If you’ve ever taken the Punggol LRT during peak hours, you’ve probably encountered the queue-jumping phenomenon—where some commuters line up at the second carriage queue, only to conveniently cut into the first carriage queue when they realize a second carriage isn’t coming. A Redditor recently highlighted this issue, calling it a “loophole” that’s frustrating regular commuters.

Why Does This Happen?

The core problem? Lack of real-time information. As pointed out by several users, commuters have no way of knowing whether a one-car or two-car train will arrive until just 30 seconds before it pulls into the station.

“This means people will queue assuming it is a one-car train and move when the signage states that it will be two cars.” – G-88

This creates a situation where some people strategically queue at the second-carriage section, knowing that if a two-car train comes, they’ll board easily—but if it’s only one car, they can cut into the first-car queue without penalty.

Peak Hour Chaos: A Daily Struggle

For residents in Punggol and Sengkang, this is more than just an occasional annoyance. Many complain that single-carriage trains during peak hours make it even harder to board, leading to long waits and sardine-packed rides.

“Bloody ridiculous not making all cars 2 cars during peak hours. Everyday need to squeeze like sardines even after missing one or two trains.” – Hackerjurassicpark

“They put 1-car trains during peak hour, but 2-car trains during non-peak hours 😭” – LaVoyage7

At Cove station, commuters say it’s a daily battle just to get on board.

“I board at Meridian, so I always feel bad for the Cove folks who have no chance whatsoever when it's a single carriage in the morning.” – Komala_Harris

LRT System: A Design Flaw?

Many Singaporeans feel that the LRT system is outdated and poorly designed for the current population.

“It’s ridiculous that we still have 1-car trains on the LRT tbh. It’s 2025. Hello?” – haikallp

Others argue that the entire LRT system should have been scrapped in favor of better bus services.

“It’s ridiculous we still have LRT.” – Upstairs_Pumpkin_653

“I always prefer taking the bus home from Punggol as much as possible instead of the LRT.” – Immediate-Ad3005

A Fix on the Horizon?

There is some hope—a full fleet of two-carriage trains is on the way, as reported by The Straits Times.

“Full 2-car fleet coming soon™” – A_extra

But until then, the queue-jumping and overcrowding issues aren’t going anywhere.

“有手有脚不会排队啊?”

Singaporeans are famous for queueing in an orderly fashion—so naturally, queue-cutters invite a fair bit of annoyance. Some commuters have even joked about confronting queue-jumpers directly.

“Shout ‘有手有脚不会排队啊?’” – khaophat
(Translation: “Got hands and legs, don’t know how to queue ah?”)

“有手有脚可是没有头脑” – polmeeee
(Translation: “Got hands and legs, but no brain.”)

Final Thoughts

Until real-time train length indicators or a fully two-car fleet are implemented, Punggol LRT commuters will likely continue dealing with this headache. In the meantime, Singaporeans will do what they do best—complain, adapt, and queue strategically.