PNR repair work delayed, almost 80% complete

The Philippine National Railways could have been back on track on Monday but rail maintenance works are still on the way to 80 percent completion.

 

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya led the inspection team early Monday morning together with PNR General Manager Joseph Allan Dilay and representatives from the independent rail assessor TUV Rheinland.

 

Of the 112 kilometers of rail from Alabang to Tutuban station, only half or 56 kilometers have been replaced.

 

Priority areas were previously identified by the PNR engineering team.

 

These rails are from España Blvd. to Pandacan, Pasay Road to FTI Taguig, and Sucat to Alabang.

 

Abaya explained that they cannot just reopen the railways without completing the missing and defective parts which can cause derailment of trains.

 

On April 29, around 50 passengers were injured when a train got derailed between the Magallanes and Nichols stations. The incident prompted the suspension of operations to make way for exhaustive inspection of the rails.

 

This time, the PNR used huck bolts in the rails as part of their anti-theft measures.

 

"Ang madalas nakawin ay iyong mga maliliit na piyesa. We are welding rails together. 'Pag ninakaw iyon, 40 meters na. Mahihirapan sila imaniobra," said Abaya.

 

Despite this, during the inspection on board a PNR train, officials on Monday found out that some of the replaced fish plates in the derailment area were again stolen allegedly by informal settlers.

 

Abaya says the problem with missing rail parts can be attributed to lack of fences in the stations and along the PNR line itself.

 

PNR is now beefing up security by installing CCTV cameras.

 

Since PNR suspended its operations, Dilay reported a revenue loss of P30 million.

 

On the other hand, PNR was able to save P14 million from operating expenses bringing down the losses to around P16 million.

 

Should the PNR engineering team complete the punch list given by TUV Rheinland, the railways operation is expected to resume in two weeks.

Apology

 

Abaya apologized to some 70,000 commuters of PNR for the delayed opening.

 

He also assured the public that once operations are back to normal, commuters can expect a smoother ride.

 

While maintenance works are ongoing, passengers were assured that no fare hike will be implemented until further public consultations have been made.

 

Meanwhile Abaya is pushing for the restoration of PNR's Paco station.

 

The historic landmark is now under the jurisdiction of the the Home Guarantee Corporation.

 

Abaya said they will do whatever it takes to take over the ownership of the historic building.

 

"No one could put a price older than the republic," said Abaya. —KG, GMA News