FILE PHOTO: Department of Transportation’s Cesar Chavez. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — Commuters who would be inconvenienced by the planned shutdown of Philippine National Railways (PNR) services should rest easy, as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has promised that alternate modes of transportation will be offered.
The Department of Transportation’s Undersecretary for Railways, Cesar Chavez, said that they are in communication with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) regarding the provision of trips over routes that will be impacted by the PNR suspension.
The DOTr has determined that halting PNR operations for five years to make room for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project is the safest and most cost-effective option for the government and its riders.
“Pero hindi natatapos d’yan ho ang kwento Mr. Chair, sapagkat kami ho ay sensitive sa do’n sa mga sumasakay,” Chavez told House of Representatives Committee on transportation chairperson Rep. Romeo Acop during Thursday’s hearing on the country’s railway projects.
(But the story does not end there Mr. Chair, because we are sensitive to the plight of the commuters.)
“So meron po kaming ugnayan sa LTFRB, ugnayan ho ito sa LTFRB para maalalayan ang mga mananakay [So we have already coordinated with the LTFRB to assist the commuters],” he added.
According to Chavez, PNR ridership has dwindled to a high of 25,000 as of now, which is considerably smaller from pre-pandemic figures of 50,000.
Of these 50,000, only 2,000 would be affected by the stoppage of operations from Alabang to Calamba.
“Ang PNR ho, ang operation ng PNR, bago magpandemic umaabot ho ng 50,000, pagkatapos po ng pandemic, bumababa po ‘yan sa 20,000, as high as 25,000, (paminsan) hirap pa ho silang makakuha,” Chavez said.
(The operation of PNR before the pandemic reached 50,000, and then after the pandemic it went down to 20,000, as high as 25,000, sometimes they find it difficult to have passengers.)
“Pero saan ho nanggagaling ang pasahero, ‘yong Alabang to Calamba that’s only about 2,000 sa isang araw. Therefore kapag inistop mo ba ang operation ng Calamba to Alabang maraming mapipinsala? Meron po, 2,000,” he added.
(Where would the passengers come from, the Alabang to Calamba line? That’s only about 2,000 in a day. Therefore if we stop the operation of Calamba to Alabang, would many be affected? Yes, about 2,000.)
However, the DOTr official admitted that most affected passengers would move from Makati to Tutuban in Manila.
“Ang mas marami nating pasahero ay mula dito sa Makati going to Tutuban, ito po ang ina-address natin, meron po tayong ridership study, may ugnayan po tayo sa LTFRB, kapag nag-stop ang operation, ‘yong mga dating gumagamit d’yan ay may masasakyan,” Chavez noted.
(Most of our passengers come from Makati going to Tutuban, so we are looking at this intently, we have a ridership study, and we are coordinating with the LTFRB to ensure that if the operation stops, those who use the train can still commute.)
DOTr justified the suspension of the PNR operations, saying that electric and other utility posts erected outside the PNR line would no longer need relocation which is both expensive and hazardous.
As it stands, the NSCR project is an elevated rail system that would mostly be placed above the PNR line, which is an at-grade railway.
“We need to stop the operation of PNR because our objective is to construct the South Commuter Railway Project in sustainable focus and speed based on the timeline and a minimal cost,” he said.
“Sapagkat marami ho — ‘pag hindi inistop ang operation tulad ng previous […] bibili ka pa ho ng lupa, papagawa ka ho ng bridge sa Pandacan para magamit,” he noted.
(Because many things follow if we don’t suspend operations like the previous administration — we’ll buy land, and construct a bridge over Pandacan just to use the train.)
READ: DOTr says 5-year halt in PNR operations cost-efficient, safer
The NSCR project is seen to connect the provinces north of Luzon to areas south of it, through the PNR line. Last January, DOTr extended the target completion date for the depot of the trains, pushing it to June 2025 instead of October 2024.
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