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I have locked the old thread (ALL consolidated SMRT/NEL/KT.. simisai BREAKDOWNS here!) as it is getting to large (>10,800 posts). Please continue the discussion here, on matter relating to mantenance and breakdown of MRT & LRT network. On discussion of management and other administrative matters, please post it under the Change in SMRT CEO (Apr 2018), Management & Other Matters. 4 current / standing announcements by SMRT and SBS Transit as follow: Early Closure/Late Opening of MRT stations along the North-South Line in May 2018 for Maintenance and Improvement Works Affected Stations Alternate Transport Services Bukit Panjang LRT to close every Sunday from 15 April to 24 June for Planned Maintenance Work SMRT will be carrying out planned maintenance work on the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (BPLRT) every Sunday from 15 April to 24 June 2018. As such, there will be no LRT services on Sundays during this period. In lieu of LRT train services on these 11 Sundays, shuttle buses which run parallel to the BPLRT network will be available (Refer to Annex A) for commuters as an alternative travel option. This is in addition to the existing bus services which already serve the Bukit Panjang town. Alternative Travel Options Stations along the East-West Line will continue to close earlier, open later on April weekends All 35 MRT stations along the East-West Line (EWL) from Tuas Link to Pasir Ris, and from Tanah Merah to Changi Airport, will continue to close earlier and open later for all weekends in April 2018. Appendix A - Last train timings on the East-West Line on Fridays and Saturdays for April 2018 - First train timings on the East-West Line on Saturdays and Sundays for April 2018 Appendix B - Shuttle Bus and Express Bus Services Operational when MRT stations Close Early or Open Later for April 2018. Appendix C - Alternative Travel Plans for Shortened Operating Hours on EWL from 2 March to 29 April 2018 Extension of service hours for 14 bus services due to EWL Maintenance Works The operating hours of 14 SBS Transit bus services - Services 51A, 60A, 63M, 181, 222, 225G, 228, 229, 240, 241, 243G, 291, 292 and 293 - will be extended to 1.30am on Fridays and Saturdays in the month of April due to the early closure of all 35 stations along the East-West Line (EWL) from Tuas Link to Pasir Ris and from Tanah Merah to Changi Airport. Appendix - Last Bus Timings on Fridays and Saturdays in April 2018

After having lived with it for two decades, I no longer question it: Any trip towards Punggol MRT, and out of the estate, requires me to take the LRT first. I’ve always known at the back of my head that my estate is sort of a special one-out-of-three. (Or three-and-a-half.) Only Sengkang and Bukit Panjang also have full LRT loops, while the latter also has a single-line that connects to Choa Chu Kang MRT station. But since I’ve been relatively shielded from the woes of commuters on the other end of Singapore, I never realised how badly planned out the LRT system in Bukit Panjang was. This video that I had saved in my 'Watch Later' playlist for more than a year (I'm the worst at procrastinating when it comes to my own interests and hobbies...) goes into all of the issues in a really engaging and witty manner. Mostly, a lot of criticism over the years has been directed at the fact that the system was built as an afterthought to an estate that had already been independently developed - rather than integrated into its design from the start. Reliability woes didn’t help, and in all, it seems that a lot of money has been sunk into its upkeep over the years. I'll be the first to say that I'm no public transport or urban planning expert. As such, I don't really have anything meaningful to add to the video except for the fact that there were a couple of interesting concepts that really caught my attention: 1) “Access penalty” In explaining why he thinks buses may be superior, the video creator brings up the point of an ‘access penalty’, which refers to the time required to get from the station entrance to the vehicle. As a regular LRT-taker, I’ve never quite been able to put into words the reason why taking the bus is just an overall more comfortable experience, but I feel like this concept does it quite well. Bus stops impose virtually no access penalty on commuters - you simply get onto the bus (Image credit: Unsplash/isaac.) Because LRT stations are elevated quite high up, quite a fair bit of climbing and descending is required with any trip. It’s actually worse for those with mobility issues because the lifts on my line somehow operate slower than the average ones - and you need to take two of them separately to finally reach the platform level. On days when I’m simply too exhausted after work and there’s no proper ‘reporting time’ for getting home, I prefer just waiting for the bus at the interchange. 2) The LRT is technically not ‘light rail’-like Light rail is conventionally understood to have two characteristics. It’s a) surface-level, and 2) ‘Steel on steel’, or steel wheels on steel rails. Our LRT trains, you’ll notice, are rubber-tyred - and of course, very far off the ground. As such, the video creator goes on to make the argument that there's been some level of mis-branding with what we know as the LRT today. Manchester's trams are an example of what light-rail is technically supposed to look like (Image credit: Unsplash/Hala AlGhanim) And finally, as a third, not-video-related surprising fun fact that surfaced as I was digging down this rabbit hole... 3) Singapore almost got a fourth LRT line I also learned that the government initially intended to build another LRT line in the Western part of Singapore, to connect NTU to Jurong East. It has since apparently been canned, with the route subsumed (or expanded, depending on how you think about it) into the Jurong Regional Line, which will be a proper MRT line. Putting things into context Again, I think a lot of the criticism towards LRTs in Singapore is isolated within the Bukit Panjang area, which the video in question - and also the following one that gives a quicker but no less effective overview - make sure to caveat. Sengkang and Punggol both had their LRT systems conceptualised within their town plans for day one - and so, these have been far less problematic (although they also remain notoriously difficult to navigate for first-timers). In their defence - and as daily LRT-commuter, there’s also one good reason why I choose to take the LRT instead of the bus route running parallel to the MRT station (62) no matter what: Regularity. Since our LRTs are automated and programmed according to regular intervals, you know for sure that the next ‘train’ will arrive by a certain time even if you’ve seen it just depart when you reach the platform. It does remain intriguing nonetheless that the LRT model hasn’t been replicated anywhere else in Singapore, despite the fact that new estates continue to be sprouting up. Thoughts on what else Singapore can do to better its last-mile public transport support? - Matt (Cover image credit: Unsplash/Jeyakumaran Mayooresan)

Welcome to PW2 Teck Lee LRT station, the station that remained shut for more than 12 years since the Punggol LRT system opened in 2005. Situated on the west loop of the Punggol LRT, trains supposedly pass by this station without stopping, as seen in the video below. The station seems to be somewhat rundown — covered with dirt, looking fairly weathered. Even the map in the station is the really old version. I guess it will take another decade for the station to be opened https://mothership.sg/2017/12/teck-lee-lrt-not-open/