SINGAPORE - Teck Lee LRT station will open to serve the new Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) campus in Punggol, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) confirmed on May 7. This comes two decades after its completion.

Teck Lee LRT station is the last station on the west loop of the Punggol LRT line that has yet to open.

The Punggol LRT line opened in 2005 and links commuters from residential areas to Punggol MRT station on the North East Line and the Punggol bus interchange.

The opening of Teck Lee LRT station, first reported by news outlet CNA, is part of LTA's wider efforts to enhance public transport connectivity for students and other parties, in the light of upcoming developments in Punggol such as the opening of the SIT campus, an LTA spokesperson said. These enhancements will also include bus route amendments.

LTA did not specify when Teck Lee LRT station would be opened, saying that more details will be announced when they are finalised. 

The SIT campus will welcome its first students in September.

A post on SIT's website had initially stated that Teck Lee LRT station would be operational from August, but that detail has since been removed, as noted by users of the Reddit social media platform. 

The news of the opening of Teck Lee LRT station comes on the back of an announcement in March that the new Punggol Coast MRT station on the North East Line, set to be operational by the end of 2024, will be developed as an extension of the SIT Punggol campus.

When asked how the opening of the new LRT station would benefit students and staff, an SIT spokesperson said that it would provide them with easy access to the university's Punggol campus.

SIT is set to move to the Punggol campus in phases, starting from the second half of 2024 till early 2025.

SIT digital supply chain student Irvin Yeon, 24, said Teck Lee LRT station would make getting to school easier. Once his batch moves to the Punggol campus, he plans to move in temporarily with relatives who live near Riviera LRT station on the east loop of the Punggol LRT line.

SIT user experience and game design student Yong Yun Jing, 24, said that he is uncertain whether the new LRT station will shorten his commute. 

When comparing the two upcoming stations, Mr Yong said he prefers Punggol Coast MRT station as a means of getting to school, as it is an extension of the university, though the opening of Teck Lee LRT station will be a "welcome addition" offering students more transport options.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.