SMRT and LTA ponder on the problematic Bukit Panjang LRT

Rail operator SMRT Corp and regulator Land Transport Authority (LTA) are deciding what to do with the problematic Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) system and may even scrap it altogether. In a company blog, SMRT Trains Managing Director Lee Ling Wee said a joint team is reassessing the future of the system, with a view to giving it a major overhaul. "It will be more than just a makeover," Mr. Lee wrote, adding that the 17-year old system is near the end of its 20-year lifespan. He said there are three options.

One, deploy self-powered autonomous guided vehicles on the existing viaduct. Earlier this year, SMRT announced a venture to market, supply and operate the Netherlands-based 2getthere's automated vehicles here and in the region. Two, build a new LRT system with significant design enhancements. Mr. Lee noted that the current system is more suitable as an airport shuttle plying short distances on flat ground. Three, renew the existing Bombardier system with an updated signalling system, allowing trains to be tracked more accurately and to ply at a higher frequency.

If the three options are not feasible, there is another: scrapping the LRT and going back to buses. The LTA, however, said that 'replacing the light rail system with an all-bus option is not likely to be practical, given road capacity'. Meanwhile, Mr. Lee added that SMRT engineers have proposed short-term measures to boost the reliability of the system. Repair and maintenance efforts are also being stepped up. The BPLRT has been beset with problems since it began operating in 1999, most recently last week, when services were disrupted for more than eight hours.

SIM University Senior Lecturer Park Byung Joon said doing away with the line should be considered, noting that there are a few successful implementations of such a system at airports and parks, but not as public transport for the masses. Mr. Rajan Krishnan, Chief Executive of engineering firm KTC group, said he favours the first two options of transforming the system. The third, he said, was 'tricky'.