Bicol express returns
The train service to the southern region (from which the famous spicy dish was named after) is back. Chugging and snaking its heavy metal body through a 10- to 11-hour track ride, the Bicol Express makes a formidable competitor to the lazy boy bus rides and the quick plane trips.
Offering three types of service, commuters to Naga City can choose to ride in a reclining seat (Php548.00), a family sleeper (Php665.00) or an executive sleeper (Php998.00). Seeing that it was cheaper than a bus ticket (for the just-concluded CamSur International Marathon weekend), we tried the reclining coach going to Naga and the regular or family cabin on the way back to Manila.
It did not disappoint.
Although I was expecting a grander albeit newer exterior, the train’s interiors are clean, spacious and well-lit.
The reclining seats are located at the last two coaches with a 50 – 60 passenger capacity. It has overhead baggage cabins and one LCD TV. The leg room is wide (I could stretch my legs!) and the seat’s back reclines to almost 300 degrees.
The sleeper cabins are located at the first two coaches with one cabin good for four people. It has double decked beds sized roughly 2 by 7 (feet). It is long enough for you to place your baggage inside. For privacy, each bed has thick curtains secured by velcro tapes. Once drawn, you can use the bedside light to freely move around inside.
Toilets are located between coaches two and three with one cubicle each for men and women. A wash basin is located outside each cubicle.
Passengers can board the Bicol Express at Tutuban, Espana, Pasay Road and Alabang. Provincial stopovers are Lucena, Hondagua, Tagkawayan, Ragay, Sipocot and Libmanan. For tickets and helpful information, best to call the PNR seat reservation hotline at +632 319 0044 or 319 0041 local 104.
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Bicol express returns « Always Wandering | Planet Bicol
September 27, 2011 at 8:49 PM
Yay to you.
Been meaning to ride that train, erm, because it was used in some Hong Kong movie I like. Hehe.
Ced
September 29, 2011 at 12:32 AM
haha! go lang.
Katie
September 29, 2011 at 8:11 AM
you got to try it already?! wow! i’m glad it did not disappoint.. hope to try it one of this days.
Happy Sole
October 1, 2011 at 9:03 AM
hope you’ll enjoy it when you do!
Katie
October 1, 2011 at 9:41 AM
The executive sleeper sounds luxurious, even better than the 29-seater bus, hope they extend the route all the way to Legaspi soon. I would love to try it too.
lakwatseradeprimera
October 1, 2011 at 2:13 PM
it probably helped that we were too tired from the run. we slept really well that night.
)
Katie
October 4, 2011 at 12:27 PM
So excited to try this too! I’m itching to revisit Bicol to explore the region further.
pinaywanderwoman
October 5, 2011 at 10:12 PM
yey! go, go, go! i want to ride it again when it extends its route.
Katie
October 6, 2011 at 8:08 AM
wanna try going to manila riding the train..hope they can fully recover the train’s trail up to Albay so i don’t have to go to Naga City.
June | iXplore
October 18, 2011 at 2:17 PM
hopefully this will be available soon!
Katie
October 18, 2011 at 2:39 PM
wow thanks for the info! I’m planning to go bicol this december!
ian dela pena
October 25, 2011 at 12:14 PM
you’re welcome! hope you found it useful.
Katie
October 25, 2011 at 1:24 PM
how about booking? are they accepting advance booking?
jb
October 25, 2011 at 2:53 PM
yes, they do. you can call the PNR seat reservation hotline at +632 319 0044 or 319 0041 local 104. when you give them your details, they will give you the deadline for purchasing the tickets.
Katie
October 25, 2011 at 3:22 PM
I’ve been meaning to take this train just for the heck of it! Thanks for the info. The executive sleeper seems like a nice choice for me.
Vikki
November 1, 2011 at 10:36 AM
you’re welcome and have a safe trip.
Katie
November 2, 2011 at 8:14 AM
Katie, I tried the sleeper coach when I went home for the Undas. It was quite comfortable and definitely better than the bus ride.
jlatun
November 16, 2011 at 4:26 PM
i couldn’t agree more!
Katie
November 16, 2011 at 4:35 PM
I should have read this before taking the bus back from Naga- that was a bit of a nightmare with all the roadworks and checkpoints.
chiefmadapple
April 27, 2012 at 8:28 PM
it has its own downsides.
Katie
May 1, 2012 at 8:55 AM
Sorry, did you mean that taking the train has its downsides? (Because yah, definitely, the bus is one unpredictable ride, especially when we had to wait for 1 full hour for 3 passengers at one stop.)
chiefmadapple
May 1, 2012 at 10:47 AM
yup! the train we rode had screens and grills over its windows. i thought i could get a “view” of the countryside during the trip. haha. turned out, they had those in place as a precaution. apparently, those living by the railroad tracks have a habit of throwing things at the trains.
Katie
May 8, 2012 at 8:52 AM
In Vietnam, one of our friends had a bag of feces thrown at him and it hit the train carraige wall and splattered everywhere! I don’t know if its just fun for the kids, jealousy (that other people have and they don’t) -or- both.
chiefmadapple
May 8, 2012 at 9:11 AM
ack. too bad for them! we heard bottles (of beer most likely) hitting the coaches in the middle of the night during our train ride.
Katie
May 8, 2012 at 9:26 AM