There’s one thing nostalgic and calming about railway journey that I get pleasure from every time I trip trains in different international locations. From the distinctive horn asserting arrivals and departures, the rhythmic clickety-clack of the wheels, the swaying movement on the tracks, and the altering surroundings of rural landscapes, touring by prepare presents a special expertise to what I’m usually used to.
On a prepare, you don’t must cope with site visitors on the street or the warmth and discomfort of different types of public transport. In contrast to vans which squeeze passengers in like sardines and confine you to 1 spot the entire time, you possibly can stretch your legs, stroll round, and discover completely different cabins on a prepare. Prepare journey could also be sluggish, however f you’re not in a rush, it can be very enjoyable . You possibly can simply sleep in consolation, get misplaced in a e book, or watch the surroundings roll by.
The final time I rode the PNR prepare within the nation was again in 2011 in the course of the short-lived revival of the Bicol Specific route from Manila to Naga. Whereas this long-haul route is at the moment suspended as a consequence of ongoing railway rehabilitation, it’s nonetheless potential to go on shorter prepare rides from Naga, Camarines Sur to Sipocot and Legazpi, Albay on the Bicol Commuter regional rail service.
I’ve been eager to trip the PNR prepare once more only for the expertise, so when a street journey round Albay and Sorsogon with Naga-based mother and father got here up, I made a decision to incorporate the 100-kilometer route from Naga Metropolis to Legazpi Metropolis in Albay through the PNR prepare trip to kick off the journey.
Coming from Manila the evening earlier than, I took Isarog Strains Bus Okay (e book tickets on-line right here), which departed at Cubao at 8:30 pm and arrived at 5:15 am simply in time to catch the primary PNR prepare departing for Legazpi at 5:38 a.m. The timing was a bit tight, so if you wish to arrive earlier within the morning, you possibly can trip buses that go away at 6:30 or 7:30 pm simply to be secure. In case your bus is delayed, you can additionally catch the afternoon prepare to Legazpi and arrive within the night, although it is perhaps too darkish to get a view of the surroundings. GoogleMaps is up to date with the PNR prepare schedule, and you’ll simply see what station you’re in with the GPS.
For locals who stay in Bicol, using the PNR prepare most likely feels as routine and abnormal as how metropolis people really feel about using the MRT and LRT. However there’s all the time one thing enjoyable about making an attempt a brand new route for the primary time. Driving trains in Manila isn’t precisely scenic, whereas this specific prepare route passes by means of Albay, providing views of Mayon Volcano, the world’s most excellent cone.
I needed to rush a bit from the bus station to the prepare station however getting tickets was easy. The prepare ticket from Naga to Legazpi prices P155 per individual, with reductions for seniors, PWDs and college students.
Not numerous passengers trip from finish to finish often. There have been numerous empty seats coming from the Naga terminal, although extra passengers acquired on at different prepare stations and flag stops. The cabins are all new and clear and the air-conditioning was fairly robust. Since I rode in a single day from Manila on a chilly bus, I used to be ready with a jacket and an inflatable neck pillow, which made the journey extra comfy.
In contrast to the front-facing seats and sleeper cabins discovered within the previous Bicol Specific, the seats listed here are all on the aspect, just like the LRT commuter trains. The trip from Naga to Legazpi takes roughly 3 hours, so passengers have loads of time to make amends for sleep on board.
Among the best components of prepare journey is attending to admire the surroundings. Sadly, some home windows of the prepare aren’t that clear as a result of the acute warmth has warped a number of the clear stickers and tint exterior protecting the glass home windows making their floor look cracked, so that you may not get the very best views relying on the place you sit.
I transferred to a seat close to the entrance of the prepare the place the home windows have been a bit clearer. You possibly can spot Mayon Volcano when you attain cities of Albay like Ligao and Daraga. Whereas it’s onerous to take images on a shifting prepare, you possibly can nonetheless benefit from the view. PNR beforehand shared this view of the prepare from the driving force’s POV.
In contrast to terminals with stations, flag stops are platforms alongside the tracks with metallic stairs the place passengers can board or alight from the prepare simply. Should you trip from a flagstop, you possibly can pay the roving conductors for tickets.
Through the trip, I ended up having a chat with one of many conductors and came upon that the majority passengers are day by day commuters who use the prepare for the shorter legs, moderately than leisure vacationers after sightseeing in Albay. He mentioned they’d most likely get extra passengers if the prepare left earlier within the morning, in time for workers and college students to get to highschool and work on time in Legazpi and Naga respectively (the trains arrive a bit earlier than 9:00 am on each ends).
For leisure vacationers on the lookout for a brand new strategy to discover Bicol, it’s potential to deliver pets (so long as they’re carrying diapers) and folding bicycles aboard the prepare, in order that’s one thing that may curiosity bikers desperate to discover Albay sooner or later. Sadly, bikers can’t trip and convey full-sized bicycles contained in the prepare (except they’re dismantled, packed correctly, and handled as cargo with a separate payment equal to 1 individual). Hopefully, they’ll change this rule sooner or later.
There was a slight delay within the Travesia station once I rode, which gave passengers an opportunity to make use of the restroom on the station. In contrast to the sleeper cabins of the previous, there’s no restroom on board the brand new trains, so be certain to go earlier than or after your trip. You wouldn’t wish to be caught at a random terminal because the prepare leaves.
The prepare rolled into the Legazpi Station on Penaranda Avenue at 8:56 am, about 14 minutes behind the anticipated time of arrival. Usually, the entire journey time must be round 3 hours and 4 minutes.
The top of the road in Albay is the enduring Legaspi Station, a pebbled artwork deco prepare station designed by Pablo Antonio Sr. (1901-1975), who’s thought to be the Father of Philippine Fashionable Structure and the 1976 Nationwide Artist Awardee for Structure.
This station initially designed within the late Nineteen Thirties is confronted with the Manila Railroad Firm’s signature stone masonry. Whereas the design feels very dated by trendy requirements, in case you’re a historical past buff, you’ll discover the classic look notable. I’m glad they preserved the unique heritage look as a substitute of constructing a contemporary station as a substitute.
I appeared for a restaurant within the neighborhood to kill time, however most locations weren’t open but so I hailed a tricycle to SM Legazpi as a substitute for brunch and to regroup with household who drove a automotive from Naga. In case you weren’t capable of get view of Mayon from the prepare, when you’re in Albay, you possibly can your fill from wherever within the metropolis from completely different vantage factors, together with the mall’s Meals Corridor on the third Ground.
to strive using the Naga to Legazpi PNR route sooner or later? Take a look at my full journey information with detailed schedules, fares, working timetable, FAQs, journey suggestions and extra right here.
