The Philippine National Railyways (PNR) will stop all operations in December 2023, after the Christmas holiday rush, to make way for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).
In an ABS-CBN News report, PNR chairman Michael Macapagal reiterated that new bus franchises will be issued to serve passengers affected by the closure. As of June, three new bus routes have been opened for “qualification process” by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB): FTI-Divisoria via East Service Road, Alabang Starmall–Divisoria via South Luzon Expressway, and Malabon-Divisoria.
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On July 2, 2023, the suspension of the PNR’s Alabang-Calamba trips took effect. Only Alabang-Biñan and Biñan-Alabang trips are available, but not for long:
PNR Alabang-Biñan trips
- Schedule: 9:32am departure, 10:04pm arrival, until July 15 only
- Fare: P15
PNR Biñan-Alabang trips
- Schedule: 5:24am departure, 5:56am arrival, until July 16 only
- Fare: P15
The NSCR is a 147km rail line that will have 35 stations and pass through 28 cities across Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and Calabarzon, stretching from Clark in Pampanga to Calamba in Laguna.
In addition, Macapagal revealed that the national government is currently in talks with two countries that are proposing to develop and build the PNR South Long Haul line, which will run all the way to Bicol.
“Once the agreement is signed between the two countries on a public-private partnership or maybe government-to-government or build-operate-transfer scheme, the Department of Transportation will issue a bulletin to inform our riding public, pero yan po ay tinatrabaho namin ngayon; in fact were hoping na by this July matapos na yang negotiations,” he said.
