It’s 12 noon. The sun has just started to show its full glory and scorch along España boulevard in Sampaloc, Manila.

For Mang Juan Raymundo, not his real name, it’s clockwork: he opens up another umbrella in his small cart of goto (rice porridge with beef stripe) and pares (savory beef briskets partnered with garlic rice) adjacent to the España station of the Philippine National Railways (PNR). It’s for the heat, he says.

He has been doing it for years, decades even. And today, even despite the absence of his usual customers or suki, he continues his habit like nothing has changed. But he knows that a lot has indeed changed.

Despite the temporary suspension of the operations of PNR) to make way for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR), Mang Juan opted to continue his business and stay at his usual spot. Even if it meant enduring the scorching heat and falling profits.

“Noong may PNR pa, nakakaabot kami ng P18,000 sa isang hapon. Ngayon na nawala ito, hanggang P11,000 na lang ang kita namin,” he says.

Mang Juan is just among the vendors who have been collateral damage of the temporary halting of the PNR operations.

“Halos nawala na iyong mga customer ko kasi wala nang bumibiyahe rito,” he says.

This temporary suspension is expected to last for five years, posing a big challenge to vendors like him who have depended on the flock of PNR passengers to sustain his daily needs.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) earlier announced that the pause in operations was necessary to replace the trains with modern carriages and ensure passenger safety while the NSCR is under construction.

Despite the challenges, some vendors admit that they understand the need for PNR modernization and the temporary pause in operations.

The loss of daily commuters has been a significant setback for Berto also, who sells coconut juice near the railway station. Before he earns P2,00 a day. Today, that has fallen to half.

Unlike Mang Juan, Berto opts to roam around the streets and alleys around España boulevard instead of staying in his beloved spot near the PNR station. The heat would make it up for the sales, he says as buko juice would quench customers’ thirst.

For vendors like Juan and Berto, the halt in operations isn’t just a financial loss, it's also a breakup: a temporary adieu to their loyal customers. Despite this, they would remain as faithful lovers, waiting not just for the return of the railway operations but of their suki turned friends.

“Hindi ako aalis dito,” Juan said. “Hihintayin ko ang pagbalik ng tren, ng mga pasahero, at ng negosyo namin.”