1 dead as car rams commuter train

MANILA, Philippines—A 34-year-old man was killed Friday when his Honda Civic rammed into a southbound commuter train at a railroad crossing in Posadas, Parañaque City.

None of the train passengers were hurt but the car driver, identified as Archemedes Arboleda, died on the spot.

Initial reports showed Arboleda had ignored the crossing keeper’s signal to stop and the warning horn of the oncoming train.

“[Due to] the collision, the car was thrown all the way to the other side of the tracks, [blocking] northbound trains [and] causing some delays in train schedules in both directions,” the Philippine National Railway (PNR) management said in a statement.

The incident prompted the PNR to remind motorists and pedestrians to cross railway tracks with care, especially now that the agency’s trains are up and running.

“Regrettably, until such accidents happen, motorists crossing our tracks do not grasp the gravity of the danger that they face when they disregard warnings of oncoming trains,” PNR general manager Junio Ragragrio said.

Unlike road cars, Ragragrio said a PNR train needs at least 30 seconds and 100 meters of clear track before coming to a full stop.

“Thus, if a vehicle is within 100 meters of a breaking train, it will still be hit, possibly with fatal consequences to passenger,” he said.

Despite the state’s limited resources, Ragragrio said the PNR management has been applying all the necessary safety measures to avoid any untoward incident to motorists and commuters passing the 40 crossings on its railway lines.

But illegal crossings put up along the tracks without the PNR’s permission or knowledge, adding further strain to the agency’s capability to monitor the railway system, he said.

The PNR currently operates a commuter train from Tutuban in Manila to Alabang in Muntinlupa City. It also recently revived the so-called “Bicol Express” train line from Manila to Naga City in Camarines Sur.