The Bicol Express

For travelers the Bicol Express is the famous train linking Manila and Naga City.

The Bicol Express got back to life on June 29, 2011. Since then you can reach Naga City comfortably in a night trip of about 10 hours from Manila's Tutuban station.

The original Bicol Express was the last opened part of the Dagupan-Legazpi Railway known as Philippine National Railway (PNR). The first railroads had been built 1875 by a royal decree issued by King Alfonso XII of Spain. A first concession for the construction of a railway line from Manila to Dagupan was granted to Don Edmundo Sykes of the Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan on June 1, 1887. So the first railway line led from Manila northwards to Dagupan. The railway was 195 kilometers long at the time of its opening on November 24, 1892.

The maiden voyage of the Bicol Express was on September 13, 1931. The track from Dagupan to Legaspi was completely connected on May 8, 1938. Later the Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan became the Manila Railway Company. It was nationalized and its assets were acquired by the Philippine government, which expanded the rail network, only to have most of those improvements lost during World War II. Of the 1,140 route-kilometers before the war, only 452 route-kilometers were operational after it. The extensive damage to the system took several years to repair. During the 1950s the Manila Rail Company fleet of trains was converted from steam to diesel engines. Natural calamities such as the 1973 and 1975 floods disrupted services and forced the closure of several parts of the northern main lines.

PNR used to operate over 479 km of route from La Union up to Bicol. However, continued neglect in past decades reduced PNR's efficiency and railroad coverage. Persistent problems with informal settlers in the 1990s contributed further to PNR's decline.

On November 12, 2004 a train derailed in a ravine in Quezon province south of Manila. 10 passengers were killed and over 100 people injured. On September 27 and Typhoon Milenyo (Cat.3) on November 30 in 2006 caused severe damage to the network, resulting in the suspension of the Manila-Bicol services.

PNR need 5 years to repair all the tracks and overhaul the rotten machines. On May 22, 2011, a test run from Tutuban to Naga proved successful. On June 29, 2011, the Bicol Express from Manila to Naga startet in a new era..

If you aren't familiar with jeepneys or MRT&LRT, then we recommend to take a taxi.

Start your journey at PNR Tutban station. We do not recommend to get on the train in another Manila PNR station, such as Blumentritt or Espana. Sometimes the trains do not stop there and sometimes the stps are awfully short.

The Bicol Express somehow remembers other famous trains like the Andean Explorer in Peru.

The journey from Manila to Naga is as scenic as the one from Puno to Cusco. The distance and the duration of the ride are about the same.

There are some conditions for a successful operation:

• The tracks, engines and cars must be well maintained
• The train has to travel during day-time
• At least two cars must be equipped with an open platform for photographers
• A more comfortable restaurant car with an excellent international cuisine would do good

The Bicol Express could even outperform the Andean Explorer because the scenery is changing more often. Pinoys are excellent entertainers and could make music (no karaoke) and dance for the tourists.

This is not only a potential tourist attraction, it is also economically interesting. The Andean Explorer in Peru costs USD 245.00 (~ PHP 10,000.00) from Cusco to Puno, ten times more!

 

 

 

 

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