MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Railways (PNR) will halt its trips in the National Capital Region (NCR) by January 2024 while also gradually reopening routes in the southern parts of Luzon.

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“We’re going to stop operations in Metro Manila by next year,” PNR General Manager Jeremy Regino told Rappler on Thursday, October 19. 

“The trains in Metro Manila will be transferred to the southern operations. We’re now fixing Calamba to Legazpi City. So that’s where the trains will be running,” he added.

The stoppage of PNR operations between Malabon and Calamba will last for five years to allow civil works for the North-South Commuter Railway to proceed more quickly. The NSCR will be built along the same line being used by the PNR in Metro Manila.

This is set to affect about 30,000 Filipinos in NCR who ride the trains every day. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board is expected to give out more franchises to bus operators as commuters seek alternative routes following the closure.

More routes in the south

But just because trips will be paused in Metro Manila doesn’t mean that the PNR will be shutting down. In fact, for those living in the southern parts of Luzon, this means PNR trains might be returning soon. 

“The loss of Metro Manila actually will be the gain of the Southern Luzon and Bicol area,” Regino told Rappler. “Slowly, we are fixing the south.”

Since October 2022, trips for Calamba–San Pablo, San Pablo–Lucena, and Naga–Ligao, Albay have already been reopened. Right now, the PNR is working to repair bridges and tracks along the rest of the routes.

Regino said the PNR is aiming to revive the Naga–Legazpi route by December 2023. By the first half of 2024, the entire route from Calamba, Laguna, to Legazpi, Albay, will be open. – Rappler.com