The Philippine National Railways (Filipino: Pambansang Daangbakal ng Pilipinas), commonly abbreviated as PNR, is a state-owned railway operator in the Philippines, operating an extensive railway line on the island of Luzon. As of 2010, it operates two commuter rail services in Metro Manila and the Bicol Region. The commuter line in Metro Manila is part of the Strong Republic Transit System and is referred to as the Orange Line.
In 2007 the Philippine government initiated a rehabilitation project aiming to remove informal settlers from the PNR right-of-way, revitalize commuter services in Metro Manila, and restore the Manila-Bicol route as well as lost services in Northern Luzon. In July 2009, PNR unveiled a new corporate identity and inaugurated new rolling stock. source
This is what it looked like waaaaaay back.
We once resided in Makati that is why I know that traffic in Osmeña Highway sucks! Tss! That is why when I got accepted in a company along Osmeña Highway my first question was- "How will I get there everyday without being late!?". Then it dawned on me, I have another problem- my sleeping habit. Plus! I am not a morning person. Accckk.. When I say that I loooooove to sleep, it is an understatement. I call my "worries"- The terrible two! Hahaha
On my first day to work, while I was in the cab I saw the PNR railroad track and a station near our office. I tried it the following day. Little did I know that the train schedule is unlike that of LRT and MRT. From the first trip (around 6 am, I guess) up to 8:20 a.m, train intervals is per 30 minutes. Beyond that the intervals is per hour already. Good thing I was at the station around 7:10 am and boarded the 7:20 am train or else I have to wait for another 30 minutes and be errr late.
This is what it looks like today.
From my Point of Origin to Point of Destination, it only took around 15 minutes. That is 7 stations in all, including POO and POD. Quite fast. But there is another problem with this line- (see picture below)
There are so many people in each station
This is due to the long train intervals. Within the 30-minute wait (in the morning), the number of waiting passengers is piling up. Good thing the trains are air conditioned. Although sometimes I couldn't feel it because nag-aagawan ang mga tao sa hangin.. Hahaha
This actually happens in our own PNR.
The are a lot of passengers that the train could not accommodate all of its patrons. I wanted to take a picture of my actual experience but more often than not I couldn't move even a finger inside the train. I feel like we were sardines inside the can. I hope the government would procure more trains for this line so that there will be more train schedule and less waiting time for the busy public. I am really envious of the HongKong MTR- very efficient and the passengers are disciplined. But I will still take this mode of transportation because this is the best choice I have, for now. Hey! Who am I to complain when the train I am riding now is way better than what others used to take years back. I am crossing my fingers that soon this line will be the same as that of LRT2, the best mass rail transit we have in the country.
*Pictures were ALL copied from Google.
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