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Govt mulling years-long shutdown to overhaul Bt Panjang LRT: Khaw

SINGAPORE — An extensive shutdown for major upgrading work is among the options the Government is evaluating for the beleaguered Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (LRT) system, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan has said.

A shutdown of the problematic Bukit Panjang LRT for major upgrades is one of the options the Government is mulling over for the system's upcoming overhaul. Photo: Najeer Yusof/TODAY

A shutdown of the problematic Bukit Panjang LRT for major upgrades is one of the options the Government is mulling over for the system's upcoming overhaul. Photo: Najeer Yusof/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — An extensive shutdown for major upgrading work is among the options the Government is evaluating for the beleaguered Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (LRT) system, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan has said.

But Mr Khaw added that he would be “hard put” to take this decision, as it could mean residents going without the LRT service for as much as three years.

“If we want to do serious upgrading — essentially to close it down so that we can re-do the whole tracks and so on, so that we don’t have these ups and downs. And we’re evaluating that proposition,” he told reporters at a press briefing on Monday (Oct 16).

Mr Khaw, who is also Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure, was at the briefing to explain the reasons behind the recent underground flooding that stopped services on the North-South Line (NSL).

He commented on the Bukit Panjang LRT during a question-and-answer session alongside several top leaders from rail operator SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

“If I put you in our position, I think you’ll be hard put to think whether ‘should we do it?’. Because how can we deny the residents three years (of) LRT service, so that we can re-do the LRT?” said the minister.

Noting the time constraints rail workers face here in replacing various components during limited non-service hours, Mr Khaw said that the Republic’s counterparts in London, Sydney and other cities have had the “luxury of alternatives” and could close entire lines.

“In our case, do you think we can do that?” he asked.

In Parliament earlier this month, Second Transport Minister Ng Chee Meng said the Government was mulling over shortened operating hours for the Bukit Panjang LRT, which was launched in 1999.

This is to allow the LTA and operator SMRT more time on the tracks to carry out extra rectification work before the system’s overhaul, for which a tender will be called at year’s end. The contract will be awarded by the first half of next year.

Last month, Mr Khaw derided the ageing Bukit Panjang LRT, describing it as an “afterthought” that was built under political pressure, resulting in a design that makes for uncomfortable rides.

“No LRT is designed that way, in such a masochistic manner, where you force yourself up and down, twist and turn,” he said, adding that the few occasions he had taken the Bukit Panjang LRT left him dizzy.

Mr Ng had explained in Parliament that because Bukit Panjang town had been planned and built without an LRT system in mind, the line had to wind through sharp turns over undulating terrain to accommodate the existing developments.

This made the LRT susceptible to hiccups, especially power trips at the sharp bends where the trains’ collector shoes would often dislodge from the power rail, he said.

Last October, SMRT said in a blog post that several options were being weighed to transform the Bukit Panjang LRT line completely, including scrapping the network and returning to the use of buses. The LTA, however, said then the idea was “not likely to be practical”.

At that time, residents and Members of Parliament of the town interviewed by TODAY were largely opposed to the idea of scrapping the LRT system.

They said doing away with the service will lead to even more road congestion in the town, and remove the convenience of reaching nearby town centres such as Chua Chu Kang in greater comfort than buses.

But in the month after SMRT’s blog entry was published, Mr Khaw said the LRT network would be overhauled, rather than ditched.

 

 

 

 

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