MANILA - Operations of the Light Rail Transit line-1 will be suspended on the remaining weekends of April to give way to maintenance works, its operator said Tuesday.

The LRT-1 will be suspended on April 17 and 18, as well as on April 24 and 25 to complete the rehabilitation works that started during the Holy week, the Light Rail Manila Corp said in a statement.

Maintenance work set for the 2 weekends include maintenance of trains, stations and other systems as well as the replacement of overhead catenary wires, the operator said.

The period will also be used to accelerate preparations for the commercial use of the new Generation-4 train set in the fourth quarter, it said.

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"The riding public is advised to be guided accordingly and plan their essential trips ahead during this period," LMRC said.

According to LRMC, the transportation department would deploy public utility buses to run on Route 17 (Monumento to EDSA via Rizal Ave/Taft Ave) to support the temporary shutdown.

Public transport, including buses, jeepneys and trains, operate on limited capacities as Metro Manila and other neighboring provinces remain under modified ECQ due to the rising cases of COVID-19.