The Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Main Line originally traversed South Luzon from Manila to Legazpi. The line was approximately 500 km in length, but the system has been reduced to two fragmented sections.
The current lines are used as commuter services and are not useful for tourism. If you are a train enthusiast who wants to take the train in the Philippines, then here is how to ride the remnants of the PNR South Main Line.
PNR South Main Line map
This is the official PNR route map.
This map is outdated, so I have made a map of the current PNR rail lines.
[View map of current PNR rail lines.]
Train routes and schedules
Two routes were operating when I visited in April 2026:
– Calamba-Lucena
– Lupi Viejo-Naga
The Naga-Legazpi line was still being repaired after being damaged during a typhoon in 2025.
I have a Philippines train travel guide which includes updates on when the Naga-Legazpi section will reopen.
PNR announces train schedules every day on Facebook and X. The trains are usually around the same time, but there was one service that was cancelled a few days before my travel date. Follow the updates to confirm the trains are running.
I watched the train leave near the station, and the level crossing is just a guard with a flag.
Manila
The PNR South Main Line used to start at Tutuban Station in Manila. The line from Manila to Calamba has been discontinued to allow for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR).
[Map of NSCR by the Philippines’ Department of Transportation (DOTr).]
The NSCR will revolutionise travel in the Metro Manila area, so this construction inconvenience will be worth it when it opens.
Official transit and rail maps in the Philippines are not useful, but there is a cottage industry of rail enthusiasts who are making unofficial maps. One of the best maps of the Metro Manila area is by Bernardo Arellano III.
[View full map on Flickr.]
This map shows the Manila Mass Transit System and the old PNR railway on the same map.
Tutuban Station
To start my journey, I figured I should visit Tutuban Station, even though there are no longer any trains.
There was a security guard at the entrance, but they let me in when I said I wanted to have a look at the old steam engines in front of the station. I could walk around the engines, but I was not allowed inside the station building. Fair enough.
Calamba to Lucena
Calamba is in Laguna Province, which is the neighbouring province south of the Metro Manila area. There are no railways that connect Manila to Calamba, so I had to get a bus.
Buses from Manila depart from the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX). Buses go through Calamba on the way to somewhere else, so just ask the information desk which bus to take to Calamba.
The bus takes about 90 minutes, and the bus dropped passengers off near the SM City Calamba Mall. This is not far from Calamba Station, but the train is now operating from another station in Calamba due to the NSCR construction.
I had time before the train departed, so I went to Calamba Station to have a look around.
The current Calamba Station is at PNR Halang Dos Flagstop. I went back to SM City Calamba and got a tricycle for 80 PHP.
As the name suggests, Halang Dos is a flagstop station, so there are no facilities such as toilets or cafes. The SM City mall is the best place for a food and toilet break before getting the train.
The line is a single track, and it runs at ground level through urban areas.
The arriving train reminded me of being in Hanoi Train Street, but there are no cafes with tourists here.
Tickets are sold at the station. The ticket to Lucena was 105 PHP ($1.70 USD).
This is an interprovincial train, but it uses metro-style carriages with seats on the side and straps for standing passengers.
This train used to run in Manila on the commuter line before it was closed. The old route map is still in the carriage, and I like how they have just stuck a piece of paper on top with the new route.
The trains are built by Inka from Indonesia (the first integrated state-owned railway manufacturing company in Southeast Asia).
The train was busy, with many passengers using it as intended as an after-work commuter service. I sat next to a group who were taking more photos than the average commuters. They were an extended family taking their first train ride in the Philippines.
I didn’t see anyone who looked like an international traveller. Not that this train goes anywhere of interest for the average tourist, but I usually see a random Japanese or Singaporean train enthusiast on these odd train trips.
I didn’t mind that PNR were recycling old carriages, but it was disappointing how dirty the windows were.
The windows were like opaque glass, and I could only get a view when sticking my phone camera against the window.
The total travel time is 2h 33m, arriving at Lucena at 20:18.
Something else to consider is that there is no toilet on board, so probably not a good idea to have an extra-large iced coffee before travel.
[Toilet at Lucena Station.]
I stayed in Lucena for a day to relax before getting the bus to Naga. I went back to the station to get some photos, and the original station is in ruins next to the current station.
Naga
The bus from Lucena to Naga takes about 7 and a half hours.
If you wanted to get the train for a short section of that trip, there is a train from Lupi Viejo to Naja. Lupi Viejo is about 60 km from Naga, and the train is used as a commuter service with commuter hours.
The bus doesn’t stop in Lupi Viejo, but it goes near it on the highway. You could ask the bus driver to drop you off, and then it is about a 1 km walk.
If you want to ride the Naga-Lupi Viejo train, the better alternative is to stay in Naga and do a return trip to Lupi Viejo. Depart Naga at 9:49 and return from Lupi Viejo at 11:43.
[Naga Station]
Like in Calamba, the train in Naga runs through the city at ground level.
Naga to Legazpi
The Naga to Legazpi section was suspended when I visited, so this was another bus journey. The bus takes about 3 hours, and it’s a scenic route on a good road. The land is littered with volcanoes, including the majestic Mayon Volcano.
[A view of Mayon Volcano (yes, that is smoke rising from the volcano.]
The road follows a similar path to the train line, and it must be a scenic view on the train (as long as the windows are clean).
The line reopened in 2023 after being closed for six years. After the typhoon damage in 2025, it was announced in December that the line would reopen in about three months. I was here about a month after this deadline, but it was still not open.
To complete the PNR South Main Line journey, which began at Tutuban Station in Manila, I visited Legazpi Station. The station is currently barricaded, but I saw some security staff inside.
They let me inside and allowed me to take photos of the maps and timetables, but I couldn’t wander around the station. I asked when the line might restart, and the response was ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Hopefully, when the service restarts, they have more services available than this early morning run.
The future of the South Main Line
The Philippines is planning to replace the South Main Line with the PNR South Long Haul. This would be a complete rebuild of the line and not a renovation. The line would also extend beyond Legazpi, opening up tourism potential for the Bicol Region.
[Map by Philippine Railways Institute, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.]
I am keeping track of the PNR South Long Haul at Future Southeast Asia (subscribe to the newsletter for updates).
[James at Halang Dos, Calamba.]
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