PNR San Pablo-Lucena line will be back on track before June 30, says GM

This is a May 2019 photo of the Philippine National Railways. Philippine Daily Inquirer/Richard A. Reyes

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Railways (PNR) San Pablo to Lucena line will resume operations before the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.

“Before June 30, we will open,” announced PNR General Manager Jun Magno on Wednesday.

While they have yet to test the route to San Pablo for certification, he confirmed that the route to Lucena will be back in service by next month.

“Kung kunwari ma-delay ‘yon, we will reopen San Pablo to Lucena lang but…parang formality na lang na ma-check namin ‘yong bagong, rehabilitated Palicpic-Ayungin bridge namin and then, we can reopen the service already,” Magno said.

(If this will be delayed, we will reopen the route from San Pablo to Lucena only…but for formality, we’ll be checking the new, rehabilitated Palicpic-Ayungin bridge and then, we can reopen the service already.)

According to the state-owned railway company, the fare from San Pablo to Lucena is capped at less than P100.

“Iyong fare matrix niya — straightforward, linear — P1.7 per kilometer kami…Wala naman kaming boarding fee. Iyon ‘yong magiging fare niya,” Magno explained.

(The linear and straightforward fare matrix is P1.7 per kilometer…We don’t have a boarding fee so that will be the fare.)

Travel time is estimated to run from one hour and 15 minutes to one hour and 30 minutes, he added.

The PNR San Pablo to Lucena line, a 44-kilometer inter-provincial commuter railway, halted operations in October 2013 when an abutment along the route collapsed.

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