| PNR North Main Line | |
|---|---|
 Solis station in 2011 | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | Pangunahing Linyang Pahilaga ng PNR |
| Status | Closed[a] |
| Owner | Philippine National Railways |
| Locale | Metro Manila Central Luzon Ilocos Region Cordillera (until 1945) |
| Termini | |
| Continues as | PNR South Main Line |
| Stations | 6 |
| Website | www |
| Service | |
| Type | Commuter rail |
| System | PNR Luzon |
| Services | 2 |
| Depot(s) | Caloocan |
| Rolling stock | PNR Hyundai Rotem DMU 8100 class DMUs |
| History | |
| Opened | November 24, 1892 |
| Closed | 1997 |
| Reopened | August 1, 2018 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 6.4 km (4.0 mi) |
| Track length | 12.8 km (8.0 mi) |
| Number of tracks | Double-track Single-track with sidings (former) |
| Character | At-grade |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Operating speed | 40 km/h (25 mph) |
The PNR North Main Line (Filipino: Pangunahing Linyang Pahilaga ng PNR, simply known as PNR North or Northrail) is one of the two trunk lines of the Philippine National Railways in the island of Luzon, the other being the PNR South Main Line. The line during its maximum extent led to various cities and municipalities in Central Luzon and the Ilocos Region.
The project was originally proposed in 1875 during the Spanish era, and was constructed in stages between the 1880s and the 1890s as the Ferrocarril de Manila a Dagupan (lit. 'Manila–Dagupan Railroad'). The line was opened to Dagupan, Pangasinan on November 24, 1892. Further extensions to the line reached as far as Bacnotan, La Union with passenger trains terminating at San Fernando U station in the provincial capitol. It also briefly reached Sudipen near the provincial border with Ilocos Sur during World War II but was later dismantled in 1945.
Services peaked in the 1960s and the early 1970s until several factors such as fierce competition with the national highway system, increasing maintenance costs, natural disasters and the 1997 Asian financial crisis eventually led to the closure of the line in the late 1990s. The line only served as a connection for trains returning to the Caloocan depot. After 21 years of inactivity, services on the North Main Line resumed on August 1, 2018, with the reopening of Solis station in Tondo, Manila. More stations opened for the next few months with the latest being Governor Pascual on December 3 that year.
Like its counterpart to the south, the line is also slated to be rebuilt. The North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR) is being constructed in the area of Bulacan. Once completed, it will connect Tutuban station with Clark International Airport in Pampanga, and New Clark City in Tarlac. To its west of the line is the Subic–Clark railway which will initially be built for freight trains between the Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone and Clark Airport with an extension to New Clark City. Other railroad lines that are separate from the NSCR are collectively referred as the PNR North Long Haul. Currently, this last project is still being proposed.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).