Singapore's Land Transport

Cross Island Line (CRL) stations and interchanges

2013-01-20T18:15:00.000+08:00

Cross Island Line (CRL) is a 50km MRT line, the longest MRT line ever announced in Singapore. It is targeted to be completed by 2030.

While the actual completion is still 17 years away, there are clues to where Cross Island Line will run, and we can deduce the possible interchanges and stations.

A careful study shows these possible MRT interchanges for Cross Island Line (CRL):

Aviation Park (interchange with Eastern Region Line)
Pasir Ris (interchange with East West Line)
Lor Halus (interchange with Cross Island Line)
Riviera (interchange with Punggol LRT)
Punggol (interchange with North East Line)
Hougang (interchange with North East Line)
Ang Mo Kio (interchange with North South Line)
Sin Ming (interchange with Thomson Line)
King Albert Park (interchange with Downtown Line)
Clementi (interchange with East West Line)
West Coast (interchange with Jurong Region Line)
Jurong Bird Park (interchange with Jurong Region Line)

For possible stations for Cross Island Line, please click here to access the full page interactive map where you can zoom in to view the details.

Interestingly, the segment of Cross Island Line between Punggol and Pasir Ris could be a preview of the unannounced North Shore Line linking the coastal areas. of Woodlands, Sembawang, Simpang, Yishun and Seletar Aerospace.

For information on Jurong Region Line, click here.

View Possible MRT stations for upcoming MRT lines in Singapore in a larger map

Disclaimer: Cross Island Line is still under study so any alignment or stations shown are indicative.

New MRT Lines Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line

2013-01-17T21:03:00.001+08:00

As part of the early release of Land Transport Masterplan 2013, LTA announced two new rail lines to be completed in the next 17 years.

View Upcoming MRT Lines in Singapore in a larger map

Cross Island Line, to be completed by 2030, is a 50km rail line spanning the entire island. It will connect Jurong Industrial Estates, skirt the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, connects Ang Mo Kio, Hougang, Pasir Ris, Loyang, and Changi Airfreight Centre before terminating at Aviation Park. This is likely to be a full-rail system with 4-car system.

Jurong Region Line, to be completed by 2025, focuses on improving connections of Jurong West, Jurong Industrial Estate and Jurong Island. This is most probably a light-rail system featuring 2-car LRT train, similar to existing LRT systems in Bukit Panjang, Sengkang and Punggol.

Also, Circle Line will finally comes full circle when the missing gap between HarbourFront and Marina Bay is linked by 2025.

Other announcements include extension of North-East Line to Punggol North to serve upcoming new developments, and extension of Downtown Line from Expo to connect to Eastern Region Line.

Rail network to double to 360 km; 8 in 10 households to be within 10-minute walk of a rail station by 2030
            The Government has announced ambitious plans to expand the rail network by 2030, doubling it from the current 178 km to about 360 km. The improvements in rail infrastructure will support Singapore’s long-term development and ensure that the rail network will have more than the capacity needed to meet the expected increase in public transport ridership in the next two decades.
2          As part of the Land Transport Masterplan 2013 theme of providing commuters with more connections to the places where they live, work and play, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be constructing two new rail lines, and extending three existing lines to improve the connectivity, accessibility and coverage of Singapore’s rail network. With a more extensive rail network, commuters will have more choices for travel via public transport.
New Lines to Improve Connectivity and Accessibility
3          LTA will build a major MRT line, the 50-km Cross Island Line (CRL), which will run across the span of Singapore. Starting from Changi, it will pass through Loyang, Pasir Ris, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, before reaching Sin Ming. Continuing westwards, it will serve areas such as Bukit Timah, Clementi, West Coast, and terminate at Jurong Industrial Estate. Targeted to be completed by 2030, it will also provide commuters with another alternative for East-West travel to the current East-West Line. In addition, it will connect to all the other major lines to serve as a key transfer line, complementing the role currently fulfilled by the orbital Circle Line. Therefore, the CRL will relieve the load on several of our existing lines, bringing greater comfort to all commuters and significantly shorten journey times.
4          Another 20-km Jurong Region Line (JRL) will serve residents of Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay and the future developments in the Tengah area. It will serve a diverse range of commuters by connecting these areas to main activity nodes in Jurong West including NTU, the Jurong Industrial estate including Jurong Island, and the future Jurong Gateway. Expected to be completed by 2025, JRL will enhance the intra-connectivity of the Jurong region and connect the region to the existing rail network for faster travel to the rest of the island. Commuters in the north will be also able to enter the Jurong region directly via the JRL, without having to interchange at the heavily-used Jurong East interchange.
Extension to Areas not Served by Rail Network
5          Three existing lines will also be extended to enhance commuters’ connectivity and provide them with greater accessibility.
            a)   To improve the direct east-west connectivity between the central east and central west areas, the Circle Line Stage 6 (CCL6) will ‘close the circle’ by connecting HarbourFront station to Marina Bay station. Come 2025, commuters will enjoy a direct route between key employment areas in the Central Business District, as well as upcoming developments in the Marina Bay area and retail and office centres in the HarbourFront area via CCL6.
            b)   The North East Line will be extended northwards by one station to serve Punggol North including the new Punggol Downtown. It will be built in tandem with the developments there, by around 2030, so that future residents in Punggol North will have train access to the city centre as well as other parts of Singapore.
            c)   The Downtown Line, which now ends at Expo station, will be extended to the Eastern Region Line by 2025. This will enhance the accessibility between the two rail lines and allow commuters to conveniently make transfers.
6          In tandem with developments in northern Singapore, the LTA is studying the addition of a new station on the North-South Line between Yishun and Sembawang stations.
8 in 10 Households within Walking Distance of a Rail Station
7          When completed, the new lines and extensions will significantly expand the coverage of Singapore’s rail network, doubling it from 178 km today to about 360 km in 2030, which will bring 8 in 10 households within a 10-minute walk of a rail station.
8          Since the Land Transport Masterplan 2008, the Circle Line has fully opened and the Downtown Line 1 is on track to opening later this year. Works on the rest of the Downtown Line and Tuas West Extension are progressing well, while works on the Thomson Line will start later this year. The Government will continue to augment the capacity of the existing rail lines and plan new lines to support the growth in population, as well as the changing travel needs of commuters.
Released by LTA on 17 January 2013

Going home late after Christmas party?

2012-12-19T21:39:00.002+08:00

Click below for full details of MRT extension during Christmas:

SBS Transit for NEL, SKLRT, PGLRT and buses in west, central, northeast and east areas.
SMRT for all other lines (NSL, EWL, CCL, BPLRT) and buses in north and northwest areas. [Info not available yet]

Details of new bus service leaked on facebook

2012-12-01T13:37:00.000+08:00

Details of the new BSEP bus service, Service 50, was leaked on Punggol 21 facebook page. No details was available on either websites of LTA or SBS Transit yet. Usually, the officials keep such information close to their chest until they make the first announcement, so that they gain maximum publicity mileage. Hence, the early release of this new bus service on a non-official source, and on a social media platform, is somewhat strange.

Perhaps residents of Punggol who got wind of the new bus service cannot contain their excitement to rejoice with their fellow residents. Or, perhaps this marks a change in rules of engagement by the officials to tap on the new media. Regardless, residents of Punggol, Sengkang, Ang Mo Kio and Bishan have reasons to celebrate.

Service 50 is the fourth bus service this year to be rolled out under the LTA Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP). Measured at 17km route length, it is the longest BSEP route introduced, connecting north-eastern Singapore to central Singapore. This new bus service will be launched in two weeks on 16 Dec 2012. Key benefits of Service 50 are: enhances inter-town connectivity between Sengkang, Punggol, Ang Mo Kio and Bishan; provides access to key amenities such as ITE College Central, Sengkang Sports and Recreation Centre and the town centres; and providing bus service to residents of Punggol Drive which previously has only LRT.

The other three bus services introduced under BSEP are Service 116, Extension of 119 and 860.

Service 50 on Punggol 21 facebook

Official poster of Service 50, a new service between Punggol and Bishan

BSEP: Bringing You More Buses, Better Rides

2012-10-10T07:23:00.002+08:00

Starting from 2012, LTA has partnered the bus operators to significantly increase bus capacity and enhance bus service levels to benefit commuters. Under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), new bus services will be introduced and more buses will be added to the existing bus fleet. Find out more about BSEP and what are the considerations of the bus planners in this video!

Below is a transcript of the video.

Hi, I'm your central bus planner. I plan the basic bus network route for the whole of Singapore. You know these days, we've been experiencing high public transport ridership. Some buses are also quite packed during peak hours. Most major cities such as London and Tokyo face similar challenges as their society progress.

"These days there are so many people at the bus stop!"

"What to do? There is so many more flats in everywhere now!"

To improve bus services, the GOvernment has introduce the BSEP. 800 buses will be added to the bus network over the next 5 years so that commuters can enjoy shorter waiting time. And more space on board. There will be around 40 new bus routes to improve connectivity.

So you may ask, "How do we plan the bus routes?" The guiding principle in planning bus routes is to benefit as many commuters as possible so that they can enjoy quicker and faster boarding. On top of this, we need to ensure that the public transport network remain cost efficient.

To ensure the bus routes actual needs of actual commuters, we consult and gather feedback from the actual community.

"There is no bus service in this area. So can we have a bus or not?"

We do our best to cater to the community based on their needs and the availability and adequacy of alternative bus services. For example, new bus routes are added to areas with new public housing development and the roll out of these routes depend on the pace of the town development.

"Some times my bus only come once every 20 minutes during peak hour. How can?"

We monitor the crowding situations on buses and identify the most crowded stretches along the route by using ticketing data and sending surveyors on the ground. We then increase bus service frequencies for buses that are most crowded.

Different communities have different needs and we recognise that. Resources is however are not unlimited. We need to carefully access and priority the different needs while balancing feedback and planning considerations. Resources are then channelled to where the need is the greatest and areas which are not currently well served by public transport will see buses being added to their estates sooner.

800 buses may seem a lot but it will not be able to fulfill all your requests. Adding new bus services and pumping in more buses will also not happen overnight. It has to go in tandem with bus procurement, delivery schedules, recruitment and the training for bus drivers. But eventually most will enjoy the bus services improvement.

BSEP will bring you 40 new bus services over the 5 years. Overall you can look forward to more frequent bus services and more comfortable journeys.

BSEP -- bringing you more buses, better rides.

Extension of Service 119 and New Service 860

2012-10-05T19:11:00.001+08:00

As part of the BSEP, commuters can also expect better connectivity with five new bus services to be rolled out in the fourth quarter of 2012. Two of the five new bus services – new Service 860 and an extension of the bus route for Service 119 - will start as early as 21 October 2012.

“Over the past months, LTA has engaged Members of Parliament and grassroots leaders to understand the different needs of the community. We have taken these feedback into account as we plan the implementation of the Bus Service Enhancement Programme. Over the next few years, we will carefully distribute the available resources where the need is greatest to achieve the maximum benefit to the community,” added Mr Chew Hock Yong, LTA Chief Executive.

New Service 860, operated by SMRT Buses, will improve local connectivity for commuters along Yishun Ring Road. The new bus route will provide residents such as those staying in the new HDB flats along Yishun Ring Road with a faster connection to Khatib MRT. It will also enhance the connectivity to key transport nodes at Yishun Bus Interchange and MRT, where they can transfer to other bus services to reach their destination. In addition, Service 860 will improve the local links within Yishun Town by enhancing connections to amenities such as Nee Soon East Community Centre Yishun Swimming Complex and schools.

SBS Transit will extend the current route of its Service 119 from Sengkang Bus Interchange to Punggol Bus Interchange. With the extension, the service will provide new housing areas along Punggol Field and Punggol Way with a bus connection to the nearest MRT and bus interchange at Punggol. In addition, residents in Sengkang and Hougang will also enjoy enhanced inter-town connectivity to amenities and attractions in Punggol such as Punggol Waterway.

Top management changes in SMRT

2012-10-01T22:26:00.000+08:00

A quick update of what is going on at SMRT's senior management.

Tan Ek Kia - Former Interim CEO.

Desmond Kuek - New CEO appointed on 14 Aug 2012 and assumed duty on 1 Oct 2012. He joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1981 on being awarded an SAF Overseas Scholarship. He entered the Administrative Service in 1993, but remained in the SAF where he held various appointments including Chief of Army and Chief of Defence Force. In 2010, he was appointed Permanent Secretary (Environment and Water Resources).

Goh Chee Kong - Senior Vice President for Communications & Services resigned on 24 Aug 2012 to "pursue personal interest", and last day on 31 Oct 2012. He joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1980 after graduation.

DESMOND KUEK BAK CHYE

President and CEO of SMRT

TAN EK KIA

Former Interim CEO and Executive Director

Tan Ek Kia is Interim CEO and Executive Director of SMRT Corporation Ltd. He is also Chairman of City Gas Pte Ltd and a director on the Boards of Keppel Offshore and Marine Ltd, Dialog Systems (Asia) Pte Ltd and InterGlobal Offshore Pte Ltd.

Mr Tan is a seasoned professional in the oil and gas and petrochemicals business, with more than 30 years of experience in design, engineering and construction, project management, health, safety and environment, production, logistics, procurement and drilling operations management, business management and development, joint venture management and governance, and organisation change/transformation. Prior to his retirement in September 2006, senior positions he held in Shell included Managing Director of Shell Malaysia Exploration and Production (based in Sarawak), Chairman of Shell North East Asia (based in Beijing) and Executive Vice President of Shell Chemicals Asia Pacific and Middle East (based in Singapore).

Mr Tan has a First Class Honours in Bachelor of Science (Mechanical Engineering) from Nottingham University, UK. He has attended a management development programme in the International Institute of Management Development, Lausanne. He is a Chartered Engineer with the UK Engineering Council and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers, Malaysia. He was awarded the Panglima Gemilang Bintang Kenyalang which carries the title “Datuk” by the State Government of Sarawak.

GOH CHEE KONG

Senior Vice President, Communications & Services

Goh Chee Kong leads the company’s corporate branding, marketing and communications initiatives, as well as information technology, safety and security functions. In addition, he oversees SMRT’s commitment to good corporate citizenship, focusing on programmes that positively impact SMRT stakeholders and the communities SMRT serves.

Prior to joining SMRT, he served in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) of the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). His appointments in the SAF included Head, Defence Relations Department, Commander, 8th Singapore Armoured Brigade, Commander, Officer Cadet School, and Director, Public Affairs and spokesman for MINDEF. He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in 1998.

Mr Goh is an Accredited Member of the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore.He serves as the Vice President of Beyond Social Services, Chairman of Students Care Service, and is a board member of St Andrew’s School. He is also a member of the Programme Advisory Committee for English Television and Radio Programmes (PACE).

Mr Goh holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Royal Military College of Science, United Kingdom, and a Master of Defence Studies from the University of New South Wales, Australia.

New MRT fare gate... featuring advertisement!

2012-09-30T22:33:00.003+08:00

Spotted the new MRT fare gate? You can find some of them at Orchard MRT. This is the second time SMRT is replacing the fare gates. A few years back, SMRT replaced the old boxy fare gates with a new generation fare gate (named Titan), featuring more curves and rounded corners but maintaining the same utilitarian function of deducting fares.

A few years later, SMRT is now having a trial on a newer Titan fare gate featuring LCD advertisement! SMRT Media is aggressively increasing the appeal of its products by launching new advertising medium, especially interactive media such as the LCD panel and NFC media wall. However, would the LCD panel increase the advertising yield? Perhaps -- by saving the labour and printing cost of the fare gate stickers, and increasing the attractiveness of the medium by having interactive graphics. However, as shown by the picture as above, the fonts are small to be read comfortably by passengers zipping past the fare gates.

Have you spotted any more locations where the new Titan fare gates are deployed? And what are your views?

Videos on Thomson Line

2012-09-14T07:16:00.001+08:00

Thomson Line -- the latest addition to the MRT network, coming your way in 2019, 2020 & 2021! *Note: Working names for Thomson Line stations are used in this series of videos.

Meet Alan and Theresa, a lovely couple who are preparing for their wedding. Alan is facing some last-minute challenges as Theresa's overprotective father is (still) trying all ways and means to stop their wedding! Will Alan manage to overcome the challenges thrown at him with the help of Thomson Line? Watch our 4-part videos to find out more! Thomson Line, the latest addition to the Singapore's MRT network, will be coming your way in 2019, 2020 & 2021. More details can be found here: http://on.fb.me/QwbBUz

Alan has a whole list of errands to run before the wedding and his future father-in-law is not making it easier by adding more errands to the list! Did he manage to do everything in the nick of time?

Outdoor wedding photoshoot? The future Thomson Line is going to bring you to beautiful locations like Botanic Gardens, Gardens by the Bay and Clarke Quay! Join our lovely couple on a scenic ride to see how their photoshoot went.

What do you do if something happened to your bridal car on your wedding day and you can't get a taxi? This was what happened to Alan on his big day! Find out if Alan managed to reach his bride's house within the auspicious time!

MRT map by 2021... with Downtown Line, Tuas West Extension, North South Line Extension, and Thomson Line

2012-09-09T22:28:00.000+08:00

Latest future MRT map showing all the MRT lines coming over the next few years:

2013 - Downtown Line Stage 1 (Bugis to Chinatown)
2014 - North South Line Extension (1km extension from Marina Bay to Marina South Pier)
2015 - Downtown Line Stage 2 (Rochor to Bukit Panjang)
2016 - Tuas West Extension (Gul Circle to Tuas Link)
2017 - Downtown Line Stage 3 (Expo to Fort Canning)
2019 - Thomson Line Stage 1 (Woodlands North* to Woodlands South*, interchanging with Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System at Woodlands North station)
2020 - Thomson Line Stage 2 (Springleaf* to Caldecott)
2021 - Thomson Line Stage 3 (Mount Pleasant* to Gardens by the Bay*)

* denotes working names

The missing link between terminal 12 (blue circle on bottom right) and 14 (brown circle on middle bottom) is likely to be the unannounced Eastern Region Line, serving residential estates of Tanjong Rhu, Marine Parade, Siglap, Bedok South and Upper East Coast.

Thomson Line delayed to roll out from 2019 onwards

2012-08-29T21:12:00.001+08:00

LTA announced the alignment of Thomson Line. Originally planned as a 27km line with 18 stations, the latest adjusted alignment shows it extended to 30km with 22 stations.

Thomson Line would interchange with Circle Line at Caldecott station, Downtown Line at Stevens station, North South Line at Orchard and Marina Bay station, and East West Line at Outram Park station.

Some of the stations are located at low density areas, such as Springleaf, Lentor, Caldecott and Mt Pleasant. These areas can expect more developments to come onboard as URA intensifies the developments around the stations to support the transport demand for Thomson Line.

The benefits of Thomson Line are several. One, it will relieve the congested North South Line by providing an alternative path for residents in Woodlands, Sembawang, Yishun, Kebun Bahru and Sin Ming Ave who are heading downtown. Second, Thomson Line also provides new MRT connections to existing developments along Upper Thomson Road corridor, Tanglin shopping area, Kim Seng/Zion Road and Maxwell area, which will rejuvenate the areas, similar to what Circle Line did to Holland Village. Third, it will also drive new areas of development such as Bukit Brown, Caldecott and Woodlands North which have been earmarked as residential sites, as well as intensify existing developments such as Springleaf and Lentor area.

Of particular interest is who will get to run Thomson Line -- SMRT, SBST or an international third player? That's for another post.

22 Stations for 30-km Thomson Line

A Joint Release by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Singapore Land Authority (SLA) & Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is pleased to announce the rail alignment and station locations for Thomson Line (TSL).

2. The 30-km long TSL will connect commuters living along the North South corridor directly to the heart of the city and developments in the Marina Bay area. TSL will run from Woodlands in the north to Marina Bay. Fully underground, TSL will have 22 stations, including six interchange stations. These interchange stations will link the East West Line (EWL), North South Line (NSL), North East Line (NEL), Circle Line (CCL) and the future Downtown Line (DTL), for greater accessibility and improved travel time.

Better Connectivity and Shorter Waiting Time with TSL
3. Running parallel to the existing NSL, TSL will serve commuters living and working along its corridor in Woodlands, Sin Ming, Thomson, Kim Seng and Marina Bay areas that are not served by the existing MRT network. With six interchange stations, commuters can reach their destinations in the shortest possible time, directly or by making transfers at the interchanges. Residents along the TSL corridor will be able to experience savings in travel time. For example, a Sin Ming resident travelling to Republic Polytechnic will have his journey time reduced by half, from 50 minutes to 25 minutes.

Improved Integration with the Rail Network
4. With six interchange stations, the TSL will connect to all existing lines and the future DTL for improved accessibility to other areas:
a) TSL will connect to the NSL at the Woodlands and Orchard stations. Workers heading to the industrial estates of Woodlands and Sungei Kadut will be able to change trains at the NSL Woodlands station.
b) Caldecott station will connect commuters to the orbital CCL, offering inter-suburban connectivity.
c) Residents living along the Bukit Timah stretch can conveniently change trains at the future DTL Stevens station to connect to the TSL.
d) Outram Park station and the Marina Bay stations will provide excellent network access with the TSL connecting to the EWL and NEL at Outram Park station, and the NSL and CCL Marina Bay station.

5. The TSL will be completed in three stages, with the first stretch (three stations from Woodlands North to Woodlands South) to be completed in 2019. The second stretch (six stations from Springleaf to Caldecott) will be completed in 2020 and the final stretch (13 stations from Mount Pleasant to Gardens by the Bay) in 2021. When fully operational in 2021, the 22 stations on TSL will serve about 400,000 commuters daily.

6. While all efforts have been made to minimise land acquisition, the Government will need to acquire four full lots, including a post office along Upper Thomson Road and two landed properties along Stevens Road and Robin Close. Pearls Centre will also be affected by the TSL construction as a TSL tunnel will run under part of the building. To optimise land use around the future TSL station at Outram Park, Pearls Centre at Eu Tong Sen Street will be acquired and amalgamated with the adjoining State land for a high-density mixed-use development. Five other part lots will be acquired but the acquisition will not affect the main building structure.

7. The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has gazetted the lands affected by acquisition today. Landowners who are directly affected will receive acquisition notices. SLA will also get in touch with them over the course of the next few weeks to assist them with their queries and concerns.

8. Should you require additional information, you may call the following hotlines:

i. On Thomson MRT Line	LTA Hotline: 1800 2255 582
ii. On land acquisition matters	SLA Hotline: 1800 323 9829
Operating Hours:
29 Aug	: 10.00am to 8.00pm
30 Aug - 31 Aug	: 8.30am to 8.00pm
1 Sep (Sat)	: 8.30am to 6.00pm
3 Sep - 7 Sep	: 8.30pm to 6.00pm

Annexes:
A) Alignment of TSL
B) Examples of time savings

Source: LTA, 29 August 2012

Tips to get home late for extended public transport service hours

2012-08-18T08:57:00.000+08:00

[Click for full size image]

Click below for full details:

SBS Transit for NEL, SKLRT, PGLRT and buses in west, central, northeast and east areas.
SMRT for all other lines (NSL, EWL, CCL, BPLRT) and buses in north and northwest areas.

Instead of new bus routes, subsidise fares

2012-08-01T07:00:00.000+08:00

A forum letter from Today raised some cause for concerns. The writer argued that the $1.1 billion Bus Services Enhancement Programme (BSEP), where 800 buses would be added to the roads over the next 5 years, would result in inefficiency arising from under-utilised buses and non-profitable bus routes. He is concerned that this would result in the operators cherry-picking the routes with them operating the profitable routes while the Government increasingly takes on non-profitable routes. A better way to use the money, he argued, is to give it as a fare subsidy to polytechnic students who have been championing for it for years.

With the BSEP launching in a month's time, is there time to reflect on these questions? Is the BSEP perpetuating inefficiency in the system, or is it intended to ramp up bus capacity so as to relieve daily congestion in public transport before the new rail lines are ready?

What are your views?

The Transport Minister has pledged that the S$1.1-billion bus package will not be used to boost the profits of public transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT Buses. He believes that the 40 routes to be introduced under the Bus Services Enhancement Programme will be non-profitable. This means the new routes would have a demand so low that bus operators would have difficulty in making a profit margin. Currently, the operators have an obligation to serve commuters under their area of responsibility and they operate some bus routes even though they are not profitable. So why should the Government now take on the role to operate these routes, which benefit the minority using taxpayers’ money? Will the Government need to continue subsidising these services to sustain the bus operations? Doing so would set a precedent that the responsibility to operate unprofitable routes is the Government’s, while the operators’ role is to operate profitable ones. There would be more requests for it to operate unprofitable routes, to benefit a few commuters. Next, the proposed bus package intends to ensure that commuters benefit from having reliable, more frequent and less crowded buses. Will this result in buses being under-utilised, especially during off-peak hours? With a fixed number of daily commuters, having more buses would increase fixed operating costs and reduce operational efficiency, as buses would carry fewer passengers. Current profitable routes would become less profitable ones. This may lead to even lower profit margins or further losses. With such concerns, the need for S$1.1 billion to enhance bus services needs to be justified further. Instead of introducing routes with low demand, it may be better to use the money to benefit the majority and to subsidise bus and train fares for polytechnic students, who have been lobbying for it.

Goh Kian Huat

Source: Today, 1 Aug 2012

New MRT network map... interactive and informative!

2012-07-11T06:49:00.000+08:00

SMRT has recently revamped their website. Not only is the new design pleasing to the eyes and easier to navigate, most importantly, more informative and interactive transport information are just a few clicks away.

Take the travel time information for example. In the past, SMRT merely provided a line map indicating the travel time between each station. If I were to find out the travel time from say Joo Koon to Pasir Ris, I would have to add up all the 28 travel times in-between stations individually. It is worse if you want to find out which path is faster by computing the travel times of the different possible paths for comparison. Such cumbersome arithmetics is no longer required in the revamped MRT network map.

In the latest interactive MRT network map, you simply click anywhere on the map to indicate your "Start" station, and then click on the "End" station, and the MRT network map will simply plot the recommended travel path, where to change lines, and indicate the travel time, number of transfers, and fares.

Kudos SMRT! You have made our life simpler again.

Google Maps Tests Walking Directions... in Singapore!

2012-04-01T21:13:00.005+08:00

Google Maps launched walking directions 4 years ago. Now, the useful feature finally lands in Singapore, in beta.

Hot from partnering LTA on offering transit (public transport) directions, it appears that Google has up the ante by offering walking directions along main roads at this point of time. It would be better if Google includes sidewalks, pedestrian paths, and even park connectors to truly offer a world class walking guide.

If you have not tried it, hit Google Maps and find walking directions right away. Be sure to select Walking directions, which is the third tab featuring a walking man.

Click here for some history.

New MRT map, updated with Circle Line Extension

2012-01-12T23:39:00.002+08:00

The Circle Line Extension will open on 14 January 2012. Three stations will be added -- Bayfront station serves Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort, and the Gardens by the Bay opening in June 2012; Marina Bay station for convenient transfer to North South Line; and Promenade where the extended line interchange with existing Circle Line.

[Note:

Click here if you are looking for the latest extension of Circle Line -- Circle Line Stage 6 -- linking HarbourFront and Marina Bay.
Click here if you are looking for Cross Island Line (CRL) stations and interchanges.
Click here if you are looking for MRT map with Downtown Line.
Click here if you are looking for MRT map with Thomson Line.
Click here for short movies featuring Thomson Line.

MRT breaks down again on North South Line

2011-12-17T10:13:00.001+08:00

Train services on North South Line were progressively disrupted on 17 Dec 2011. This comes after a major disruption on similar stretches of the North South Line two days on 15 Dec 2011 that saw 4 trains stuck in the tunnel due to damaged power rail.

Following SMRT's update here, there was no train service initially at both bounds between Newton and Marina Bay at 7:55am, but the disrupted sector grew to both bounds between Toa Payoh and Marina Bay at 8:18am. However at 8:25am, northbound train service was partially restored with train service from Raffles Place to Jurong East, and southbound train service between Toa Payoh to Marina Bay was still unavailable.

SMRT did better this time round by giving minute by minute travel advisory on their website. They also set up a Twitter account to push update through social media, which they promised to do so in the 16 Dec press conference. As of writing the number of followers grew from 684 to 766 within a short span of 15 minutes. However, there are rooms for improvement for their communication. For example, from SMRT's advisory, the clarify on where bus bridging service was available only came more than an hour after the disruption occurred.

What happen this time round? SMRT has not issued a press statement detailing the causes yet. However, the affected stretches are similar to Thursday's incident, which immediately sets off alarm that the two incidents of 15 Dec 2011 and 17 Dec 2011 could be related. Although SMRT did a splendid recovery job to restore the train network after the 5-hour outage on 15 Dec, and ensured safety was not being compromised by clearing the affected track (i.e. having staff to walk from one station to another for verification check), alas this could not prevent another incident from happening again at the same stretch.

If you need to travel to the affected stretches, you can use the free bus bridging service provided between Ang Mo Kio and Raffles Places on both bounds, and Marina Bay and City Hall on both bounds. Alternatively, these are alternative bus services to town from the towns along North South Line:

From Sembawang: Service 167, 980
From Yishun: Service 851
From Ang Mo Kio: Service 132, 162, 166
From Bishan: Service 54, 57
From Toa Payoh: Service 105, 143

As of writing, there was no incident of smashing train door's glasses. Were you affected by today's train service outage? Do share in the comments your experience.

Follow the latest news from SMRT on their website or Twitter @SMRT_Singapore
The latest MRT map is here.

Book a cab through a NFC-enabled phone

2011-10-20T01:36:00.001+08:00

In the past, booking for a taxi used to be a cumbersome affair. One had to dial the taxi booking number and navigate through the voice selection menu before speaking to the call operator to confirm the pick up location, and then come the wait for a taxi number. The whole process could take more than 5 minutes, excluding waiting time when you just could not get to the call operators.

Recently, with the proliferation of smartphones, the taxi companies have jumped onto the bandwagon by offering a simpler way to book a taxi through smartphone apps. Taking advantage of the location aware smartphones, one just need to tap through the app and select a pick-up location, bypassing call operators.

Now, booking for a taxi gets a lot simpler and faster, thanks to Nokia's push for Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled devices and partnership with merchants. Nokia tied up with ComfortDelgro (Comfort or CityCab) and SMRT to simplify the taxi booking process so that it now involves just tapping a NFC-enabled phone on a NFC tag. The processes involved are:

Tap the NFC-enabled phone to a NFC tag for taxi booking (see pictures below)
NFC-enabled phone reads the information in the NFC tag which store the location code of the taxi pick-up point
NFC-enabled phone sends the information of location code via SMS to the taxi booking system
Taxi booking system matches a taxi to the booking request
Taxi booking system sends a SMS to the NFC-enabled phone to confirm the taxi booking

Tap a NFC-enabled phone at the green area (where the NFC tag is) to initiate a taxi booking

Phone reads the NFC tag with location code and asks user to initiate the booking via SMS

Another spot to book a taxi via NFC-tag embedded in media wall in MRT stations

Currently, the NFC taxi booking is available at more than 400 locations across Singapore for Comfort and CityCab taxis. I believe most of these locations are in restaurants, customer service counters, and even in offices. The locations make sense when you are leaving a restaurant after lunch or dinner, done shopping, or rushing off for a meeting.

For SMRT Taxis, the NFC taxi booking are available at media walls currently available at 7 MRT stations managed by SMRT, which will eventually be expanded to other SMRT stations. The question is: do you need to book a taxi when you are already in a MRT station?

In any case, the NFC tie up between Nokia and the transport operators is really a good service that simplifies taxi booking. This shows one of the potential where NFC can offer innovative and convenient solutions in the transport industry (applicable to other industries too, such as marketing campaign, information dissemination/education, security management etc). I will write more on the application of NFC in transport in another post.

By the way, if you are interested to know which phones are NFC-enabled, read here. To find out more about Nokia's effort in promoting the adoption of NFC, click here.

Latest MRT map with Circle Line

2011-10-15T08:42:00.000+08:00

This is the latest MRT system map on display now at all MRT stations after Circle Line stations from Caldecott to Dhoby Ghaut opened on 8 Oct 2011.

So far, the initial days of the new line opening was faced with teething problems of delays. Trains stopped intermittently between stations for a few minutes before moving on and interchange stations were crowded during peak hours. There were also cases of passengers asking for the huge difference in fares (in the region of 10-20+ cents) when they start their journey at only one station apart.

Despite these, the new Circle Line stations brings more convenience to many workers, students, and leisure goers. For me, I love the accessibility to new dining places in the west, such as Holland Village, Adam Road Food Centre, Pasir Panjang Food Centre etc. I will also check out the nature spots such as Botanic Gardens, Labrador Park, Haw Par Villa, Southern Ridges etc.

Come January 2012, Circle Line will be further extended with a spur from Promenade to Marina Bay, with a station serving the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort (i.e. casino) along the way.

[Note: Please click here if you are looking for MRT map with Downtown Line.]

iPhone 4S releases in Singapore on 28 Oct 2011

2011-10-05T06:50:00.000+08:00

Apple announces the new iPhone 4S, which is just an internal hardware upgrade while keeping the same design. It comes with a faster dual-core processor, better camera at 8 megapixels photo taking and 1080p video recording with video stabilisation, and longer 8 hours battery life on 3G.

iPhone 4S release date in United States is 14 Oct 2011, alongside with Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan.

The second wave will see iPhone 4S releases in Singapore on 28 Oct 2011, alongside with 21 other countries. Interestingly Hong Kong will not get it on the same date as Singapore which is usually the case. Will Singtel gets to launch iPhone 4S first before M1 and Starhub, similar to iPhone 4 last year? Most likely. How much will it cost? It is likely to cost about the same as current iPhone 4 pricing, if not more due to stronger US Dollars recently.

iPhone 4S releases in 7 countries in 14 Oct 2011

iPhone 4S release in 22 countries in 28 Oct 2011

So what has iPhone 4S got to do with this transport blog, you may ask? The link lies with a media invite I got from Nokia. Originally, Nokia was throwing a media event to showcase "a new range of NFC-enabled devices, along with an innovative NFC experience in Singapore that will bring greater convenience to our daily lives". The event was scheduled on 4 Oct 2011 (GMT+8). However, after Nokia sent out the invite, little do they know that Apple fixed a media event on iPhone on the same day too, whose event is likely to dwarf Nokia's in terms of coverage and eyeballs. Hence, it is likely that Nokia decided to hold off the NFC media event in light of the Apple's iPhone event.

I have yet to get a new date on the Nokia NFC media event. Though the PR person has confirmed that there will be NFC features related to transport. Will keep you guys posted.

Missing piece of bus arrival times from SMRT

2011-08-16T07:43:00.003+08:00

Without fanfare, SMRT launched the bus arrival times information for all SMRT bus services at all bus stops. With this, the missing piece of puzzle in getting SMRT's bus arrival times is finally in place.

In the past, SMRT only supported a handful of bus arrival times information mostly at the Western Academic Belt and a few LTA-initated bus arrival panels sprinkled over the island. It is not hard to imagine that cost of providing the real-time bus arrival information is halting SMRT from committing to fleet wide deployment.

What has changed this time? Perhaps Minister Lui Tuck Yew directive is the answer. During his first 100 days in the office of Ministry of Transport, he shared that one of his immediate priority to provide bus arrival information and some sort of colour codes to indicate bus loadings.

If you like to try SMRT's latest toy, do visit their website here. There's no colour coding as yet, but it's a milestone from SMRT that finally places both bus operators on the same footing in providing basic bus arrival information . Sorry folks, no smartphone app as yet!

Next step? An integrated bus arrival information portal showing both SBST and SMRT information. LTA has got to harmonise both set of real-time bus arrival information and present in one integrated system -- you won't get one if you leave it to the operators.

SBS Transit jumps on the iPhone app bandwagon

2011-04-12T05:11:00.005+08:00

SBS Transit newly launched iPhone Intelligent Route Information System (iris) app further reaffirms their commitment to provide excellent customer service.

iris is a public transport planning tool that advices passengers on how to travel (on SBS buses and trains only). Besides providing the suggested route to get from one point to another, the most important and well received feature is the real-time next bus arrival information. Before the launch of iris, waiting for your bus to arrive can either make your blood boil or you simply give up waiting by buying a car (I still remember my 45 mins wait experience for Service 14 on weekday night in Orchard, and no, I still do not own a car).

With the arrival of iris, much of the guess work in knowing when the next bus is arriving is gone, giving you more time to buy a cup of coffee along your way or pick up a copy of newspaper. The point is, you have more flexibility when to arrive at the bus stop without missing your bus.

When iris was first rolled out years ago, much effort was made to keep the system cost low by limiting the number of next bus arrival time queries and passing on 5-cent SMS cost to the users, much to the chagrin of bus users. Hence, some amateur developers came up with their own mashup that allows users to get more than one next bus arrival times at a single query. This led to a huge query which heavily taxed the iris system, so SBS got their engineers to workaround and limit such massive query (in fact, I heard they tried to kill the live feed to developers). This started a game of cat and a mouse chase between SBS and the local developers to bypass each other limitations.

Fast forward to today, there's no more cats and mice chase, but a new era of free information endorsed by SBS itself. While they are not the pioneer to launch iPhone app for next bus arrival times despite being its custodian, their latest offering could spell an end to all other iPhone apps. This could be the app that ends all! Personally, I am quite impressed with the well designed iris iPhone app that is easy to use and offer important features that are not available on other iPhone apps. Here's some quick thoughts:

Design is clean and well thought of. Bus fans/enthusiasts would love the splash screen of SBS latest bus design (Volvo B9TL with Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 bodywork)
App loads fast (real fast!) -- both in terms of bus arrival data and moving through screens
Bookmark -- finally an app that display arrival times of buses at different bus stops in a single screen, so one can immediately decide whether he/she should go to bus stop A or bus stop B to board the bus.
Nearby Map -- the best among all. Bus stops are clearly labelled and set back in their direction of travel so you no longer have to fumble through bus stop codes and check whether you pick the correct bus stop.
Journey Planner -- advice you on how to get to your destination. It's the holy grail of iPhone app as no other apps offer this (though this function can be further improved).

Download the app here.

So what's next SBS? Can we also have iris on Android please? :)

And a side note to SMRT, when are providing us with similar real-time bus arrival data for all your buses? :(

And another side note to LTA/TransitLink, isn't it in your interest to have integrated public transport information? :|

New MRT map... updated with Downtown Line

2010-10-17T18:39:00.003+08:00

[Post-note: The map showing current lines that are operational is here.]

Station names for Downtown Line 1 and 2 are confirmed, while Downtown Line 3 station names are working name. Get ready for a round of station names voting soon!

[Note:

Click here if you are looking for MRT map with Downtown Line.
Click here if you are looking for MRT map with Thomson Line.
Click here for short movies featuring Thomson Line. ]

PTC and LTA clarifies distance fare calculation 'glitches'... but

2010-07-01T07:39:00.003+08:00

PTC and LTA clarify the distance fare 'glitches' that a writer pointed out days ago, but have they clarified enough?

To recap, the writer questioned why is it more expensive to travel on the MRT from Bras Basah to Serangoon compared to Bras Basah to Kovan when the latter is further away. In response, PTC and LTA clarifies that the fares for MRT travel is not based on the distance travelled, but rather on the fastest route of travel, taking into account waiting time and walking times.

We shall do a comparison of the travel time.

Path 1: Bras Basah to Serangoon via transfer at Dhoby Ghaut
Wait for train (Circle Line) - 3 mins
Bras Basah to Dhoby Ghaut (on Circle Line) - 2 mins
Dhoby Ghaut (Circle Line) to Dhoby Ghaut (North East Line) - 3 mins
Wait for train (North East Line) - 2 mins
Dhoby Ghaut (North East Line) to Serangoon (North East Line) - 11 mins
Total time - 21 mins

Path 2: Bras Basah to Serangoon on Circle Line (direct, no transfer)
Wait for train (Circle Line) - 3 mins
Bras Basah to Serangoon (Circle Line) - 23 mins
Total time - 26 mins

This calculation show that the journey time from Bras Basah to Serangoon is faster via a transfer at Dhoby Ghaut instead of taking a direct Circle Line train, contrary to what PTC and LTA claimed. This is even after taking into account of walking time and waiting time as advised by them.

Can PTC and LTA clarify the fastest route so that we have the full picture of the fare setting please?

Distance fare calculation glitches?

2010-06-29T06:58:00.005+08:00

This forum letter appear in today's The Straits Times. The writer claimed that the new Distance fare calculator has some discrepancy over the way it charges passengers taking MRT. The claim is that with Distance fare, passengers should be charged the shortest route in MRT network. The wider question is should passengers have the flexibility of choosing where they transfer in the MRT network, thereby allowing them to reap the benefits of a shorter journey and hence lower fares.

While Distance fare aligned the fare charging to the distance travelled instead of the previous fare stages for buses, such is not applicable for MRT network. The fare charging for MRT network has always been on a fix one charge amount for any pair of station entry and exit. This stems from the spirit that the MRT network is an integrated and seamless one. As there are no intermediate fare gates in the system to record the path that the passengers choose, the only way is to charge them based on the most logical route that they would have take. The discrepancy stems from the way the logical route is determined.

From the two scenarios that the writer presented below, it seemed that there are some interesting anecdoctes that we can draw to help explain the 'illogical' way that fare is calculated for MRT network.

For the first case from Brash Basah to Serangoon, the logical route charged is via a direct train on Circle Line (11.4km) instead of a transfer at Dhoby Ghaut (which would give a fare distance of between 5km and 8.6km).
For the second case, from Paya Lebar to Dhoby Ghaut, the logical route charged is charged via a transfer at City Hall (6.8km) rather than a direct train on Circle Line (7.4km)

As I've explained, there is only one fare charged for any single entry and exit in the MRT network. While the writer advocates charging purely by distance, the current system apparently does not do so. What are the other ways of charging? By shortest travel time? By least number of transfers? By train path with the least crowded train? You're welcome to share your thoughts here.

Distance fare calculation glitches

WITH the impending changeover to distance fares on Saturday, I have been using the distance fares calculator provided by the Land Transport Authority to calculate fares.

While on it, I have noticed a discrepancy in the way train fares are calculated. In certain situations, it calculates a longer but direct trip even though a shorter route exists.

Take for example, a trip from Bras Basah to Potong Pasir, Serangoon and Kovan stations. A trip to Potong Pasir is 5km away and Kovan is 8.6km away. One would expect Serangoon station, situated between Potong Pasir and Kovan stations, to be between 5km and 8.6km away.

However, the calculator gives a distance of 11.4km by virtue of a direct train line between Serangoon and Bras Basah stations.

A quick calculation shows that the shorter distance should be 7.2km. The excess 4.2km given by the calculator means an overcharge in the fare by 34 cents.

From Paya Lebar to Dhoby Ghaut, the reverse occurs. A shorter trip of 6.8km is calculated on the East-West line with a subsequent transfer on the North-South Line instead of the 7.4km direct trip on the Circle Line.

With buses, commuters can choose to transfer for a cheaper fare or take a direct bus with a higher fare. With the train network, there is no such option.

The above examples show that in some cases, the cheaper fare with transfers is charged, and in others, the higher but direct fare is charged. This discrepancy should be eliminated.

Yusry Harfuddin

Source: 29 June 2010, The Straits Times