LTA COMPLETES PUNGGOL LRT SYSTEM AND
HANDS OVER TO SBS TRANSIT FOR TRIAL RUNNING
JOINT NEWS RELEASE (Land Transport Authority & SBS
Transit Ltd)
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has successfully completed and
tested its third light rapid transit (LRT) system, the Punggol LRT
(PGLRT). On 1 December 2004, LTA hands over the system to the
operator, SBS Transit Ltd (SBS Transit), for trial runs. Passenger
service will commence in the first quarter of 2005, once SBS
Transit has completed its trial runs.
About PGLRT system
The PGLRT system is built by LTA at a cost of $354 million. At 10.3
kilometres long and with 15 stations, the PGLRT system will serve
residents in Punggol 21 New Town. It will not only improve
intra-town travel within Punggol 21 New Town, but it will also
provide Punggol residents with a direct link to the North East Line
at the Punggol MRT station.
LTA awarded the contract for the design and construction of
Sengkang and Punggol LRT systems to the consortium comprising of
SembCorp Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi
Corporation in July 1998. Construction of the system, which
commenced in June 2000, was carried out concurrently with the
development of the Punggol 21 New Town.
Civil construction, which included the building of viaducts and
elevated stations, was substantially completed in June 2004, and
the Electrical and Mechanical (E&M) systems, comprising of
communications and signalling, were commissioned thereafter. The
PGLRT system uses the same model of vehicles, currently used on the
Sengkang LRT system. These vehicles are manufactured by Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries of Japan.
The commissioning of the E&M systems involved rigorous testing
of the individual sub-systems, followed by integrated testing of
all the systems. The tests involved train control, signalling,
communication and power distribution sub-systems. These tests are
to ensure that the systems are reliable and functioning as
designed. The tests have since been concluded, with most of the
teething problems ironed out and the system performing at a highly
reliable state.
Trial Runs By SBS Transit
In the months leading to the start of the passenger service, SBS
Transit will be conducting extensive operation-related tests to get
ready to run the system, including software and hardware
reliability checks to verify the robustness of the various systems,
as well as system familiarisation training for staff.
The system is targeted to open for passenger service in the first
quarter of 2005, after the successful trial running of the system
by SBS Transit.
