PNR to extend service to Calamba starting Thursday

State-run Philippine National Railways (PNR) is extending the operations of the Metro South Commuter train service all the way to Calamba in Laguna starting Thursday to service more passengers amid the heavy traffic experienced in major thoroughfares in Metro Manila due to several road repairs and massive infrastructure projects.

The Metro South Commuter train service running from Tutuban to Mamatid in Cabuyao Laguna ferries between 60,000 and 70,000 passengers per day. PNR has increase the number of trips to around 74 per day from only 50 trips per day two years ago due to the growing number of passengers who want to avoid the worsening traffic congestion.

In its Twitter account, PNR said the service all the way to Calamba, Laguna from Tutuban would start on Nov. 27.

The service would now stretch 56.1 kilometers from Tutuban in Manila to Calamba, Laguna with 25 stations and passengers are charged between P10 and P45 each.

PNR general manager Joseph Allan Dilay said the agency was given a budget of P2.2 billion for the first time for 2015 to bankroll various projects to serve passengers better.

“This is mostly for the improvement of various PNR infrastructure and facilities, including the repair of rolling stocks to better serve the riding public,” Dilay said.

He pointed out that PNR is looking at acquiring brand new trains and at the same time build new rail tracks to serve the riding public.

“Hopefully, in the years to come, PNR can procure brand new rolling stocks and, at the same time, improve and build new railway tracks,” he added.

“PNR is all about progress. Every year, passenger ridership increases and we have to cope with the demand and the changing times. It is no longer the alternative mode of transportation, but we aim to be the main mode of transportation even outside Metro Manila,” Dilay said.

The passage of Republic Act 10638 by the Senate and the House of Representative last June 16 extended the corporate life of PNR by another 50 years to June 20, 2064.

“For the next 50 years, we aim to not only double, but triple, and maybe even more, our capacity to serve the needs of our riding public and meet the demands of the economy,” he added.

PNR is celebrating its 122 years as one of the oldest and most thriving mass transport systems in the country. It was founded on Nov. 24, 1892 as the Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan during the Spanish colonial period, and later became the Manila Railroad Company (MRRco) at the time the Americans colonized the Philippines, catering passengers from Manila to Dagupan.