Bukit Panjang LRT to get 13 more train cars
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Thursday that it is working with train operator SMRT to purchase an additional 13 train cars for the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (LRT) system
In a statement, the LTA said the trains, which would be put into service from 2014 onwards, would boost capacity of BPLRT by 50 percent and reduce "headways", the distance or time between consecutive trains on the same route
Headways between Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang will be cut down to 2.2 minutes from 2.5 minutes, while the headways for the loop between Petir and Senja stations will be reduced to 4.4 minutes from 5 minutes in both directions.
LTA's decision to add more train cars comes after it took into account the increase in population in Bukit Panjang over the past few years.
It added that the LRT's average daily ridership has grown steadily to about 51,000.
The presence of new developments such as the Institute of Technical Education College West campus has also contributed to that increase.
SMRT is currently operating the maximum 18 out of 19 cars during the morning peak hours to cope with passenger demand.
During the evening peak hours, the LRT services are scheduled to match the arrival timings of MRT services at Choa Chu Kang. This allows passengers to conveniently transfer quickly to the LRT.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew added that the authorities will also collaborate with SMRT to ensure it reduces train disruptions.
He was speaking to reporters as he went on another LRT trip with the area's MP Liang Eng Hwa on Thursday morning.
"On reliability issues, we are concerned over the delays and the disruptions, so SMRT will be investing S$3 million over the next 12 months to improve the system.
"That is something that we need to do, and we will be monitoring it very closely."
SMRT will also introduce short-term measures to tackle future cases of train disruptions or delays.
These include running a parallel bus service from the further-most stations along the LRT to Choa Chu Kang MRT station, and activating bridging bus services twice as quickly.
Correction: The LTA said 'headways' will be reduced rather than travel time or wait time as reported in an earlier version of the story.
