Punggol LRT Line



The Punggol LRT Line is the third line of the LRT system in Singapore. Its first phase comprises a 10.3km line with 15 stations.

The Punggol LRT Line serves the residents in the town and urban planning area of Punggol.

Punggol LRT station, the centerpiece of the line, is located directly above the Punggol MRT station, thus linking up the Punggol LRT Line to the Mass Rapid Transit system that spans the entire island of Singapore.

History
Construction began in June 2000 by a consortium comprising SembCorp Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Corporation, at a cost of S$354 million. Construction of the first phase was completed in June 2004, and underwent testing by the Land Transport Authority. The system was handed over to SBS Transit on 1 December 2004, who conducted more trial runs and staff training before the opening of the East Loop on 29 January 2005.

The West Loop will only be opened at a later date when there are more developments within the vicinity of the stations. While provisions have been made for the second phase of the system involving a 4-station northern spur line branching from Teck Lee, the plan has been scrapped and was replaced by the Punggol North Extension of the North East Line.


 * 29 January 2005: East Loop (except Oasis and Damai) was opened.
 * 15 June 2007: Oasis was opened.
 * 20 June 2011: Damai was opened. East Loop became fully operational on all stations in both directions throughout the day.

Improvements
On 31 October 2012, LTA announced that by 2016, Sengkang and Punggol LRT systems will be upgraded to a two-car system for 16 of the 41 existing train cars, allowing double the number of passengers to board at any one time. Each train car can take up to 105 passengers. Hence, there is also the need to modify the signalling and communication system.