FACT CHECK: Post falsely claims PNR trip from Calamba to Lucena takes only one hour
Claim: A train ride from Calamba, Laguna to Lucena, Quezon via the Philippine National Railways (PNR) takes only one hour.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post containing the claim was sent to Rappler’s fact check email. The post, uploaded on November 15, has 33,000 reactions, 4,100 shares, and 2,900 comments, as of writing.
The caption of the post says, “Laguna to Quezon, 1 hour na lang! Hindi na mamomroblema sa trapik ang mga Lagunense dahil isang oras na lang ang biyahe mula Calamba, Laguna hanggang Lucena, Quezon dahil sa PNR!”
(Traveling from Laguna to Quezon now takes only one hour! Traffic is no longer a problem for the Lagunense because the travel time from Calamba, Laguna to Lucena, Quezon is now only one hour because of the PNR.)
The facts: In a Philippine Information Agency article published in 2022, when the Calamba-Lucena route reopened, the PNR said the travel time from Lucena to Calamba is two hours and 33 minutes.
Even if a person takes the train from San Pablo, the southernmost station in Laguna, it would take one hour and 32 minutes to get to the station in Lucena, Quezon.
Meanwhile, a Google Maps travel time estimate of the route says it will take two hours and 54 minutes to travel from Calamba to Lucena.
Relaunched: The state-owned railway company relaunched its Calamba-Lucena route in October 2022, traversing the provinces of Laguna and Quezon.
Since its relaunch in 2022, the route has encountered occasional suspension of operations due to maintenance activities. It recently suspended operations on October 23 due to the aftermath of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine and reopened on October 28.
The Lucena-Calamba line includes the following stops: Pansol, Masili, Los Banos, College, IRRI, and San Pablo in Laguna province, and Tiaong (Lalig), Candelaria, Lutucan, and Sariaya in Quezon province. The main stations are located in Calamba (northernmost station), San Pablo (connecting station), and Lucena (southernmost station).
The schedule of the Calamba-Lucena-Calamba route is posted daily on the PNR Facebook page. Train schedules for the following morning are posted at 10 pm the day before, while schedules for the afternoon or evening trips are posted at 11 am. – Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com
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