Sengkang LRT line

The Sengkang LRT line is a 10.7-kilometre (6.6 mi) automated guideway transit line in Singapore. The line, which initially opened on 18 January 2003, connects the residential districts and suburbs of Sengkang to Sengkang Town Centre, where it connects with the North East MRT line, Sengkang Bus Interchange, Compass One and Compassvale Bus Interchange. It is the second line of the LRT system in Singapore and like all other LRT lines, it is fully elevated and uses automated trains. It is the first LRT line to be operated by SBS Transit.

Sengkang LRT line Malay: Laluan LRT Sengkang Chinese: 盛港轻轨线 Tamil: செங்காங் லைட் ரெயில் வரி
A Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Crystal Mover on the LRT's East Loop
Overview
Type	Automated guideway transit/People mover
System	Light Rail Transit (Singapore)
Status	Operational
Termini	Sengkang
Stations	14
Services	4
Operation
Opened	18 January 2003 (2003-01-18) (East Loop) 29 January 2005 (2005-01-29) (West Loop)
Owner	Land Transport Authority
Operator(s)	SBS Transit Ltd (ComfortDelGro Corporation)
Character	Elevated
Depot(s)	Sengkang
Rolling stock	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Crystal Mover C810 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Crystal Mover C810A
Technical
Line length	10.7 km (6.6 mi)
Track gauge	1850 mm Broad Gauge
Electrification	750 V DC Third rail
Route map West loop Fernvale SW5 Layar SW6 SW4 Thanggam Sengkang Depot SW3 Kupang Tongkang SW7 SW2 Farmway Renjong SW8 SW1 Cheng Lim Sengkang East Road Sengkang STC Punggol LRT line North East line to HarbourFront North East line to Punggol Ranggung SE5 SE1 Compassvale Punggol Road Kangkar SE4 SE2 Rumbia SE3 Bakau East loop

History

Planning for the Sengkang LRT line was underway when the Bukit Panjang LRT was opened by then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on 6 November 1999.[1] Construction began in January 2000 for both the East Loop and West Loop. Meanwhile, the Sengkang LRT line was awarded to Singapore Bus Service (present-day SBS Transit) on 20 May 1999.[2][3]

On 18 January 2003, the East Loop was opened, the first section of the line to do so.[4] The West Loop, with the exception of Farmway, Cheng Lim and Kupang stations, commenced operations on 29 January 2005. These three stations then opened on 15 November 2007, 1 January 2013 and 27 June 2015 respectively.[5][6]

Improvements

On 31 October 2012, the Land Transport Authority announced that starting from first quarter of 2016, both the Sengkang and Punggol LRT systems would be upgraded to two-car trains, doubling the passenger capacity. An additional 16 more cars were to be ordered, bringing the total fleet size to 57. The longer trains also required modifications to the signalling and communication system.[7]

On 22 December 2015, the line began operating two-car trains, five years after plans to raise the capacity of the increasingly packed light-rail system were announced.[8]

Around the end of 2016, two-car trains started being deployed on both directions of the West Loop during the weekday peak hours, due to the increasing number of commuters living in new HDB flats located near Thanggam, Kupang and Farmway LRT stations. Before this, two-car trains were only deployed towards the direction of Cheng Lim during morning peak hours, and towards the direction of Renjong during evening peak hours.

On 15 December 2017, the Land Transport Authority said there will be limited services on parts of the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) on most Sundays from 14 January 2018 to 25 February that year, to facilitate renewal and improvement works (except 18 February as it is a Chinese New Year holiday). Only one platform will open for service at 5.30am on Sundays. The other platform will open from 7am.[9][10][11]On 22nd of that month, SBS Transit said the arrangement is expected to continue until end April that year.[12][13]

From 27 May to 7 October that year, limited services on Sundays will continue on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT). One platform will open at 5.30am and the other platform will open at 5.30pm.[14][15]

Stations

Timeline

Date	Section
18 January 2003	East Loop completely opened in both directions throughout the day.
29 January 2005	West Loop (except for Cheng Lim, Farmway and Kupang) opened in uni-directional manner.[16][17]
15 November 2007	Farmway opened for passenger service.[18]
4 January 2010	West Loop operated in both directions during the morning and evening peak hours on weekdays.[19]
1 January 2013	West Loop operated in both directions throughout the day and Cheng Lim was opened for passenger service.[20]
27 June 2015	Kupang opened for passenger service.[21]

Stations on the line.

Number	Name	Image	Interchange
STC  NE16	Sengkang		Interchange with the North East line
East Loop
SE1	Compassvale
SE2	Rumbia
SE3	Bakau
SE4	Kangkar
SE5	Ranggung
West Loop
SW1	Cheng Lim
SW2	Farmway
SW3	Kupang
SW4	Thanggam
SW5	Fernvale
SW6	Layar
SW7	Tongkang
SW8	Renjong

Services

There are four services in total, with two on each loop. However, on the Electronic Display, they will not show the service letters.

Service	Terminal	via	Loop	Direction
A	Sengkang	Renjong	West Loop	Renjong to Cheng Lim Clockwise direction
B	Sengkang	Cheng Lim	West Loop	Cheng Lim to Renjong Anti-clockwise direction
C	Sengkang	Compassvale	East Loop	Compassvale to Ranggung Clockwise direction
D	Sengkang	Ranggung	East Loop	Ranggung to Compassvale Anti-clockwise direction

Rolling stock

Trains operating on the line are Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Crystal Movers C810s and C810As. Trains operate from the Sengkang Depot which provides maintenance and train overhaul facilities for both the Punggol and Sengkang LRT lines. These trains operate in a single-car formation at all times and in a two-car formation during peak hours.

Train control

The line is equipped with Kyosan APM fixed block signalling system for Automatic train control (ATC) under Automatic train operation (ATO) GoA 4 (UTO).[22] The subsystems consist of Automatic train protection (ATP) to govern train speed, Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) to track and schedule trains, and a computer-based interlocking (CBI) system that prevents incorrect signal and track points settings.

Incidents

• On 20 April 2015, the East Loop suffered a brief service disruption due to a power fault.[23]
• On 8 May that year, more than two weeks after the April disruption, another service disruption occurred on the West Loop, stranding a number of trains for three hours at 1700 hrs.[24]
• On 16 February 2018, the first day of Chinese New Year, a train broke down near Sengkang station from the West Loop due to a dislodged power collector shoe at 1109 hrs. A rescue train managed to haul the faulty train away and services were resumed approximately two hours later.[25]

Gallery

Tongkang LRT station is in the centre, with Sengkang Depot behind it. In the distant background there are the HDB blocks of Hougang.

Panoramic view showing the Sengkang LRT line (SKLRT). Renjong LRT station lies to the left, and the Sengkang Depot for North East line and SKLRT to the right. In the distant background lie Buangkok and Hougang.

References

1. "SPEECH BY MR MAH BOW TAN MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS AT THE SENGKANG LRT EXHIBITION AT NGEE ANN CITY" (PDF). NAS.
2. "Appointment of operator for the North East MRT line". NAS. 20 May 1999. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
3. "SBS to run North-East line Tibs to merge with SMRT". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 21 May 1999. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
4. "Free LRT service in Sengkang". Today (retrieved from NLB). 17 January 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
5. "Cheng Lim LRT station To Open And Sengkang West LRT to Run in Both Directions". SBS Transit. December 21, 2012.
6. "Kupang LRT station to open on Saturday, 27 June 2015" (PDF). SBS Transit. 15 June 2015.
7. "2-car System for Sengkang Punggol LRT by 2016; Improvements to Choa Chu Kang LRT station". Land Transport Authority. 31 October 2012. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
8. Tan, Christopher (24 December 2015). "2-car trains roll out on Sengkang LRT". The Straits Times. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
9. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/limited-service-along-sengkang-punggol-lrt-on-sundays-in-jan-feb-9502364
10. http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/works-sengkang-punggol-lrt-system-will-see-limited-services-sunday-mornings-jan-14
11. http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/limited-service-on-sundays-for-sengkang-punggol-lrt
12. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/maintenance-work-to-resume-on-sengkang-and-punggol-lrt-systems-9981524
13. http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/maintenance-works-to-resume-on-sengkang-and-punggol-lrt-systems
14. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/sbs-transit-extends-limited-service-on-sundays-for-sengkang-punggol-lrt-to
15. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/limited-service-hours-sundays-sengkang-punggol-lrt-be-extended
16. "Punggol LRT and Sengkang LRT West Loop to Commence Revenue Service on 29 January 2005". SBS Transit. 10 January 2005. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
17. "Punggol LRT (East Loop) And Sengkang LRT (West Loop) Commence Revenue Service Today". SBS Transit. 29 January 2005. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
18. "Farmway LRT Station to open on 15 November 2007". SBS Transit. 14 November 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
19. "SK West Loop Peak Hours" (PDF). SBS Transit. 16 December 2009.
20. "Cheng Lim LRT Station To Open And Sengkang West LRT to Run in Both Directions". SBS Transit. 21 December 2012.
21. "Kupang LRT Station to open on Saturday, 27 June 2015" (PDF). SBS Transit. 15 June 2015.
22. "Products and Services | Kyosan Electric Mfg. Co., Ltd". www.kyosan.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
23. migration (2015-04-20). "Sengkang LRT East Loop train service stopped briefly". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
24. "Sengkang LRT trains stuck on tracks due to power fault". The Online Citizen. 2015-05-09. Retrieved 2019-08-25.
25. hermesauto (2018-02-16). "Sengkang LRT train breaks down on first day of CNY, passengers get down and walk on tracks". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2019-08-25.

External links

• Sengkang LRT line