Sengkang-Punggol LRT depot to triple in size with new test track, maintenance building

SINGAPORE – The Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) depot will more than triple in size with the completion of expansion works in 2027, featuring a new maintenance building and test track that will improve reliability for passengers.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on April 12 that these works, which started in 2022 and will see the depot expand from 3.5ha to 11.1ha, are meant to provide more stabling – or railway parking – space for the new SPLRT fleet comprising 25 two-car light rail vehicles.

The North East Line and SPLRT are typically crowded even during off-peak hours, according to passengers The Straits Times interviewed in October 2025.

The number of residents living in Punggol has increased from 87,610 in 2013 to 177,470 as at March 2025, according to resident population figures released by the Housing Board.

Likewise, the number of residents living in Sengkang has risen from 172,680 in 2013 to 224,510 as at March 2025, the data showed.

To ease congestion and prevent passengers from missing trains, LTA rolled out free off-peak rides from December 2025 for passengers tapping into any SPLRT station before 7.30am, or between 9am and 9.45am on weekdays, excluding public holidays.

Seven of the new vehicles for the SPLRT have entered passenger service, and are running on the tracks alongside older single-carriage and two-carriage trains. The network is operated by SBS Transit.

Some of these older vehicles will be replaced by the end of 2028, raising the overall passenger capacity across the LRT network by 15.8 per cent.

LTA noted that structural and architectural works within the depot have been completed, while the final phase – such as the fitting of rail tracks as well as the installation of electrical, mechanical and system services – is ongoing.

Among the new features of the expanded depot is a test track to trial vehicles after maintenance works have been completed, before they ply the tracks for passenger service, said the authority.

The existing test track will be converted into connecting tracks between the existing and expanded portions of the depot.

A second maintenance building was also constructed to facilitate maintenance activities for the new fleet of light-rail vehicles, while functioning as an office building for depot staff.

Together with the new stabling yard, both facilities will increase maintenance and railway parking capacity by around 1.5 times.

Photovoltaic panels have also been installed on the roofs of both facilities and on the ground level of the depot, saving at least 1,520 megawatt-hours of electricity – equivalent to some 354 households’ annual electricity consumption – each year.

What remains to be done at the depot are works on two new reception tracks to connect the depot and the main LRT network.

To facilitate these works, train service on the Sengkang West LRT line will operate on a single loop for six months from April 19 to Oct 18.

This means there will be no service on the Sengkang West Inner Loop via Cheng Lim station from Sengkang station.

Commuters can use regular bus services or the Sengkang West Outer Loop, which runs via Renjong station and will be operated entirely with two-car light rail vehicles during this period.

A shuttle bus service will also run from Sengkang Bus Interchange on weekdays during peak hours – from 6am to 10am and from 5.30pm to 9.30pm – to supplement LRT capacity.

A total of 12 buses will be deployed during each peak-hour period, operating every three to five minutes and costing the same as LRT journeys.

The connection works will be completed in four phases, starting with the demolition of existing concrete infrastructure to connect the reception tracks to the current SPLRT infrastructure.

Next, trackside signalling will be installed and the power lines reinstated. The power and signalling systems will then be tested individually, followed by integrated testing of the systems with the light rail vehicles to ensure the Sengkang West loop is ready for passenger service.

LTA noted that the testing and monitoring of the entire SPLRT system and reinstatement works along the affected roads will continue even after the service adjustment ends in October.

Earlier in August 2025, a failure of the power switchboard at a NEL depot substation resulted in a three-hour disruption on the MRT line and tripped up the LRT for about 10 hours.

It was one of at least 15 rail disruptions that took place between July and September, prompting the creation of a task force on Sept 19, 2025, to tackle disruptions.