Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan (Rep. Yamsuan's office)

The resumption of the Philippine National Railways’ (PNR) train operations between Camarines Sur and Albay starting this week is a "fitting Christmas gift for Bicolanos".

Thus, said Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan, who hailed the PNR and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for reopening the train trips between Naga City in Camarines Sur and Legazpi City in Albay.

“This is a belated, but certainly a most welcome, and fitting Christmas gift for Bicolanos. More so now that they will be able to usher in the New Year with the sound of locomotives bearing not only commuters but increased trade and the bustle of economic activity in every train stop that spans the Naga-Legazpi route,” Yamsuan said in a statement Tuesday, Dec. 26.

He said this development will further stimulate trade between the two major commercial hubs of Bicol and revitalize economic activities in the entire region.

More importantly, the neophyte solon hopes that it would ultimately lead to the full operation of the iconic Bicol Express line which he has consistently pushed for.

Yamsuan said connecting Camarines Sur and Albay by train will provide residents and visitors of Bicol alike with a more comfortable and faster transportation option, and boost tourism in the region.

He said the economic competitiveness of both Naga and Legazpi would be further enhanced with the reopening of the PNR line servicing both cities, with its positive effects spilling over to the rest of Bicol.

But Yamsuan says the full reconstruction of the entire Bicol Express line into a modern, world-class mode of transportation would prove to be even more of a game changer for the region in terms of accelerating its economic growth.

Connecting Laguna to Bicol, the first package of the Bicol Express or the PNR’s South Long Haul Project is expected to reduce travel time between the two points from the current 14 to 18 hours to just four to six hours.

The project, a priority of the Marcos administration, will connect to Metro Manila through the massive North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System.

Yamsuan noted that the 2023 Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index ranked Naga, first and Legazpi, second, as the most highly competitive component cities in the country.

This annual ranking of Philippine cities and municipalities was developed by the National Competitiveness Council through the Regional Competitiveness Committees (RCCs) with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Naga, which is considered Bicol’s financial, trade and educational capital, is also the richest City in Bicol with assets computed in 2021 amounting to P5.55 billion, according to a Commission on Audit (COA) report.

Legazpi, on the other hand, is Bicol’s agricultural powerhouse and is also a center of retail trade, manufacturing and mining. Its assets amounted to P4.24 billion in 2021, based on the same COA report.

“Increased trade and people movement between these highly competitive cities as a result of the resumption of the Naga-Legazpi rail operations means more jobs, better access to education, and more business and livelihood opportunities for Bicolanos,” Yamsuan said.

The PNR had earlier resumed the train route from Naga City to Ligao in Albay with nine station stops in July of this year.

Starting Dec. 27, the line will be extended to revive the six-year dormant Naga-Legazpi route.