SINGAPORE – Renovation works will soon begin at Sengkang LRT station to improve the flow of passengers, and will be completed at the end of 2024, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
The station is the interchange for both the East and West Loops of the Sengkang LRT line, and the North East MRT line. The Sengkang LRT line has four routes, with trains running in both directions across the two loops, covering 14 stations.
Currently, the station’s two platforms are used for both the East and West Loops, and passengers have to check overhead signs to know which route the departing train will take.
When works are completed at Sengkang LRT station, trains will stop at two different locations along each platform, instead of one. This means that trains on each route will have a dedicated boarding location.
The existing fixed safety barriers thus have to be replaced, said the LTA on March 21. Unlike MRT stations, barriers at LRT stations do not have sliding doors. Instead, there are fixed openings between panels, which the trains align their doors with.
System hardware fitted on the track will be upgraded so that the trains will stop at the correct positions at the station. New signs and queue markings will also be installed to guide passengers.
The works, announced earlier in March, will not affect the LRT’s operating hours as modifications to the station’s layout will be done progressively in sections.
Construction work that cannot be done during operating hours will be restricted to periods after train service ends. During peak hours, ushers at the platforms will help guide passengers, LTA said.
Noise control measures will be in place to minimise disturbance, it added. These include the use of noise insulators, which look like an enclosed tent, when tiles are hacked to fit in the safety barriers.
Sengkang LRT station is located between Compass One shopping mall and Compass Heights condominium.
LTA said it has informed residents and the mall management of the plans and heard their concerns.
It said the changes are aimed at improving commuter flow at the station, which opened in 2003.
The modifications are part of a project to expand the Sengkang depot, in a contract valued at around $157 million.
Sengkang station was relatively busy when The Straits Times visited between 10.30am and noon on March 21. Two SBS Transit station staff were spotted on the platform assisting passengers. Some areas have been blocked off in preparation for the renovation work.
Piano teacher Shon Yuna, 25, who lives in Bedok, uses the station daily to get to her workplace. She said that while passenger movement is generally smooth, the station can get quite crowded on Saturday mornings, so any effort to improve passenger flow is welcome.
Retiree Leong Lee Mee, 67, said the station and trains are more crowded now compared with more than 10 years ago, when she moved to Sengkang.
The Sengkang-Punggol LRT system is being upgraded with new two-car trains in place of the older one-car trains to increase passenger capacity. Some are already in service to cater to peak-hour demand.
LTA said this is done to “better serve residents and meet long-term public transport demand in Sengkang and Punggol towns”.
