The Light Rail Transit (LRT) is a series of localised automated guideway transit systems acting as feeder services to the heavy rail Mass Rapid Transit, which together forms the core of Singapore's rail transport services. The first LRT line was opened in 1999 and the system has since expanded to three lines, each serving a public housing estate, namely Bukit Panjang LRT line, Sengkang LRT line and Punggol LRT line. Trains on these lines have at least one station interchange link to the MRT. In the conventional definition of LRT, it refers to an upgraded form of tram that uses articulated low-floor tram cars and partial grade separation; in some cases such as Rapid KL in Kuala Lumpur and the Docklands Light Railway, LRT refers to a medium-capacity rail-based light metro system. Unlike the aforementioned examples, Singapore's LRT system uses rubber-tired automated guideway transit trains that are more comparable to those found in airport people mover systems. Along with the MRT, the LRT is constructed and owned by the Land Transport Authority, with operating concessions currently handed to SMRT Trains Ltd and SBS Transit Ltd. With the completion of Singapore's three LRT lines, there are no plans for further LRT networks in the future, aside from linking existing LRT stations to newer MRT lines. History Conception In September 1991, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) unveiled the revised Concept Plan 1991, which proposed a new mode of feeder rail that could serve new towns such as Yishun and Tampines. Such systems were to be fully automated and elevated light rail systems to serve as faster alternatives to existing feeder buses. In 1994, then Communications Minister Mah Bow Tan tasked the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC) to study the use of an LRT in Singapore, particularly as an internal feeder service for new towns. In particular, two towns, Bukit Panjang and Sengkang, were to be studied for the feasibility of the LRT. MRTC also commissioned British consultant, Oscar Faber TPA, to conduct a feasibility study for an LRT system in the Beach Road/Nicoll Highway corridor in anticipation of the increased demand for transport services in the area due to several major developments such as Suntec City, Marina Centre and Shenton Way. On 3 December that year, Mah announced the government's intentions to pilot two LRT systems at Bukit Panjang and Buona Vista. New LRT systems were also suggested for more mature towns