Paco station

Paco
Platform area of Paco station
General information
Location	Quirino Avenue cor. Pedro Gil Street Paco, Manila Philippines
Coordinates	14°34′45″N 120°59′57″E
Owned by	Philippine National Railways
Line(s)	PNR Southrail Former:   Cavite Line   Naic Line
Platforms	Side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	PC
History
Opened	1915 (original) 2009 (current)
Services
Preceding station   PNR   Following station Template:PNR stations toward Template:PNR stations Template:PNR lines Template:PNR stations toward Template:PNR stations Template:PNR stations toward Template:PNR stations Template:PNR lines Template:PNR stations toward Template:PNR stations
Location

PNR Metro Commuter
Governor Pascual Malabon Caloocan Caloocan Caloocan Depot 10th Avenue 5th Avenue Caloocan Manila Estero de Sunog Apog Solis Tutuban Railyard & Tayuman Locomotive Shed Tutuban Blumentritt Laon Laan España 8 Estero de Valencia Santa Mesa Pasig River Estero de Pandacan Pandacan Estero de Pandacan Paco San Andres Vito Cruz Manila Makati Buendia Dela Rosa Pasay Road Estero de Tripa de Gallina EDSA 3 Estero de Tripa de Gallina Makati Taguig Nichols  MMS  FTI  MMS  Taguig Parañaque Bicutan Parañaque Muntinlupa Sucat Sucat River Mangangate River Alabang Bayanan Creek Poblacion River Muntinlupa Magdaong River Tunasan Muntinlupa   Tunasan River   San Pedro San Isidro River San Pedro San Pedro Carmona Carmona Pacita Main Gate San Pedro Biñan Golden City 1 Biñan Biñan River Biñan Santa Rosa Silang-Santa Rosa River Santa Rosa Golden City 2 Santa Rosa Cabuyao Cabuyao River delta Cabuyao Gulod Cabuyao River delta Mamatid Banlic Cabuyao Calamba San Cristobal River San Juan River Calamba Pansol Masili Calamba Los Baños Dampalit Creek Los Baños Anos Creek College Molawin River IRRI Lucena-Legazpi

Paco is a station on the Southrail line of the Philippine National Railways. It serves Paco in Manila, Metro Manila. This is also the last station beside Quirino Avenue before turning left towards Pres. Sergio Osmeña Highway (formerly South Superhighway).

It was originally built across Plaza Dilao in 1915, which was during the American colonial period. The old station, however, was partly demolished in 1996 by a developer that begun constructing a shopping mall next to it. The demolition was not completed due to the cancellation of the mall construction, leaving the facade intact up to now. In 2009, the old station was replaced with a new station at the corner of Quirino Avenue and Pedro Gil Street. In 2015, the Department of Transportation and Communications started plans to restore and conserve the old Paco railway station building. Heritage advocates including the Heritage Conservation Society welcomed the development.

San Andres station in San Andres Bukid in Manila follows this station. Paco is preceded by Pandacan. There are also LRT-1 stations that exist not very far from the station, which are Pedro Gil and Quirino. It will require a commute from this station to get to those LRT stations.

History

Facade of the station

General Information

The Manila Belt Line from Santa Mesa to Paco and the segment of the defunct Cavite line to Binakayan in Kawit, Cavite was opened on March 25, 1908.

Construction of the station started in 1912 and was completed by 1915.

Second World War

In the bid to reclaim Manila from the Japanese during World War II, Paco became a bloody battleground for hundreds of lives. On Feb. 7, 1945, the US 149th Infantry Regiment crossed Pasig River and landed in the suburbs of Pandacan and Paco with the Filipino troops under the Philippine Commonwealth Army, where a battle took place around the railway station with some 300 Japanese defending it; it was the “first of the urban strong points” the Allied forces encountered. According to an account, “Japanese [fighters] had machine gun posts all around the [railroad] station, and foxholes with riflemen surrounded each machine gun post. Inside at each corner were sandbag forts with 20mm guns. One large concrete pillbox in the building housed a 37mm gun.” Over a two-day period, the friendly forces won the encounter but it cost 335 American lives and 417 Filipino lives before the resistance was finally smashed and the enemies annihilated. The battle of Paco produced two Medal of Honor awardees, both members of the U.S. Company B, 148th Infantry, 37th Infantry Division which, along with the 149th Infantry Regiment, had the primary mission to attack Pandacan and Paco. The heroes of Paco were Technical Sergeant Cleto L. Rodriguez, of Mexican descent, and Private First Class John N. Reese, Jr., an American Indian.

Station Layout

L1 Platforms	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Platform A	PNR Metro Commuter towards Tutuban (←)
	Platform B	PNR Metro Commuter towards Alabang (→)
	Side platform, doors will open on the right
L1	Concourse/ Street Level	Ticket Booths, Station Control, Shops, Pedro Gil Street

Nearby landmarks

The station is near Plaza Dilao, Paco Market, San Fernando de Dilao Church, Paco Catholic School, and Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion de la Concordia. Plaza Dilao is also where the statue dedicated to Blessed Dom Justo Takayama stands. The newest section of Skyway Stage 3 passes by the old and new stations.

See also

• Tutuban railway station