Bukit Panjang LRT Line to start later on Sundays for repair work

The Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (BPLRT) is scheduled for some operational adjustment starting Nov. 12. In line with this, rail operator SMRT announced last Monday (Oct. 23) that an additional 1.5 hours of downtime on all eight Sundays starting Nov. 12 until the end of the year will be needed to cover the repair work for the problematic rail network.

Aside from track maintenance, a more thorough restoration work will take place which involves replacement of worn-down rail mounting frames as well as rail expansion joints of the controversial LRT system.

Calvin Teo / CC-BY-SA-3.0

BPLRT repair work will delay train operations on Sundays starting Nov. 12

The aforementioned repair work will delay train operations from 5:30 am to 7 am for the remaining eight Sundays towards the end of the year. More importantly, the operation adjustment will increase the time frame allotted for train maintenance and replacement work from two hours to 3.5 hours to facilitate heavy repair work, and ultimately hasten the much-needed replacement work of the BPLRT according to SMRT.

 

To prepare the public for this adjustment, the SMRT will make announcements regarding alternative routes and modes of transport available, such as shuttle bus services, in each station to guide commuters during this period. The much-needed downtime for the BPLRT’s repair work will pave the way for the entire LRT system’s overhaul for which a tender is expected to be called by the end of this year. The contract will be awarded by the first half of 2018.

 

The BPLRT, which was opened in 1999, has experienced a total of 20 major disruptions only in the last two years.