MANILA, March 8 -- The Philippine National Railways (PNR) is set to temporarily suspend the operations of Governor Pascual-Tutuban and Tutuban-Alabang routes to make way for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.

In a statement on Friday, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista said the pause in operations will begin on March 28 and may save the government at least PHP15.8 billion in project cost and accelerate construction of the NSCR by eight months.

"PNR services will be suspended to also ensure that passengers are safe while the construction of the NSCR is underway," Bautista said.

For those affected by the suspension, the DOTr and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory...