Service along the Metro Rail Transit ( MRT) -3 line will be suspended starting April 15 to April 21 for maintenance work, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Sunday.

This is the first time the MRT has been shut down for a week. Last year, the MRT-3 Line was shut down for maintenance from Holy Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

To serve commuters, the DOTr will deploy 140 public utility buses to make sure people can reach their destination along Edsa.

''The participating buses for the MRT-3 Bus Augmentation Program is 140 every day,'' said Mishella Cruz, DOTr spokesperson in a Viber message.

The bus service will be available from April 15-17 and April 20-21 from 5 am until 9 pm.

Japan is rehabilitating the 19-year-old, 16.9 kilometer train service through a loan of P18.5 billion. DMS