Bukit Panjang LRT to resume Sunday operations in July with later opening time

The Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) network will resume Sunday operations from 1^st July, rail operator SMRT announced on Thursday (21^st June).

However, the network will open later at 8:00am, instead of the usual 5:30am, to enable intensified maintenance works to continue. This late opening on Sundays will continue till 28^th October. The BPLRT has been closed on Sundays since 15^th April, as part of maintenance works aimed at improving the reliability of its system.

"The full-Sunday closure of BPLRT stations from April to June 2018 has enabled maintenance and engineering teams to accelerate replacement of power rails and track switch components along critical sectors of the BPLRT network," said SMRT. "Even as LRT services resume on Sundays from July, later opening hours will continue to provide the teams with the necessary time to carry out essential work on the rest of the BPLRT network."

A bridging shuttle bus service will continue to transport passengers between stations in both directions during its late opening on Sundays, and staff will be deployed to assist passengers, SMRT added.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, speaking in Parliament in March, gave details of the BPLRT's $344-million renewal project and said commuters can expect smoother rides from 2022 once the majority of works to overhaul the line are completed. The 14-station line has been dogged by reliability issues since it opened it 1999, owing to how its design comprises sharp turns over undulating terrain.