-
The Philippine National Railways will suspend its Metro Manila services for five years starting March 28
-
The temporary cessation of the Governor Pascual-Tutuban and Tutuban-Alabang operations is expected to accelerate construction of the North-South Commuter Railway project in Metro Manila by eight months and save at least P15.18 billion
-
The Department of Transportation and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board have arranged alternative bus routes to cater to commuters who will be affected by the suspension
The Philippine National Railways (PNR) will suspend its Metro Manila services for five years starting March 28, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said in a statement.
The temporary cessation of the Governor Pascual-Tutuban and Tutuban-Alabang operations is expected to accelerate construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project in Metro Manila by eight months and save at least P15.18 billion, DOTr noted.
READ: North-South Commuter Rail to open partially in 3Q 2026
PNR operations in Southern Luzon will continue.
Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said the suspension ensures passengers are safe while construction of the NSCR is underway.
DOTr together with attached agency Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) have arranged alternative bus routes to cater to commuters who will be affected by the suspension.
Buses on the Tutuban to Alabang route and vice versa are expected to drop off and pick up passengers near the current PNR route.
The southbound buses will pass through Divisoria (Tutuban), Mayhaligue Street, Abad Santos Avenue, Recto Avenue, Legarda Street, Quirino Avenue, Nagtahan flyover, Mabini Bridge, Quirino Avenue, Osmeña Highway, Nichols entry, South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Bicutan Exit, Bicutan entry, and Alabang (Starmall).
The northbound buses will pass through Alabang (Starmall), Manila South Road, East Service Road, Alabang (entry), SLEX, Bicutan Exit, Bicutan Entry, Nichols Exit, Osmeña Highway, Quirino Avenue, Legarda Street, Recto Avenue, Abad Santos Avenue, Mayhaligue Street, and Divisoria (Tutuban).
The bus trips on the Tutuban-Alabang (southbound) route are 7:30 AM, 9:10 AM, 3:00 PM, 3:20 PM, 7:30 PM and 9:00 PM.
On the other hand, the bus trips on the Alabang-Tutuban (northbound) route are 5:00 AM, 6:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 11:45 AM, 5:00 PM, and 6:10 PM.
The 147.26km NSCR system aims to seamlessly connect Clark, Pampanga and Calamba, Laguna and link Metro Manila to neighboring provinces, cutting travel time to less than two hours from up to 4.5 hours.
NSCR will have 35 stations and run on 51 commuter train sets and seven express train sets. It is expected to serve 800,000 passengers daily on full operations.
The NSCR project is co-financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank.
