ST : More trains for Bukit Panjang LRT?

Nov 17, 2010

More trains for Bukit Panjang LRT?

Commuter woes set to increase as township grows

By Goh Chin Lian

TRAIN operator SMRT is considering raising the capacity of the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (LRT) system as more flats are slated to be built in the area.

Average daily ridership on the LRT has grown from 39,000 at the end of 2000 to 47,000 for just the first 10 months of this year, the operator said.

The township's population is expected to jump, with at least three Build-To-Order projects due to be completed over the next few years. They are the 528-unit Segar Grove at Segar Road, the 741-unit Senja Gateway at Woodlands Road, and the 577-unit Senja Parc View at Senja Road.

Current estimates put the number of people living in the township at over 110,000. They occupy more than 29,000 HDB flats in the Bukit Panjang estate.

Commuters using the 11-year-old line are already finding trains packed during peak hours, with some saying they have had to wait for a second, third, or even fourth train.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa, an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, plans to raise the issue of packed LRT trains in Parliament on Monday.

Said Mr Liang, who used the service in the morning to gain first-hand experience of the packed trains: 'If we don't solve it ahead of time, there'll be a problem when the flats are ready.'

He wants SMRT to increase its fleet of 19 trains so that it can run the entire line with two-car trains instead of a mixture of two- and single-car trains. He also wants their frequency to be increased.

The population in Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang has swelled since the line opened on Nov 6, 1999. The worry then was that not enough people were taking the LRT, he noted.

Demand for the service also increased when the Institute of Technical Education opened its College West campus in Choa Chu Kang in July, with 7,200 full-time students and 8,100 part-time students attending.

The new Downtown MRT line could also feed more passengers to the LRT. The line's second phase, connecting Little India and Newton MRT stations to Bukit Panjang, is due to open in 2015.

However, the Bukit Panjang line has been operating at a loss for a number of years. Its turnaround into profitability last year has proved short-lived. It posted a $75,000 operating loss in the first half of this year, a reversal from a gain of $164,000 over the same period in the previous year.

An SMRT spokesman told The Straits Times: 'We have been working closely with the Land Transport Authority to explore increasing the capacity of the Bukit Panjang LRT system, to meet increased demand from the developments in the region.'

Of the 19 vehicles in its fleet, 18 are used during the peak period, with one on standby. SMRT operates up to six two-car trains at peak hours, with the remaining six being single-car trains.

The fleet size allows for an average frequency during peak hours of two to three minutes between Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang stations, and four to five minutes between Petir and Senja stations, the SMRT said.

When The Straits Times visited on Monday between 7am and 9am, it found the trains almost packed at Senja and Petir stations. Some commuters had to stand close to the doors after boarding because of the crowd.

Accounts assistant Wong Siew Choo, 41, said she has had to wait for two or three trains at Senja station: 'The train has one car sometimes. It should be two cars all the time during busy hours.'

Naval architect Zhang Zhongming, 45, who also boards at Senja, wants a higher frequency during peak hours, from one every five minutes now to one every three or four minutes.

The LTA is already exploring the feasibility of having two-car trains on the newer Sengkang and Punggol LRT lines, to be run by SBS Transit. Both LRT systems now operate single-car trains.

chinlian@sph.com.sg