Proceedings of the Institution of
Civil Engineers
Bridge Engineering 161
June 2008 Issue BE2
Pages 79–87
doi: 10.1680/bren.2008.161.2.79
Paper 800018
Received 27/10/2006
Accepted 25/04/2008
Keywords: Yew Wah Leung Jon Skipworth Button
bridges/concrete structures/railway Director, YWL Engineering Director, Gammon
systems Pte Ltd, Singapore Construction, Singapore
Design and construction of Bukit Panjang LRT, Singapore
Y. W. Leung MPhil, CEng, MICE, ACGI, MHKIE, J. S. Button
A. Y. Y. Yap BEng, MIE(Australia) and K. N. Ng MSc, PE
The Bukit Panjang light rapid transit (LRT) system, a
groundbreaking project for the Land Transport Authority of
Singapore, was designed to serve as a feeder to the existing
mass rapid transit network and the Bukit Panjang bus
interchange. The main civil engineering elements consist of
7$8 km of twin-track elevated guideway, 14 stations and a
maintenance depot with an operation control centre. The
system was completed and opened to the public in
November 1999. This paper discusses the design and
construction of the LRT guideway, which consists mainly of
precast prestressed concrete segmental box girder bridges
with epoxy glued joints and internally prestressed tendons.
The bridge decks are predominantly simply supported spans
ranging from 15 to 34 m; however, a few special decks are
made continuous due to stability requirements. Two
overhead launching girders were employed for erecting the
guideway. Due to specific site constraints and system
requirements, the alignment was characterised by
numerous tight curves with a minimum horizontal radius of
60 m. The geometry control method and construction
equipment, such as the casting cells and the launching
girders, were tailor-made in order to tackle the
unconventional situation. Some operation and maintenance
aspects of the system are also covered in this paper.
1. INTRODUCTION
The Bukit Panjang light rapid transit (LRT) system was a
groundbreaking project for the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of
Singapore. It was designed to serve as a feeder to the existing mass
rapid transit (MRT) network and the Bukit Panjang bus
interchange. The LRT system is laterally integrated with the north–
south MRT line at Choa Chu Kang MRT station (Fig. 1). The system
has been operational since November 1999, serving the Choa Chu
Kang and Bukit Panjang residential estates and providing a feeder
service to the MRT mainline and intra-town travel within the two
estates. A prime objective of the system was to ensure that station
access for residents in the catchment areas would not exceed a
400 m walking distance. The selection of an alignment over the
pedestrian sidewalk (against that of a central median alignment
elsewhere) had the benefit of ensuring close accessibility of the
LRT stations from the adjacent residential apartments and is
visually less obtrusive with relatively lower guideway structures.
Concerns about the proximity of LRT vehicles and stations to
residents have been substantially addressed through the use of
Andrew Yong Yiow Yap Kee Nam Ng
Project Director Director, Circle Line
(Boon Lay MRT Extension), Stage 2 (C821/C822),
Land Transport Authority, Land Transport Authority,
Singapore Singapore
BSc, CEng, FICE, ACGI,
‘demisting windows’ (windows that periodically turn opaque)
incorporated within each vehicle and prudence in architectural
design with visual screens at station platforms.
The main civil engineering elements consist of 7$8 km of twin-
track elevated guideway, 14 stations and a maintenance depot
(Fig. 2) housing an operation control centre (OCC) located at level
3 of a commercial development with provisions incorporated for
future 14-storey residential twin towers. A total of 19 rubber-
tyred vehicles (CX-110) operate in either single- or two-car
configuration on the guideway. Each vehicle has a nominal
capacity of 105 passengers, is fully automatic, bi-directionally
signalled and controlled by the OCC. The average noise generated
per vehicle in normal operation is less than 67 dBA Leq per hour.
Vehicles can operate within an alignment with tight horizontal
and vertical curves. The speed of the vehicles ranges from 11 to
55 km/h with peak headway of 3 min and off-peak headway of
6 min. The guideway design was largely governed by these
system characteristics. The track alignment and typical system
details are shown in Fig. 3.
The LRT guideway superstructure consists mainly of precast
prestressed concrete segmental box girders with epoxy glued
joints and internally prestressed tendons. The segmental
approach was employed because of its suitability to meet the
alignment, site constraints and specific system requirements. The
bridge decks are predominantly simply supported spans ranging
from 15 to 34 m; however, a few special decks are continuous
due to stability requirements. Two overhead launching girders
were employed for erecting the guideway. Due to specific site
constraints and system requirements, the alignment was
characterised by numerous tight curves with a minimum
horizontal radius of 60 m. The geometry control method and the
construction equipment (e.g. casting cells and launching girders)
were tailor-made in order to tackle the unconventional situation.
2. GUIDEWAY DESIGN
2.1. Alignment
The alignment design was of fundamental importance in the
initial phase of works development as it impacted on many
subsequent activities of different parties. The alignment was
located within the existing road reserve between the kerbs of the
main roads and buildings in order to minimise site clearance
or land acquisition. A corridor of 15 m was provided as right of
way for fitting in the guideway structure. In the alignment
 and 0$06 g/s jerk rate; the
limiting accelerations for the
vertical curves were 0$03 g and
0$05 g for the sag and crest
portions respectively. Given the
tight construction programme
of 36 months for the civil
works, diversion of certain
major utilities was not feasible.
Therefore, system
characteristics were often
exploited to the limit and the
final alignment was
characterised by many tight
curves (Fig. 4). However,
together with the ride quality,
system performance with
respect to journey time was
another constraint in the
design. Some of the tight curves
adopted had to be opened up
and many back-to-back spiral
Fig. 1. North–south MRT line at Choa Chu Kang MRT station
designs were employed.

design, the prime objectives were to maximise separation from
buildings, minimise utility diversions, integrate with the
topography, maintain a high standard of passenger ride quality
and ensure constructability by the proposed segmental method.
These criteria could come into conflict and there were numerous
consultative meetings between the owner, various authorities
and partners. The process to finalise the 7$8 km alignment was
progressive and with many iterations; it took a period of
approximately eight months including determination of the span
layouts and all associative utility information.
The design of rail alignment is largely governed by the riding
comfort of passengers, which is defined by limiting perceived
acceleration and jerk in a journey. In this project, horizontal
curves were designed with a limiting value of 0$075 g acceleration
The selected superstructure form of a single-cell box girder for
both tracks of the guideway imposed a constraint to the
alignment design. The superelevation for individual tracks was
made the same wherever possible, if other design criteria such as
train speed and passenger comfort allowed. If required, minor
differences in the cant were fine-tuned by in situ topping of the
running track (Fig. 5).
The proposed segmental method also played a part in the
alignment design. Although the train can physically handle a
minimum horizontal radius of 22$8 m (at 11 km/h), it is not
considered desirable for the segmental construction. According
to specifications of the construction equipment such as the
casting cell and launching girder, the smallest horizontal radius
in the deck was limited to 60 m and the maximum rate of twist
in the transition areas to
0$25% per metre.

2.2. Bridge form and

articulation
The guideway substructure
consists of a conventional
reinforced concrete structure
with a crosshead and a single
column supported on driven
H-piles. The crosshead
dimension was dictated by
both the space required for
housing the permanent
bearings and the working
space for the segment erection
operations. Consideration was
given to several piling
methods before it was decided
to opt for a driven steel
H-piling solution. The H-pile
Fig. 2. Elevated guideway and maintenance depot
option was selected as it

80
 Outer loop
track

Inner loop
track A11

A12

A1 Link to existing A10

MRT station

A13
Guideway length 8·3 km
Stations A1 – A14
Depot
A2
A14
A9

A3 A5
Outbound A6
track A7

A4
A8
0 50 100 250 500 meters
Inbound
Scale 1:1000 track

Fig. 3. Track alignment and typical system details

was readily adaptable to suit situations of utility obstruction
and offered a relatively higher speed of installation.
Different structural forms were considered for the standard
guideway superstructure. A dual 1$5 m deep U-shaped box
section supporting a five-span continuous single-track guideway
was initially considered. A critical review focusing on aesthetics,
functionality, stability and constructability of the integrated
structural system resulted in the final selection of a single-
cell spine beam box girder combining both tracks to a double
guideway section (Fig. 5). The guideway spans are simply
supported structures ranging from 15 to 34 m resting on
pot bearings.
The advantages of the twin-tracked box girder section over the
U-shaped single are

(a) an efficient section

resulting in the use of less
prestressed materials with
a longer span length
(b) half the number of spans
to erect and less erection
fronts to operate
(c) better stability
characteristics which
allow a simply supported
solution, avoiding
continuous structures
that are more difficult
to build
(d ) larger internal box
facilitates casting and
future maintenance
(e) total integration of the
system cables and
emergency walkway which
gives an aesthetically
appealing guideway
Fig. 4. Tight curves along the alignment
structure.
 spans together with continuity
6532
CL prestress to make the deck
Deck In situ concrete
continuous and stable.
Although the continuous
curved structure would be
stable with single bearings at

200

330
all piers, two bearings were
employed at the ends of the

2330
continuous deck so as to

1370
290
ensure rotational compatibility
with the neighbouring simply
supported spans. In addition,

180
internal single bearings were
1171 445 3300 445 1171 offset in order to avoid bearing
uplifts at the ends for all load
Fig. 5. Precast segmental double-track section (dimensions in mm) scenarios7 (Fig. 7).

A precast segmental deck with glued joints and internally
prestressed tendons was adopted for the majority of the guideway
superstructure. In situ structures were adopted where there was a
particularly complex geometry. The segmental guideway was
designed in accordance with BS 5400,1–4 supplemented by the
AASHTO specifications5 and system supplier design criteria6 for
live loading and other system-specific details.
Based on the characteristics of the horizontal alignment, the
spans are divided into two main categories—‘structurally straight’
and ‘curved’ decks. The demarcation is at a radius of 120 m
governed by stability considerations. All ‘straight’ decks
(R O120 m) are simply supported.
For a number of curved spans at road junctions (Fig. 6), the span
lengths were fixed based on topographical constraints and
stability limits. In order to allow the same launching method to
be used, these spans were initially erected as simply supported
structures with temporary tie-downs that were removed when
continuity was achieved. After passing of the girder, an in situ
stitch was formed at each pier location by connecting adjacent
The standard guideway section
is not suitable for accommodating the crossover or turnout
switches as these mechanical devices are deeper than the bogie
guide beam. A number of multi-cell box girder sections were thus
derived for these special structures. The external shapes of these
box sections are similar to those of the standard guideway as far
as possible for form consistency. These spans are designed as
simply supported segmental post-tensioning structures.
3. GUIDEWAY CONSTRUCTION
3.1. Substructure and foundation
Construction of the foundations for the guideway, being located
within a densely populated area and obstructed by many buried
services, posed particular problems for the contractor. During
construction, many of the generic foundation designs had to be
modified to suit specific site conditions, which reflected the
flexibility of this fast-track design-and-build project.
Noise and vibration were monitored carefully and, while the
noise during pile driving was significant, this was accepted by
local residents due to the
relatively short installation
period. A driving rate of six to
eight piles per rig per day was
achieved, so that piling at each
cap location would generally
only take three days
including mobilisation.

The site comprises a variable

thickness layer of in situ soils
developed from complete
weathering of the underlying
Bukit Timah granite rock and
Gombak Norite rock, with
some superficial fill and
alluvial soils in places. The
depth to bedrock ranges
generally from 15 to 40 m. The
residual soil is, in general, a
mixed soil comprising varying
proportions of sand, silt and
clay. As is common with
Fig. 6. A curved span over a road junction
tropically weathered igneous

82
 All reinforcement cages were
prefabricated in the contractor’s
works area and installed by lorry
cranes operating alongside the
sidewalk. Special column
shutters were designed to
incorporate the crossheads,
allowing one monolithic casting,
in sections up to 12 m high.
These shutters also incorporated
access platforms so that easy safe
access was guaranteed. From
commencement of the
substructure caps to completion
of the columns took 50 weeks
and was sequenced to ensure
that the launch girders were
never delayed.

3.2. Segment casting

(a)
3.2.1. Casting yard. During
the design of the casting yard,
CL Deck due consideration was given
to the logistics and layout of
S.O.P. various facilities such that
efficient interaction between
them could be ensured. Special
50
50

attention was given to

movements of segments. These
integrated facilities include:
casting machines and
reinforcement jigs; storage for
1250

150
segments and raw materials
450 mm diameter such as prestressing strands
and accessories; reinforcement
cutting and bending
at CL column
550 min

equipment; maintenance
Varies

C Bearing plinth offset X

Top of
column workshop; accommodation for
a large number of resident
400

labourers; drainage and power

supply; on-site batching
C plant and cranage. The layout
1000

L Column
of the casting yard is shown
in Fig. 8.

This project comprises 254

spans with a total of 2589
segments. Segment weights are
in the range 20–40 t. A long-line
casting bed together with 11
(b)
short-line moulds was
Fig. 7. (a) Offset bearing for internal pier; (b) section at pier employed. With careful
implementation of a quality
rocks, the transition from residual soil to fresh rock is usually assurance system in the yard, high-quality concrete segments
quite abrupt and most piles were expected to terminate in rock. A were produced.
total of 2700 driven H-section steel piles (350 mm ! 350 mm)
were driven to support 275 pile caps. 3.2.2. Segment moulds and geometry control. In the short-line
match-casting method, the overall geometry of a bridge was
Pile cap and column construction followed closely behind the piling captured in a casting cell in stages based on a given segmentation
front, with pile caps needing to be redetailed to suit the as-built or scheme. During each casting operation, the spatial relationship
revised pile configuration for accommodating service obstructions. of a pair of conjugate segments in global coordinates was

Bridge Engineering 161 Issue BE2 Design and construction of Bukit Panjang LRT, Singapore Leung et al. 83
 N

84
Substation
and switchroom

Long line Long line storage

Segment storage
casting area
Ø50 mm

gantry 28 mt
Ø50 mm Vertical pipe Downpipe Downpipe
Ø50 mm Ø25 mm Downpipe Downpipe Ø20 mm
Wash-Bay

35 t
Ø25 mm Ø25 mm
Long line storage

Ø50 mm
Incoming
1 Overhead pipe
Ø32 mm Ø4”

Cage Overhead pipe

Ø32 mm

Jig
Jig
Jig
Cage Downpipe
Ø25 mm Overhead
Cage pipe
Rebar Ø40 mm Store Workshop
Cage

Jig
Jig
Jig

Pipe Ø50 mm
cutting Ø20 mm
Rebar
storage and bending
Ø20 mm Ø25 mm
Cage

Jig
Jig
Jig
Ø20mm Ø20 mm
Ø20 mm Ø20 mm

Ø20 mm Ø20 mm
Down pipe

Ø20 mm
Cage

Ø20 mm Ø20 mm
Ø25 mm Overhead Downpipe
Ø25 mm

Storage area
pipeØ40 mm

Storage area
Cage

Jig
Jig
Jig
Downpipe
Cage Ø25 mm Downpipe
Ø25 mm

1 Overhead
pipe
Ø32 mm

Downpipe Downpipe Downpipe

Overhead pipe
Ø25 mm Ø25 mm Ø32 mm Ø25 mm

gantry 28 mt
Segment storage

35 t

Legend:

User point
0 5 10 20 50 meters Underground pipe
External pipe
Stop-cock
Water meter
Scale 1:1000

Fig. 8. Casting yard layout

 90 3000

Weekly actual 79
80

Weekly cumulative 2500

71 71
70 68 68
66 65 65 66
64 63
59 60 59
60 58 2000

Cumulative weekly casting

56 57 57 56 56
Weekly segment casting

54 54
52 52 53 53
50 49
50 48 48
4646 46 46
43 42 44
43 1500
40 41
38 39
40 37

32 33
31 32
30 1000
26
24 25
22
20
15
500

10
6
3 3
1
0 0
97
24

97

Ap 4
7
21

97

Ju 9
97

16

30

97

Au 8
97

Se 5
97

22

97

20

97

17

97

15

Ja 9
98

Fe 6
98

23

98

23
2
r9

2
b

ar

ay

ct

ov

ec

ar
Ju
Fe

O
M

M
M

D
14

6
7

5
10

9
10

9
11

3
8

1
5

Fig. 9. Segment casting characteristics

transformed to the local reference frame of the casting cell. 3.3. Segmental deck erection
Geometric errors that occurred during a casting operation
3.3.1. Launching girder. Two overhead launching girders,
were controlled and adjusted in subsequent casting operations.
designed specifically for erecting the 60 m curved spans,8 were
Control points were fixed to the wet-cast segment before
tailor-made for this project. Overhead launching girders were
hardening of concrete for geometry control purposes.
selected because they minimise interference with other activities,
Surveys were carried out before and after casting a pair of conjugate
particularly in an urban environment characterised by site
segments and specialised computer software was used for
constraints and numerous road crossings for which closure is
automating the geometry control exercise.
difficult, if not impossible.
Traditionally, a bridge is segmented into units with the spatial
During erection of a curved span with a horizontal radius of
relationship described by orthogonal reference frames for ease
60 m, the maximum eccentricity that the launching girder had to
of control and computation. In this project, two types of
handle was about 2 m. Therefore, both the loading and kinematic
segments were employed for spans with different radii—3$1 m
requirements on the girder design were very demanding. Fig. 10
for the ‘straights’ (R O 120 m) and 2$4 m for curves with tight radii.
An approach using non-orthogonal frames was adopted to reduce shows the girder in use.
the break angles at the match-cast face for the short segments. This
geometry control method required a special feature in the mould to In a typical erection cycle, segments were fed from the rear end of the
provide a bulkhead that could be rotated. girder, picked up by the winch and moved to the designated position
in a span. Epoxy was applied to the segment match-cast face prior to
In addition to the short-line casting cells, a long-line mould was joint closure with temporary prestressing. The spans were supported
also employed for the production of segments that varied in on temporary jacks during load transfer when permanent
width (e.g. tapered spans). Although the long-line casting prestressing was applied. After completion of a span, the main girder
approach offers flexibility in span width, it cannot accommodate launched itself forward following the front support beam. The main
vertical curves. In areas with the coexistence of both variables, an girder and the support beam were linked by a turntable. After the
in situ construction method was adopted. main girder reached its final position for erecting the next span,
the support beam would launch forward, guided and supported by
3.2.3. Segment production characteristics. After a relatively the turntable that allowed three-dimensional movements of the
short learning curve, a steady production rate for each short-line beam to suit the required span length, horizontal and vertical curves.
mould was one segment per day, including the diaphragm. The This special feature gave the required manoeuvrability of this
long-line mould eventually also achieved the same rate but with equipment for handling both straight and curved spans. Fig. 11
certain difficulties and a much longer learning curve. All segments shows a typical launching sequence.
were produced in a period of 13 months. Due to storage and erection
logistics, individual moulds were operational during different 3.3.2. Special spans. Proper standardisation of construction
periods. The achieved production curve is shown in Fig. 9. schemes is synonymous with the economic viability of a large-

85
 crane with segments produced
in either short-line or
long-line moulds.

3.3.3. Erection rates. The 262

spans of this project comprise
254 segmental and eight in situ
spans. The segmental spans
were completed in 11 months by
two overhead launching girders
supplemented by crane erection
of a few lightweight units. The
average yield per girder was
about three spans per week due
to maintenance requirements
and slightly longer operation
time for the specials; however, a
peak production rate of 36 h per
span was achieved for a
consecutive ten-span run in a
straight alignment where
segments were picked up from
Fig. 10. Operation of the girder
the ground instead of being
rear-fed to the girder. The guideway erection characteristic curve
scale viaduct project. However, it is also well understood that achieved is shown in Fig. 12.
non-standard items will occur on any complex job despite all
efforts. In this project, the percentage of non-standard spans was
relatively high due to numerous site and system constraints. The 4. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
standard erection method was not applicable to the closing spans The fully automatic Bukit Panjang LRT system with unmanned
at station ends, switches, long spans with tight curves, stations has enjoyed a steady increase of daily passengers from
crossing over the Malayan Railway line, etc. Production of 27 000 to a peak of 39 000 since its opening in November 1999 to
these special spans required additional engineering studies September 2006. The performance of the LRT encompasses a
and construction time. In situ solutions were employed for system availability of 99$7%. This is achieved through good
only a few spans; the rest were all erected by the girder or control and maintenance of the train control system, power

N N +1
N –1 N N +1 N +2
N –1

N N +1

N –1 N N +1 N +2
N –1

N N +1
N –1 N N +1 N +2

N –1 N +2

N N +1

N –1 N N +1 N +2 N –1 N +2

Fig. 11. Launching sequence of girder

86
 11 250

10 1010
10
Weekly actual
9 9 9
9
Weekly cumulative 200
8
8
Weekly span erection LG1 and LG2

7 7 7 7 7 7 7

Cumulative weekly erection

7
150
6 6 6 6 6 6 6
6

5 5 5 5
5

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 100
4

3 3 3 3
3

2 2 2 2 2 50
2

1
1

0 0
97
24

97

Ap 4
7
21

97
19

97
16

30

97
28

97
25

97
22

7
20

97
17

97
15

29

98
26

98
23

98
23
2
r9

9
b

ar

ay

ct

ov

ec

ar
Ju
Fe

Ju

Au

Se

Ja

Fe
O
M

M
M

D
14
7

6
2

5
10

10

9
11

1
5

Fig. 12. Segment erection characteristics

distribution system and communications system to ensure a high REFERENCES

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in particular the 7$8 km concrete segmental viaduct, has Bridges, General Statement. BSI, London, 1988, BS 5400-1.
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was observed in a recent five-yearly professional engineer’s Composite Bridges, Specifications for Loads. BSI, London,
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was constructed with good-quality control, will not require 3. BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION. Steel, Concrete and Composite
any major maintenance input for many years of its service life. Bridges, Code of Practice for Design of Concrete Bridges. BSI,
London, 1990, BS 5400-4.
4. BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION. Steel, Concrete and Composite
5. CONCLUSIONS Bridges, Code of Practice for Design of Bridge Bearings. BSI,
The design and construction of the Bukit Panjang LRT system London, 1983, BS 5400-9.1.
represents a typical complex large-scale project in an urban 5. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION
setting. State-of-the-art techniques were employed in order to OFFICIALS. Guide Specifications for Design and Construction of
handle various special site and system requirements. Many Segmental Bridges. AASHTO, Washington, DC, 1989.
design concepts for the permanent structure and the construction 6. ABB DAIMLER-BENZ TRANSPORTATION (NORTH AMERICA) INC. CX-100
equipment—the segment casting cells, geometry control system Guideway Design Criteria for Singapore DPM 801 Project.
and launching girders for example, are unique. This project is ABB, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 1996.
another successful example of the application of segmental 7. PUGHAZENDHI G., LEUNG Y. W. and BANKS C. C. Stability in curved
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In Current and Future Trends in Bridge Design, Construction
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and Maintenance (DAS P. C., FRANGOPOL D. M. and NOWAK A. S.
The authors thank the Land Transport Authority of Singapore for (eds)). Thomas Telford, London, 1999, pp. 356–367.
permission to publish this paper. Special thanks also go to M. I. 8. LOH P. Y. S., LEUNG Y. W. and TAY B. K. Guideway segmental
McGregor, Jon Neale, Joe McGlynn, engineers from Gammon, beam launching and match casting methodology. Proceedings
DEAL and other business partners too many to be listed, for their of the International Conference on Rail Transit, Singapore,
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