the PNR comeback

[jpdm]

kontrahin natin....

paano yun security? meron bang guards kada coach? pwede magkaroon ng holdapan diyan ah...

meron ng guards sir. Selected station plus for each train.

[jpdm]

PNR inks deals with Metro Pacific, SM



President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (center) and other officials ride on a newly refurbished train operated by the national railways corporation. The government has been rehabilitating its rundown railway system in hopes of increasing tourist traffic and providing commuters with a public transport system that could be an alternative to Manila’s congested highways. — AFP


STATE-OWNED Philippine National Railways (PNR) yesterday inaugurated new train coaches and railroad tracks as a result of a $59-million upgrade.

Railway officials also inked a deal to build a highway over railroad tracks to connect Luzon’s two main expressways at the cost of P16 billion, and agreements with mall operators for commercial spaces in train stations.

Manuel D. Andal, PNR general manager, said the rehabilitation project was funded through a loan facility with Korean Export-Import Bank.

Six new trains were purchased for this project, while three were refurbished. Three more will be delivered next month.

Mr. Andal said operations start today with just two rounds, in the morning and in the afternoon.
"We are still in the trial period. We’ll study first the cost of operations so we can come up with fare schedule. For the meantime, we will follow the old fares that start at P12," Mr. Andal added.
"We are expecting over 100,000 passengers everyday in our first year and we target to reach around a million each day in the next few years."

Alongside with the inauguration was the signing of agreements with private investors.
The construction of a highway connecting North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) over the PNR’s right of way will be in partnership with Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.

"The road construction alone between Buendia station and C-3 station will cost around P16 billion," Ramoncito S. Fernandez, Metro Pacific Tollways president and chief executive officer, told reporters.

Rodrigo E. Franco, president and CEO of Manila North Tollways Corp., said the total length of the connecting highway will be 13.24 kilometers.

Mr. Fernandez also said P4 billion would be allocated for road construction from the C-3 Road train station to Valenzuela, bringing the total investment to P20 billion in a period of two to three years.

A deal was also signed yesterday with SM Investments Corp. and S. T. Best, Inc, an affiliate of SM Group, for the takeover of train stations to build station malls.

Riqui Raymundo-Hizon, president of S. T. Best, said almost all stations from Caloocan to Alabang will have station malls using the PNR property.

"Small station malls will be built by S. T. Best and the major ones will be by SM. We still don’t have any particular amount allocated for this project but whatever it needs, we’ll come up with it," Ms. Raymundo-Hizon said.

Two other deals include a partnership with Lacosta Development for a fiber-optic project on the right of way of PNR, and with Railways and Industrial Heritage Society of the Philippines, Inc. for a museum at the old Paco Station. — Jeremiah F. de Guzman

from BusinessWorld Online
July 15, 2009

This time in cooperation with other private groups to lessen PNR's dependence on government subsidies.

[H1Tman]

Operational na ba ito?

This is a good option for commuters from the South. To avoid the damn traffic at SLEX.

[wavecxs]

wow! I long for the day when I will take the train to go to Caloocan/Bulacan from Laguna. I miss my folks since we moved to Laguna kasi.

[jpdm]

[SIZE=4]Phil. National Railways has new coaches [/SIZE]

By Christian V. Esguerra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:01:00 07/15/2009

MANILA, Philippines—The half-naked man bathing outdoors, the woman busy with the wash, the child playing by the railroad tracks—they all had a singular expression of awe when the new train chugged past them Tuesday afternoon.


With President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as its VIP passenger, the Philippine National Railways (PNR) coach was nothing short of a spectacle, at least to those who continue to stay in the so-called “home along da riles.”


They waved, took pictures with their cell phones and tried to get as close as possible to the slow-moving train, simply unbelieving that the old PNR line had actually been restored to life.


But it’s true: With new and refurbished coaches, the PNR is alive again.
The President inaugurated the rehabilitated train system, which is planned to cut across 19 stations in Metro Manila from Caloocan to Alabang.
Later this year, trains will begin plying the Manila-Bicol route.


Work still to be done

By Ms Arroyo’s own admission, the PNR still needs a lot of work before its facilities and service can be considered world-class.


“She told us to still improve on the surroundings, to beautify them further,” PNR Chair Michael Defensor told reporters after the 30-minute ride from the Tutuban station in Manila to Buendia in Makati City.


Ms Arroyo apparently was not blind to the eyesore that would have greeted commuters once the PNR begins formal operations today.


Gone were most of the informal settlers (called “squatters” in the old days), many of whom used to dispose of their garbage by hurling bags of it onto the roof of a passing train.


Still, the sight of broken concrete, vandalized walls and piles of rubbish throughout the commute could not be ignored.


Affordable rates

The PNR trains will start from Caloocan and proceed to Asistio Avenue, C-3 (5th Avenue), Solis, Blumentritt/Tutuban, Dapitan, España, Sta. Mesa, Beata, Paco, San Andres, Vito Cruz, Buendia, Pasay Road, Edsa, FTI, Bicutan, Sucat and finally Alabang, with a 10-minute waiting period at each stop.


For their initial operations, the trains will travel only from Caloocan to Sucat. The Alabang terminal is not yet available because the government has just relocated the informal settlers in the area, Defensor said.
The Tutuban-Sucat commute will cost only P16, he said, adding:
“We would like to make this as affordable as possible.


“Our thrust now is—as we have seen PNR fail in the past—we would like to have a very strong private sector-public sector tieup so that this will be a continuing effort.”


According to Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, authorities are looking into the possibility of a single-ticketing system for all train systems.
Defensor said the SM Corp. might later come in and “take over the stations.”


Costs

Per Defensor’s estimate, the government spent around P1.5 billion to rehabilitate the railway system.


He said 18 coaches were made available by Korea and 30 more were being repaired by Santarosa, a jeepney manufacturing company.(Huh?)


Defensor described the Korean coaches as commuter trains similar to those in use by the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), which, with their wide aisles, can hold from 120 to 150 passengers .


But with commuters sitting on a hard surface and facing each other, the coaches may not be feasible for long-distance travel.


The refurbished ones—with seats and comfortable leg room similar to those in a plane’s business class section—are more suited for the long Bicol route that can last up to six hours, Defensor said.


He said fixing old trains was less expensive at P5.3 million per coach than purchasing a new one at P100 million.


Long-term goal

Defensor said the long-term goal was to develop a railway system not unlike those in New York and Rome.


The idea is not far-fetched, he pointed out, especially with the impending connection of the MRT with the Light Rail Transit Line 1.


Defensor said there was also a plan to put up “a highway on top of a railway” to connect the North Luzon Expressway and the South Luzon Expressway.


“It will be shorter, and their cost will be less,” he said.

Good news for train lovers..

[jpdm]

Operational na ba ito?

This is a good option for commuters from the South. To avoid the damn traffic at SLEX.

Yes. Starting today. Bicutan to Tutuban. Using the brand new Hyundai Rotem trains.

[jpdm]

Manila Times
July 15, 2009

[SIZE=4]Refurbished PNR to Benefit Entrepreneurs[/SIZE]

SMALL businesses stand to gain from the revitalized Philippine National Railway (PNR), as entrepreneurs living in areas straddling the country’s train system can transport their products at a lower cost, the state monopoly said. Manuel Andal, PNR general manager, said the multimillion-dollar rehabilitation of the Caloocan-to-Alabang rail system would be fully operational before the end of the year.
Andal said the initial operations of the newly refurbished train would start tomorrow, running from Tutuban in Manila to Bicutan in the southern part of the metropolis. Tutuban is home to numerous discount wholesalers and retailers whose cheap wares end up as merchandise for neighborhood entrepreneurs in and around Metro Manila.
The PNR official said that two trains with three-coaches each will operate starting tomorrow.
“Our initial target for the first year of operation is 100,000 passengers a day and it’s expected to increase by half a million a day in the future,” he said.
The rehabilitation of trains and railway tracks from Caloocan to Calamba, Laguna was funded by Korean official development assistance (ODA) amounting to $59 million.
The project has two phases, the first of which involves the rehabilitation of all train stations and tracks running from Caloocan to Alabang, as well as the deployment of 21 brand new air-conditioned diesel multiple units (DMUs).
The second phase involves the rehabilitation of tracks and train stations from Alabang-to-Calamba as well as the deployment of 18 brand new DMUs.
The project would also involve the repair and reconstruction of existing bridges in Pandacan, Manila and in Alabang, as well as the installation of signaling and communication facilities.
Once completed, the average travel time from end to end would improve to between 30 and 35 minutes. The project would also entail fielding 21 new diesel railcars to accommodate 187,000 passengers a day.
PNR operates passenger train services in Metro Manila as well as in the provinces of Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Sur and Albay. In the past, it also served Cavite and the northern provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and La Union.
-- Darwin G. Amojelar

An inexpensive way of transporting people and cargo in Metro manila and nearby provinces...

[DonCamote]

This time, I may finally have to leave the car parked at home. Gas prices and parking problems and the 1 day car ban just isn't fun. Reducing my carbon foot print is now closer to reality. Makapag joy ride nga bukas.

[shadow]

how much ang fare doon sa first class?

[daily commuter]

FYI:

1. The DMU ROTEM units are for the Caloocan - Alabang service.
- Partial operation: Tutuban - Sucat

2. DE LUXE coach is a proto-type unit made by STAROSA.
- Bus builders (PARTEX, ALMAZORA etc.) will bid to refurbish old DE LUXE coaches from Japan Railways (JR)
- DE LUXE coach is for the Bicol service run.
- units will be hauled by existing PNR diesel locomotives from General Electric of USA.