SINGAPORE: Commuters on the Sengkang LRT line can expect a less
crowded ride soon, with two-car trains starting operations from the
first quarter of next year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said
on Monday (Oct 5).
The Punggol LRT line is currently undergoing upgrading to
accommodate the two-car trains, which are expected to be put in
service starting early 2017.
The two-car trains, first announced by the Land Transport
Authority (LTA) in 2012, can hold 204 passengers – up from the
current 105.
Testing of the trains began outside operating hours last Sunday
and will continue for at least a month before they are tested
during off-peak hours. The upgrading of the signalling systems at
the Sengkang LRT line to accommodate the two-car trains was
completed on Sep 27.
The eight coupled cars for the Punggol LRT line have been
purchased and the first batch will arrive in mid-November, the LTA
said. Equipment upgrading for Punggol is ongoing and will be
completed by the third quarter of 2016.
Also announced on Monday was the stabling of trains at a link
line between the Sengkang loop and Punggol loop.
The link line, which can accommodate up to 10 coupled cars or 20
single cars, will allow a quicker turnaround of trains. It takes
just two minutes to deploy a train from here compared to at least
15 minutes from Sengkang Depot.
It will also allow faster launching and recovery of trains in
the event of a breakdown, the LTA said.
- CNA/dl