Light Rail Transit

Light Rail Transit File:LRT Logo.png
Statistics
Owner	Land Transport Authority
Operator(s)
Number of lines	3
Number of stations	41
System length	28.6 km

The Light Rail Transit (LRT), is a series of localised automated guideway transit systems acting as feeder services to the heavy rail Mass Rapid Transit, which together forms the core of rail transport services. The first LRT line was opened in 1999 and the system has since expanded to three lines, each serving a public housing estate, namely Bukit Panjang, Sengkang and Punggol. Trains on these lines have at least one station linking it to the MRT and in turn the remainder of the LRT network.

History

In September 1991, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) unveiled the revised Concept Plan 1991, which proposed a new mode of feeder rail that could serve new towns such as Yishun and Tampines. Such systems were to be fully automated and elevated light rail systems to serve as faster alternatives to existing feeder buses.

In 1996, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) published a White Paper which outlined its goals for a world-class transport system in Singapore, one of which was the utilisation of LRT systems as feeder services to the MRT network, and the integration of LRT facilities with HDB estates to maximise convenience for residents.

The concept of having rail lines which could bring people from door to door without requiring the use of road-based buses was much favoured by the government transport planners, especially with the increased emphasis on a rail-based public transport network. For intra town travel, LRTs were favoured over buses because trains run on dedicated elevated guideways, bypassing any traffic congestion and traffic lights on the roads, and do not add to road traffic. Train arrival and departure times are also almost guaranteed this way. It is also cleaner as the trains are electrically powered, and therefore lessens the effects of air pollution.

Infrastructure

Line	Commencement	Latest extension	Terminus	Stations	Length (km)	Rolling Stocks	Depot	Operator	Control Center
Bukit Panjang LRT	6 November 1999	N/A	Choa Chu Kang	13	7.7	C801 C801A	Ten Mile Junction Depot		Ten Mile Junction Depot
Sengkang LRT	18 January 2003	2015	Sengkang	14	10.6	C810 C810A	Sengkang Depot		Sengkang Depot
Punggol LRT	29 January 2005	2017	Punggol	14	10.3

References

Railway Lines in Singapore		[ V • T • E ]
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)	North–South Line • East–West Line • North East Line • Circle Line • Downtown Line • Thomson–East Coast Line
	FutureJurong Region Line • Cross Island Line
Light Rail Transit (LRT)	Bukit Panjang LRT • Sengkang LRT • Punggol LRT
Cross-border	KTM Intercity
	FutureJohor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System
Others	Changi Airport Skytrain • Sentosa Express
	DefunctSentosa Monorail