MANILA—The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Monday temporarily suspended the Naga–Legazpi railway route after a bridge was damaged by a super typhoon on Nov. 9, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordering the agency to fast-track repairs.
The route, which serves around 400 passengers daily, will remain suspended pending an assessment and subsequent repair work on the damaged bridge, the DOTr said in a statement.
Marcos directed the DOTr to prioritize passenger and personnel safety while accelerating the repair of the damaged structure.
DOTr acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez ordered the Philippine National Railways (PNR) to conduct an immediate assessment of the bridge. PNR engineers are on standby to begin the assessment once weather and safety conditions allow, Lopez said.
To accommodate the affected commuters, the transport chief asked the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to augment public utility vehicles (PUVs) plying the area.
The PNR is also set to inspect the entire Bicol commuter train route to ensure no other structures sustained damage from the storm, he said.”The DOTr and PNR will continue to provide updates once the assessment has been completed,” Lopez said.
