PNR partly resumes trips to Bicol

DONE BY FEBRUARY 2026 The railway bridge in Guinobatan town, Albay, which was damaged by Supertyphoon “Uwan” (Fung-wong) in early November, remains impassable as repair work continues. According to the Philippine National Railways (PNR), trips between Legazpi City and Naga City are expected to resume by February 2026. —PNR PHOTO

NAGA CITY—The Philippine National Railways (PNR) will resume parts of its Bicol operations this month after services were suspended due to the onslaught of Supertyphoon “Uwan” (international name: Fung-wong) early in November.

The rehabilitation and repair works to restore the two daily trips between Legazpi City in Albay and Naga City in Camarines Sur would take at least three months, but those between Quezon and Camarines Sur have resumed, according to PNR General Manager Deovanni Miranda.

The Naga–Legazpi route remains suspended as repairs continue on a damaged bridge and portions of the rail line in Guinobatan town, he added.

“The PNR train is not yet operating the Naga–Legazpi routes. We are currently servicing passengers in Camarines Sur, especially those traveling from Naga City to Lupi town,” Miranda said over the weekend.

He added that the round trip between the City of Calamba in Laguna and Lucena City in Quezon is also operational.

Miranda said the agency is fast-tracking the repair of the Guinobatan Bridge, which is expected to be completed within three months. The estimated damage to the railway system caused by Uwan is pegged at around P20 million, covering repairs in Guinobatan, Albay and Ragay town in Camarines Sur.

Timetable

“We will not wait for the full three months. By the first or second week of December, the train will temporarily cater to passengers in Ligao City (in Albay), as the starting or pickup point and will travel to Naga City (and vice versa), to serve more than 300 commuters in Albay and Camarines Sur,” he said.

Once all repairs are completed, PNR aims to fully restore its services and extend its route from Albay to Tagkawayan, Quezon.

Asked about safety assurances once operations resume, Miranda said: “It will be safe because it will be tested via trial run and will be certified upon passing by our engineering team, particularly in terms of the bridge’s structural capacity. PNR has restored damaged bridge structures before in past calamities, so there is no doubt we can do it again.”