Some MRT stations on the North East Line (NEL) will close earlier on Fridays and Saturdays this month.

Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary said yesterday that maintenance works would be carried out on the stretch between HarbourFront and Dhoby Ghaut from this weekend.

The stations affected include Outram Park, Chinatown and Clarke Quay. From March 8 to 30, these stations will close at around 11pm on those two days of the week.

"The shorter operating hours will provide more hours for our engineers to intensify and speed up maintenance and asset renewal works," the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on its website.

It added that commuters can look forward to increased train service reliability when these works are completed.

In his Facebook post, Dr Janil said that the early closures have allowed for maintenance works on the NEL to be stepped up.

"We've made good progress on the stretch between Serangoon and Punggol since the start of the year," said Dr Janil, who is also Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information.

"We seek commuters' understanding as we push on towards better reliability for all," he added.

Accompanying the post were several photos showing Dr Janil visiting staff at NEL stations as they carried out the maintenance works.

LTA's website states that shuttle bus service 22 will be available for commuters to travel between HarbourFront and Dhoby Ghaut in both directions from 11pm on the affected dates.

The shuttle buses will stop at designated bus stops or bus interchanges near affected stations, and will arrive every one to five minutes.

"As the timing of the last trains departing each station on affected days will vary, commuters are advised to check for station-specific timings on SBS Transit's website and social media platforms when planning journeys on affected dates," LTA said.