The Philippine National Railways is set to reopen the Naga-Legazpi route today (Wednesday), six years after halting its operations due to a lack of train coaches and locomotives.
PNR said there will be four trips daily from Naga City, Camarines Sur to Legazpi City, Albay, and vice versa – a 100-kilometer route that offers a scenic view of the Mayon Volcano.
Three new stations in Travesia, Daraga, and Legazpi will likewise be opened, PNR said on its Facebook page.
The line will have 16 stops, with fares ranging from P15 for the shortest distance to P155 for end-to-end travel. Students, seniors, and persons with disability (PWDs) are eligible to avail themselves of a 20-percent fare discount.
A party-list legislator said the resumption of train operations between Camarines Sur and Albay will further stimulate trade between the two major commercial hubs of Bicol and revitalize economic activities in the entire region.
Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Brian Yamsuan expressed hope the reopening would later lead to the full operation of the iconic Bicol Express line.
“This is a belated, but certainly a most welcome, and fitting Christmas gift for Bicolanos. More so now that they will be able to usher in the New Year with the sound of locomotives bearing not only commuters but increased trade and the bustle of economic activity in every train stop that spans the Naga-Legazpi route,” Yamsuan said.
He said the economic competitiveness of both Naga and Legazpi would be further enhanced with the reopening of the PNR line servicing both cities, with positive effects spilling over to the rest of Bicol.
But Yamsuan said reconstructing the entire Bicol Express line into a modern, world-class mode of transportation and connecting it again to Metro Manila and Laguna would be even more of a game changer for the region in terms of accelerating its economic growth.
Connecting Laguna to Bicol, the first package of the Bicol Express or the PNR’s South Long Haul Project is expected to reduce travel time between the two points from 14 to 18 hours to four to six hours.
Naga, which is considered Bicol’s financial, trade, and educational capital, is also the richest city in Bicol. Legazpi, on the other hand, is Bicol’s agricultural powerhouse and a center of retail trade, manufacturing, and mining.
“Increased trade and people movement between these highly competitive cities due to the resumption of the Naga-Legazpi rail operations means more jobs, better access to education, and more business and livelihood opportunities for Bicolanos,” Yamsuan said.