Sengkang Depot

Sengkang Depot is a train depot located in Sengkang, Singapore. It houses the trains of the North East Line (NEL) and the Sengkang and Punggol LRT lines, as well as the control centre of the NEL. Located beside Tongkang LRT station, it was constructed in 1997 as part of the NEL and led to the relocation of two buildings. Expansion works, intended to accommodate additional LRT trains and enhance power supply systems, began in 2022 and are expected to be completed by 2027. History Sengkang Depot was constructed by Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. in July 1997, at a contract sum of S$350 million. To facilitate construction, two buildings, Pelangi Home and Puat Jit Temple, were moved to temporary locations and eventually relocated. A thousand lorries were needed to excavate the depot's area, which was government land previously inhabited by squatters. Due to the lack of roads available, the lorries had to cross over from the construction site of Sengkang Depot to the main road, moving through more treacherous paths as construction progressed. In total, 3 million m3 (110 million cu ft) of earth was excavated during construction. On 5 February 2021, the Land Transport Authority announced plans to expand the LRT depot from the existing 3.5 hectares (35,000 m2) to 11.1 hectares (111,000 m2). The expanded depot would provide increased stabling capacity, a new maintenance workshop, and two new reception tracks in anticipation for the procurement of 17 two-car trains to boost the Sengkang and Punggol LRT lines' capacity. In addition, the existing power supply systems would be enhanced and three new traction power stations would be added to the existing five for improved traction power to support the additional trains. Originally due to begin at the end of 2021, expansion works began in 2022 and are scheduled to be completed by 2027. As part of expansion works, two contracts were awarded. The first contract, worth $439 million, was awarded to a consortium for two-car trains, expansion works and a new signalling system for the expanded depot. The other contract, worth $157 million, was awarded to Sato Kogyo for expansion works only. Details Sengkang Depot is located beside Tongkang LRT station. It covers 27 hectares (67 acres) and is split into two depots: an LRT depot at the top, and an MRT depot at the bottom. The MRT depot contains maintenance bays where an entire NEL train can be lifted up for repair works. The depot also houses the Operations Control Centre (OCC) of the NEL, where transit officers can monitor train and station operations on the NEL. They can communicate with passengers using the intercom to address any issues, instruct them on how to evacuate trains in times of emergency, and monitor trains via cameras. The OCC also has a single terminal that controls the entire automation of the NEL, granting officers full control of the NEL. The expanded LRT depot contains an additional maintenance workshop that allows both cars of a two-car train to be maintained simultaneously; the prior building accomodates one car at a time. It also contains a new test track; the existing one will be repurposed to connect the prior depot and the area created during expansion. Inside the depot is a substation which has two interconnected switchboards, each being a backup for the other. Notes References Bibliography Leong, Chan Teik (2003). Getting There: The Story of the North East Line. Singapore: Land Transport Authority. ISBN 981-04-5886-X. OCLC 53383062.