SINGAPORE – The first two new trains for the Sengkang-Punggol LRT have been handed over to rail operator SBS Transit, ahead of their entry into service in the third quarter of 2025.

In a video update posted to Facebook on May 9, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that after the carriages were transported from a port to the Sengkang LRT depot in December 2024, they were lifted onto the tracks and coupled to form two-carriage trains.

It added that these two trains underwent vigorous tests in preparation for the start of service.

SBS Transit is conducting final tests on the trains, said LTA.

These two trains are among 25 new two-carriage trains that the authorities are bringing in to cater to increased ridership demand in Sengkang and Punggol.

The trains are manufactured by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Seventeen of the new trains, ordered in 2022, are slated to be progressively delivered from 2024 to 2027. The remaining eight trains, ordered in 2023, will arrive from the second half of 2027.

In a separate Facebook post on May 9, SBS Transit said the remaining 23 new two-carriage trains will start operations in batches after the third quarter of 2025.

It added that the new fleet will gradually replace the existing single-carriage trains to meet growing public transport demand.

The current Sengkang-Punggol LRT fleet consists of 16 two-carriage trains and 25 single-carriage trains.

The earlier order of 17 two-carriage trains will replace the existing 25 one-carriage trains. The later order of eight two-carriage trains will replace half of the existing 16 two-carriage trains.

As a result, the Sengkang-Punggol LRT network will eventually have a fleet of 33 two-carriage trains.

Each new train carriage can accommodate 105 passengers, The Straits Times reported previously.

Some features of the new trains are energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, light strips to warn passengers of closing doors, air-conditioning units installed on the roof, and newly designed seats.

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