seats and in-coach movie and sound systems.

The other classes are made up of sleeping cars: one offering family suites that can accommodate groups of four to six persons per compartment, and the executive section with individualized compartments.

The revived Bicol Express will also have a dining car with first-class amenities.

“The projected journey of less than 10 hours will put the Bicol Express at a competitive advantage with buses, which take a full 10 hours to make the trip, while offering travelers superior riding experience at attractive fares,” Lacierda said in a statement.

The PNR rehabilitation plan also includes the renovation of train stations in Laguna, Quezon, Camarines Sur and Albay.

“With the forthcoming resumption of the Bicol Express, new impetus to tourism and the transport of goods has been given. The Manila-Bicol rail service this month is a promising start,” Lacierda said.

Sleeper coaches would cost P700 to P800 per passenger, while sections with recliner seats would go for P300 per person, the Inquirer earlier reported, quoting PNR officials in Naga.

The Bicol railway line stretches for 400 kilometers from Metro Manila to Naga. Its last regular run was in 2006, before Supertyphoon “Reming” ravaged the region.

The PNR had serviced the route as early as 1938. The line originally stretched for 479 km, traversing the provinces of Laguna, Quezon and Camarines Sur.

Devastating weather

In 1973, floods closed a portion of the railway. Two years later, Legazpi was cut off from the system when floods destroyed a rail bridge in Camalig, Albay.

“The devastating weather of the early 1970s devastated the south railway, and only token efforts were made to restore rail services. The railway was only rehabilitated in 1985 but deteriorated again soon after that,” Lacierda recalled.

The PNR experienced a recovery under then President Fidel Ramos. The Asian Development Bank lent the national government P1 billion to finance the rehabilitation of the line to Legazpi City. New coaches were also acquired.

During the administration of President Joseph Estrada, the PNR acquired 12-year-old coaches from Japan.

The rehabilitation of the PNR continued through various investments and projects under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and under the Aquino administration.

Air-conditioned coaches

The PNR conducted a test run on the new Bicol Express in 2009, but the refurbished train had to stop several times for repairs.

The railway has allocated P1.8 billion for the rehabilitation of the railway and P250 million for the acquisition of new trains and the rehabilitation of existing rolling stock.

Lacierda said Japan had donated an additional 83 air-conditioned sleeper and commuter coaches, which were expected to arrive later this year.

“The rehabilitated line will employ an additional thousand workers, including railway police, to monitor and patrol the tracks and junctions,” he said.

DzIQ Radyo Inquirer 990 AM is the exclusive radio station of the PNR. With Inquirer Research