It's getting near on a decade and a half ago that my friend David and I travelled on down to Naga for a few days.
Down there we were to catch up with fellow Aussie mate Paul, inspect the line to Legaspi, ride the Bicol Commuter, and have a good explore of Naga station and yard.
Along the way we stopped at a number of stations, including this one in Tagkawayan.
Tagkawayan Railway Station is a historic train stop located in the municipality of Tagkawayan in Quezon Province, Philippines. It forms part of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Main Line, which connects Metro Manila to the Bicol Region. The station began operations for freight service on January 11, 1938, and opened for passenger service shortly after, on January 31 of the same year. This expansion was a major part of the Manila–Legazpi line, which was celebrated at the time as a major milestone in Philippine railway development.
The station building itself is built from rubble stone, a common architectural feature of older PNR stations. It originally had a single side platform, but in 1939, an island platform was added between two of its three tracks to accommodate more passenger traffic.
Tagkawayan’s station is located within the town proper (poblacion) and sits at an elevation of around 8 to 11 meters above sea level. The municipality itself is the easternmost town in Quezon, bordering the provinces of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. It lies approximately 278 kilometres southeast of Manila. Over the years, several smaller stations were also constructed in and around Tagkawayan, including those in Manato, Kinatakutan, and Laurel, reflecting the importance of this rail corridor in connecting rural communities.
An interesting, though unfortunate, footnote in the station’s history occurred in April 1995 when an improvised explosive device detonated near the site. The incident was investigated, but no conclusive results were ever released.
Today, Tagkawayan Station is not in use for either passenger or freight traffic, but does see the occasional transfers pass through. It is however expected that passenger services will return in the future.
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Tagkawayan station looking towards Legaspi..
Photos: Brad Peadon
Tagkawayan station looking towards Manila.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Derelict old Tagkawayan station coffee shop.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Tagkawayan Engineering Field Office.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Tagkawayan yard looking towards Legaspi.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
An unidentified 7C carriage that was in use as as a dormitory for employees. It had been scrapped by the time I next returned.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Tagkawayan yard looking towards Manila.
Photos: Brad Peadon
Above and below.
Tagkawayan platform awning details.
Photos: Brad Peadon
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Video: Tagkawayan Station
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MrX, Nhing, and Onyo.
PNR Management & Staff.
wikipedia.org
Philippine Association of Rail Enthusiasts
Our Sister group.
Our Sister group.
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