Light Rail Transit (Singapore)
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Land Transport Authority |
| Locale | Singapore |
| Transit type | Automated guideway transit/People mover (APM) |
| Number of lines | 3 |
| Number of stations | 43 (2 not in operation) |
| Daily ridership | 152,000 (2015) |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 6 November 1999 |
| Operator(s) |
SBS Transit (ComfortDelGro) SMRT Light Rail (SMRT Corporation) |
| Technical | |
| System length | 28.8 km (17.90 mi) |
The Light Rail Transit (LRT), also known as the Light Rapid Transit, is a series of localised automated guideway transit systems acting as feeder services to the heavy rail Mass Rapid Transit, which together with the LRT forms the core of Singapore's rail transport services. The first LRT line was opened in 1999 and the system has since expanded to three lines, each serving a public housing estate, namely Bukit Panjang, Sengkang and Punggol. Trains on these lines have at least one station linking it to the MRT and in turn the remainder of the LRT network.
All LRT lines use fully automated and driverless rubber-tired closer in size and scope to an people mover system such as those found in many airports around the world. They are elevated and grade-separated in their entireties, and run on viaducts in order to save scarce land space in Singapore. In these respects, the LRT departs from the traditional sense of a light rail system (which are rarely grade-separated and in many cases include street running sections).
Along with the MRT, the LRT is constructed by the Land Transport Authority, with operating concessions currently handed to SMRT Light Rail and SBS Transit.
The concept of having rail lines which could bring people from door to door without requiring the use of road-based buses was much favoured by the government transport planners, especially with the increased emphasis on a rail-based public transport network. For intra town travel, LRTs were favoured over buses because trains run on dedicated elevated guideways, bypassing any traffic congestion and traffic lights on the roads, and do not add to road traffic. Train arrival and departure times are also almost guaranteed this way. It is also cleaner as the trains are electrically powered, and therefore lessens the effects of air pollution.
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