Kupang station set to open next Saturday

SINGAPORE — The Sengkang Light Rapid Transit (LRT) network will be fully operational next Saturday when Kupang station opens for passenger service, 11 years after it was built. “This is to cater to the travel needs of commuters moving into the new residential developments in the area,” said the line’s operator, SBS Transit, in a press release yesterday.

The Sengkang LRT network services about 60,000 commuters daily, up around 9 per cent from last year. More residential developments are coming up around Kupang station.

To cater to the increased demand, SBS Transit will also start adding 194 trips per week to the Sengkang West Loop, which will cut the waiting times during morning and evening peak hours by about one minute. Currently, waiting time in the mornings ranges from five to six minutes, while in the evening, commuters wait for four to five minutes for each train.

On weekends, 57 more trips will be added per day and these will run throughout operating hours until 11 pm. The nearby Punggol East Loop, linked by the North East Line one stop away, will also get 70 more trips per week during evening hours.

SBS Transit chief executive officer Gan Juay Kiat said: “We have been closely monitoring the housing and commercial developments in the Sengkang and Punggol areas ... with more than 260 new weekly trips being added to the system, we hope that this will better serve our commuters and provide them with greater travelling convenience.”

Sengkang residents TODAY spoke to welcomed the news of additional trains serving the network, which they said will help ease the crowdedness during peak periods.

Ms Claire Koh, 26, said she has to skip some trains at times when she goes home after work. “It’s frustrating because both the east and west side trains share the same platform, and the platform gets really crowded, and the trains come but people can’t get on.”

Another resident, Ms Jackie Chew, 61, who lives near Renjong station, which is one stop away from Sengkang Interchange, has a similar experience. “In the morning, it’s really bad. It’s so packed that my nose is touching the glass doors.”