Roque wants to revive ‘Bicol Express’

MANILA, Philippines — UniTeam senatorial candidate Harry Roque has assured Bicolanos of fast travel and efficient product delivery once the “Bicol Express” train route connecting Manila to Bicol region becomes fully operational.

Roque said that travel from Manila to Bicol and vice versa would only take five hours for passengers with the resumption of the express train.

“We will continue the Bicol Express project. We will return the train route from Manila to Legazpi but this time the train will run at 142 kilometers per hour, which will save commuters five hours in their travel,” he said in Filipino.

The Bicol Express train of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) operated from the 1930s to the early 2000s until it shut down in 2006 because of the damage caused by Typhoons Reming and Milenyo.

The Duterte administration has begun the construction of a new 560-kilometer Bicol Express line. Package 1 covers the first 380 kilometers from Banlic, Calamba to Daraga in Albay, according to PNR general manager Junn Magno. It is expected to be completed by 2024 and will be operational by the third quarter of 2025.

The other PNR Bicol contract packages are expected to be finished between 2024 and 2026, with the entire PNR Bicol line scheduled to be operational by 2027.

Roque said that when the Bicol Express becomes fully operational, speedy delivery of products and efficient commerce would boost the region’s income.