Normal 1 train service will not resume in northern Manhattan and the Bronx before the weekend, following Sunday's ceiling collapse at the 181st Street station.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says workers are making repairs around the clock and a contractor has been hired to build a protective metal barrier over the station's tracks and platform.

The barrier will be used as a work platform for constructions workers removing loose bricks from the station's ceiling.

The 1 train service remains suspended in both directions between 168th Street and Dyckman Street.

Free shuttle buses are running between Dyckman Street and 168th Street, while 1 trains are running between Dyckman Street and 242nd Street, with the exception of 207th Street.

The M3 bus is also free between 168th and 191st Streets.

Local leaders are demanding further investigation into what the MTA could have done to prevent the incident.

"The MTA has for decades underfunded what they needed to do, not just expand but to maintain our stations," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "This could have killed somebody."

"We want an investigation as to what happened. We need a timeline as to when that train station will be operational, because we don't want this to drag out for months and months," said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. "And we want MTA top brass to be here on the ground."

"Fare hikes occurred, the tolls on some of the bridges occurred," said Manhattan Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat. "We got a substantial amount of capital money for them, and we want to see a better job. We want our stations to be better serviced."

Commuters told NY1 that they found the shuttle transit to be very crowded and inconvenient.

"That's why I waited for the next one. Looked like a bunch of sardines in a can, so I just waited for the next one," said one New Yorker.

"It's just unfortunate, like you have to do all this, all because they didn't fix it or they didn't want to fix it," said another. "And all the taxpayers' money going towards it, and they don't do nothing about it."

Other locals said they complained about the condition of the 181st Street station for years.

"I think it's bad. I really think that something should have been done before to prevent this from happening," said a third. "And there had to be signs to let them know that this was going to happen. I think it's just carelessness."

MTA officials are still investigating the cause of the collapse and have not given a time frame for when repairs will be finished.

An MTA spokesman said that repairs for the 181st Street station, which is on the National Registry of Historical Places for its century-old design, were included in the agency's capital budget plan for 2010-2014.

For more information on shuttle services, visit mta.info.