LTA COMPLETES PUNGGOL LRT SYSTEM AND HANDS OVER TO SBS TRANSIT FOR TRIAL RUNNING
JOINT NEWS RELEASE (Land Transport Authority & SBS Transit Ltd)
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has successfully completed and tested its third light rapid transit (LRT) system, the Punggol LRT (PGLRT). On 1 December 2004, LTA hands over the system to the operator, SBS Transit Ltd (SBS Transit), for trial runs. Passenger service will commence in the first quarter of 2005, once SBS Transit has completed its trial runs.
About PGLRT system
The PGLRT system is built by LTA at a cost of $354 million. At 10.3 kilometres long and with 15 stations, the PGLRT system will serve residents in Punggol 21 New Town. It will not only improve intra-town travel within Punggol 21 New Town, but it will also provide Punggol residents with a direct link to the North East Line at the Punggol MRT station.
LTA awarded the contract for the design and construction of Sengkang and Punggol LRT systems to the consortium comprising of SembCorp Industries, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Corporation in July 1998. Construction of the system, which commenced in June 2000, was carried out concurrently with the development of the Punggol 21 New Town.
Civil construction, which included the building of viaducts and elevated stations, was substantially completed in June 2004, and the Electrical and Mechanical (E&M) systems, comprising of communications and signalling, were commissioned thereafter. The PGLRT system uses the same model of vehicles, currently used on the Sengkang LRT system. These vehicles are manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan.
The commissioning of the E&M systems involved rigorous testing of the individual sub-systems, followed by integrated testing of all the systems. The tests involved train control, signalling, communication and power distribution sub-systems. These tests are to ensure that the systems are reliable and functioning as designed. The tests have since been concluded, with most of the teething problems ironed out and the system performing at a highly reliable state.
Trial Runs By SBS Transit
In the months leading to the start of the passenger service, SBS Transit will be conducting extensive operation-related tests to get ready to run the system, including software and hardware reliability checks to verify the robustness of the various systems, as well as system familiarisation training for staff.
The system is targeted to open for passenger service in the first quarter of 2005, after the successful trial running of the system by SBS Transit.
Good news to PGL people. 83 and 84 likely to be altered or withdraw once the PGLRT is in operation.