If you commute on the Sengkang-Punggol Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines, then you might be excited to know that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has procured another eight new two-car trains, bringing the total number of new LRT trains to 25.

The contract for the eight new trains is valued at around S$87 million.

The manufacturer is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The eight new trains will replace half of the existing fleet of two-car models.

Contract for initial 17 new trains awarded in February 2022

The contract for the initial order of 17 two-car trains was awarded to a consortium that comprised Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Asia Pacific.

That contract was worth S$439 million.

These 17 trains will replace the current one-car models.

The new trains will arrive progressively from 2024. Once all the new trains arrive, the Sengkang-Punggol LRT will have a fleet of 33 two-car trains, according to The Straits Times.

A bigger fleet would cater to a higher demand on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT post-pandemic.

In 2022, SBS Transit reported a 26.6 per cent increase in average daily ridership to 135,675 passenger trips each day.

Top image by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.