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Major renewal works for 15-year-old North East Line from January 2019

The North East Line has been in service since 2003, and will undergo major enhancement and renewal works from 2019. (FILE PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore)
The North East Line has been in service since 2003, and will undergo major enhancement and renewal works from 2019. (FILE PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore)

The North East Line (NEL) will undergo major enhancement and renewal work starting early next year, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SBS Transit in a joint media release on Monday (17 December).

SBS Transit will begin this multi-year endeavour by upgrading all 25 trains in its first-generation fleet, which have been in service since the line opened 15 years ago. A contract worth about S$116.7 million has been awarded to CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co Ltd to carry out this upgrading.

The upgrading works include installing a new condition monitoring system to track train performance more closely; changing the trains’ air-conditioning, ventilation and passenger information systems; replacing the seats, panels and flooring of the trains; and detailed inspections and repairing of all the trains’ mechanical and electrical systems.

Mid-life upgrade from 2019 to 2024

This mid-life upgrade of NEL trains will be funded by the Singapore government, under the new rail financing framework. Works are scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2019 and expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2024.

LTA’s chief executive Ngien Hoon Ping said, “The NEL has been serving commuters since 2003. It is timely for LTA and SBS Transit to carry out an intensified maintenance and renewal programme for the NEL trains and railway infrastructure, to ensure that commuters can continue to benefit from reliable and comfortable journeys. We seek commuters’ patience and understanding as we undertake these works to serve you better.”

To minimise inconveniencing commuters, the trains will be renewed and upgraded one at a time at the NEL Sengkang Depot.

Early closures for NEL stations

Early closures will be implemented for the NEL starting in January to support intensified maintenance and renewal works. The works will cover parts of the NEL power system and platform screen doors, as well as accelerate the replacement of rail crossings, signalling point machines and tracks that have been in constant use over the years.

From 4 January to 2 March, NEL stations between Serangoon and Punggol will be affected by early closure at around 11pm on selected Fridays and Saturdays. Train services for the rest of the NEL, between HarbourFront and Serangoon, will also operate with longer intervals of about nine minutes during the early closures.

SOURCE: Land Transport Authority
SOURCE: Land Transport Authority

From 8 to 30 March, NEL stations between HarbourFront and Dhoby Ghaut will be affected by early closure on Fridays and Saturdays. More details will be announced in due course.

Gan Juay Kiat, chief executive officer of SBS Transit, said: “The extended engineering hours will enable us to intensify preventive maintenance activities as compared to what we can do during regular maintenance hours. About 1.5 extra hours a night during the early closure means about 12 hours more per month. This is essential, as our train system is now more than 15 years old.”

Dedicated bus service during early closures

During the early closures between 4 January to 2 March 2019, commuters travelling between Serangoon and Punggol stations in both directions will be able to reach their destinations using a dedicated bus service, Shuttle 21. The shuttle buses will stop at designated bus stops and bus interchanges near affected stations. Fares for the shuttle service will follow the same fare structure as the trains.

SOURCE: Land Transport Authority
SOURCE: Land Transport Authority

To facilitate connectivity, southbound train services from Serangoon to HarbourFront will be extended to 12.09am. Light Rail Transit (LRT) services will also be extended to 1.10am in Sengkang and 1.20am in Punggol.

Commuters are advised to plan ahead by checking the station-specific timings at affected MRT stations, or through SBST’s website and social media platforms. Commuters should also cater for additional travel time when travelling between affected stations using the shuttle service.

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