For eight Sundays, starting on Nov 12, the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) will begin service at 7am instead of the usual 5.30am.

The later-than-usual Sunday starting times, which will last till the year end, will facilitate track maintenance and renewal work to replace ageing rail mounting frames and rail expansion joints on the 18-year-old line.

In a statement yesterday, operator SMRT said: "These works are important to maintain the reliability of the power rail system and ensure smooth operations of the trains."

The BPLRT is the most problematic transit line here, with unabated breakdowns since it started running in 1999.

According to Land Transport Authority statistics, the line has one delay for every 51,000 train car-km operated in the first half, less than half the 112,000 train car-km clocked by the Sengkang-Punggol LRT.

SMRT said it has only two hours each night - between the last train service and the first one the next morning - to do maintenance and repairs. The later Sunday starting times will increase this to 31/2 hours per night, it said.

To reduce the impact of the later start on commuters, shuttle bus services, which run along the LRT route, will be available from 5.30am to 7am. "Commuters are advised to plan their journeys ahead and consider alternative transport arrangements," SMRT added.

Bukit Panjang resident Kok Wei Ming, who lives near Segar station, said: "I think this is a great move by SMRT to increase the maintenance work done on the LRT, which often breaks down or has its service delayed due to faults."

The 33-year-old social media manager added: "It should have done this earlier... It's better to have an extra hour and a half of maintenance every week than to have frequent breakdowns and disruptions during peak hours."

Christopher Tan