Ninety bus units will be deployed under the MRT-3 Bus Augmentation Program as the MRT-3 suspends operations this weekend, July 4-5.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the suspension of operations would facilitate the replacement of rails to meet target completion by September this year.

Other weekends with no MRT-3 operations are August 8-9, August 21-23 and September 12-13.

The southbound and northbound rail tracks at North Avenue and Taft Avenue stations will be replaced.

Upon completion, train speed will improve to 60 kilometers per hour (kph) from 40 kph by December 2020, and the interval between trains will decrease to 3.5 minutes, the DOTr said.

Rehabilitation work also includes turnout works to allow trains to transfer from one track to another, it said.

The bus augmentation service starts at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 8:00 p.m. from North Avenue and Taft Avenue stations. Jojo Mangahis