The Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan train, forerunner of the modern-day Philippine National Railways. (John Tewell/Colorized by Bilog Bilugan)

The construction of Phase 1 of the P175-billion Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Long Haul project will start in the second quarter of 2020.

The bidding for the PNR line that will run from Calamba City in Laguna to Legazpi City, Albay, was completed this month and will be awarded to the winning contractor by April next year.

The PNR Long Haul stretch consists of a 639-kilometer standard gauge railroad tracks from Manila to Sorsogon, a component of the PNR Luzon System program.

Travel time from Manila to Legazpi is estimated to be cut down to less than five hours, instead of the usual 11 to 12 hours via public transportation and nearly seven hours using private vehicles.

From Manila to Matnog in Sorsogon, there will be nine major stations—Manila, Los Baños, Batangas City, Lucena, Gumaca, Naga City, Legazpi City, Sorsogon City and Matnog.

Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, who has been pushing for the project for years, said the project is a key to unlock the economic potentials of the Southern Tagalog and Bicol areas.

“It will be a major backbone of economic development in Southern Tagalog and Bicol with spillover benefits to other regions of the country,” Salceda said.

“When finished, it will enhance the connectivity of major airports and seaports in Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions, and provide a fast and reliable alternative transport system for untapped areas along its route.”

The PNR Luzon System under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is among the big-ticket infrastructure projects under an Official Development Assistance agreement between China and the Philippines.

The Malolos, Bulacan station of the Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan line. (Panitikang Pilipino Facebook)

During the Spanish colonial period, the railway system began operations on 24 November 1892—-the Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan line that spanned 195.4 km.

As PNR, it used to operate over 1,100 km from La Union to the Bicol Region, hence the Bicol Express tag.

Quoting DOTr reports, Salceda said the project’s Phases 2 to 4 bid documents will be completed and procurement done in the third quarter of 2020.

Phase 2 will stretch from Legazpi City to Sorsogon, which is 117 km long; Phase 3 connects Calamba to Batangas, a 58 km stretch; and Phase 4 from Sucat to Calamba a 56-km distance.

The project forms part of the massive “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program of the Duterte administration.

Salceda said the PNR Luzon system completes Albay’s multi-modal transport model—air, sea, road, and rails—and reaffirms the province’s role as Bicol’s regional hub and economic radiation center.