WHEN the commuting public returns to work on Easter Monday, they will come face to face with the reality of that they have an investment on one of the country’s biggest and most important railway transportation projects.

We received news last week from Department of Transportation Undersecretary Jeremy Regino that two major portions of the Philippine National Railway (PNR) line plying the Metro Manila-Alabang route will be closed for at least the next five years.

The suspension of operations is meant to allow for the start of the civil works for the mammoth North South Commuter Railway project which will connect Calamba in the south and the New Clark City in the north.

We are glad that the DOTr decided to suspend PNR’s operations to Holy Wednesday, when most people would have already left for their respective Lenten vacations. This is a good and humane move on the part of the DOTr.

This early, the public should expect a major headache and an equally major adjustment in their travel habits. The inconvenience and the headache that comes with it is our small contribution to what is now being dubbed as the “rail revolution” in our country – the massive change in the transportation landscape as the government builds new and modern rail-based transportation infrastructure.

It seems even counties with ultra-modern rail transportation systems had to face similar challenges. In an article published by Channel News Asia, the pioneers of Singapore’s MRT system shared their experiences of having to deal with opposition to the idea of an expensive rail-based transportation system, as well as complaints and objections from stakeholders.

We learned that the Singaporean Parliament early on was locked in a bitter debate about the cost that the then-envisioned system would entail. Construction pioneers shared stories of having to explain to people, including to monks, what they were building and why they needed the public to help them.

They also related how people complained about the noise coming from construction sites, and how they convinced Singaporeans that they have to bear with the inconvenience if they want a train station built near where they lived.

If it is of any consolation to us, it is good to know that the much-admired MRT of Singapore had once faced the possibility of being shelved because of the fear of the financial cost and the massive public inconvenience that the infrastructure would entail.

It is also a lesson and inspiration on the value of the government’s resolve and the public’s cooperation – the two essential ingredients of success in projects as huge as the NSCR.

One thing going for Singapore was that its railway system was built underground, or at least most of its sections were. They probably did not have to deal with right-of-way (ROW) issues.

We hope that the DOTr will get the cooperation of these communities in the PNR rights-of-way. We know that the government has already prepared resettlement sites and relocation assistance for these communities.

Their cooperation is crucial if we are to experience the other impact of the government’s “rail revolution” – the positive one. After all, the positive impact outweighs the negative. Consider the number of jobs that will be created when the construction of the NSCR goes into full swing.

The operation of the NSCR will also create steady jobs for thousands of our countrymen. Think also of the convenience of high-speed, comfortable travel on modern train coaches.

Let us not forget that, just five years from now, it will take us half of the time we need today to get from point A to point b.