THE LIGHT Rail Transit (LRT) lines will close one hour earlier than the usual time starting Sept. 15 to allow the maintenance unit of the mass transport system to do its work.

The LRT Authority (LRTA) announced late Thursday night that Lines 1 and 2 will return to their original operating schedules by Wednesday.

During weekdays, the last train from Line 1?s Baclaran station in Parañaque City will leave at 9:30 p.m., while the last train from Balintawak in Quezon City departs at 10 p.m. The last trips will leave half an hour earlier during Saturdays and Sundays.

Likewise, the last Line 2 train from Santolan in Marikina City will leave at 9:30 p.m., while the last trip from Recto Avenue in Manila leaves at 10 p.m. The same schedule will be followed during weekends.

?At the current schedule, there?s not enough time to do maintenance work on the trains and other LRT facilities,? the LRT said.

LRT operations were extended last March 4, following the clamor for longer hours from commuters. Both LRT Lines 1 and 2 serve train passengers from the university belt and businesses in the heart of Metro Manila.

Line 1 runs along Taft and Rizal Avenues through the cities of Pasay and Manila. It also extends along Edsa in Caloocan City and Quezon City.

Line 2, meanwhile, runs from Manila to Marikina along Aurora Boulevard.

Half a million people use the LRT Line 1 every day. The country?s oldest and most used train system, it has a daily capacity of over 700,000 passengers.

The newer Line 2 carries close to 250,000 passengers a day.