In a bid to enhance the service reliability of the beleaguered railway network, the Bukit Panjang LRT will be made unavailable to the public during Sundays starting April 15.
According to railway operator SMRT, a total of 30 shuttle buses will run parallel to the Bukit Panjang LRT network on the days of its scheduled closure.
Bukit Panjang LRT to be Shut off for 11 Sundays Starting April 15
The railway improvement that will be done on the train network will involve replacement of power rail sections as well as track switch machineries.
According to the Vice President for SMRT’s Bukit Panjang and Circle Line LRT, Mr Roger Lim, the series of extensive maintenance work to be done on the rail network will require more than the two- to three-hour engineering window in between service deployment. The network’s closure on Sundays will help speed up the enhancement work, according to Mr Lim.
In a separate statement from the Chief Executive of the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Ngien Hoon Ping, the whole-day railway improvement work might be extended after June if the upgrade requires further maintenance work to be done, but added that commuters will be duly notified beforehand.
The said maintenance job on the railway network is independent of the overhauling project on the LRT system that has been picked up by railway supplier Bombardier, the original developer of the Bukit Panjang LRT.
Last March 22, the LTA and Bombardier had signed a $344.25-million contract for the restoration project that is expected to be completed to be ready by 2024.
The restoration project will include the replacement of 19 first-gen LRT trains and signalling systems.
In a Facebook post by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who was present during the signing of the restoration contract last March 22, Bukit Panjang residents can look forward to more reliable LRT service and train rides by 2022, when most of the restoration work will have been completed.