Five stations along the North East Line (NEL) will close earlier in July on Fridays and Saturdays.

Maintenance work

Rail operator SBS Transit (SBST) said on Friday, June 21 that the stations from Kovan to Punggol will close earlier at around 11pm on the affected days to facilitate maintenance and renewal works.

It said: "Maintenance works on parts of the power system and the platform screen doors, as well as track replacements will be undertaken."

Dedicated shuttle bus

A dedicated shuttle bus service, Shuttle 21, will be provided for commuters travelling between Serangoon and Punggol stations.

Shuttle 21 will arrive every one to five minutes and stop at designated bus stops or interchanges near affected stations.

Fares on the dedicated shuttle will follow the trains fare structure.

Normal service but slower on remaining line

Train services for the rest of the NEL between Serangoon and HarbourFront stations will operate as normal.

However, they will run at longer intervals of about nine minutes during days of early closures.

Southbound trains heading from Serangoon towards HarbourFront will be extended to 12.15am to facilitate "outward connectivity".

Extended hours

The light rail transit (LRT) services will also be extended to 1.10am in Sengkang and 1.15am in Punggol.

The operating hours of service 325 will also be extended.

Last train timings vary for each station, SBST said, urging commuters to check timings on SBST social media platforms and website at affected MRT stations.

The maintenance works are part of a major renewal project on the NEL to upgrade its trains, track components, and power and signalling systems.