Ten MRT stations on the East-West Line will have shorter operating hours at weekends next month, as well as full-day closures on two Sundays, rail operator SMRT announced yesterday.

The shorter hours will allow more time for rail maintenance and renewal work to be done as well as checks to be conducted on the new signalling system .

The 10 stations are the eight between Paya Lebar and Pasir Ris, and Expo and Changi Airport.

At these stations, services will stop about an hour early at 11pm every Friday and Saturday, and start at 8am instead of 5.30am on Saturdays and Sundays for the month of January.

The stations will also be closed on Jan 21 and Jan 28.

Two shuttle bus services will ply between stations during the times the train is not available.

Next month, commuters can also expect longer intervals of 10 to 15 minutes between trains on the southern stretch of the North-South Line after 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and before 7am on Saturdays and Sundays.

The longer intervals will affect the stretch between Orchard and City Hall, and between Raffles Place and Marina South Pier, in both directions.

There will also be no North-South Line services between City Hall and Raffles Place after 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and before 7am on Saturdays and Sundays.

"Commuters travelling between these two stations will need to use the East-West Line, and those travelling within the affected zone can plan their journeys using other MRT lines or bus services," said SMRT, adding that night bus services and some regular bus services along the affected stretch will be enhanced during this time.

The longer engineering hours are needed to test the new signalling system, said SMRT Trains chief executive Lee Ling Wee. He thanked commuters for their patience, and said inconvenience will be minimised.

Zhaki Abdullah