MRT lines to double by 2020, 100 new train stations to be built

Channel NewsAsia 25 Jan 08;

SINGAPORE: The government has unveiled more changes to the country's land transport system.

In the second of three major announcements, after more than a year-long review, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said rail lines will double by 2020.

And the network - which will see 100 new stations being added - becoming even denser than places like Tokyo.

For a start, two new MRT lines will be built.

One of them, the Thomson Line will run from the heart of Marina Bay, through the Central Business District, to Woodlands in the north.

This will connect to another new line, the Eastern Region Line, which will serve residential areas like Marine Parade in the eastern part of the island.

Some existing lines will be extended. The North-South Line will go all the way to the Marina Bay area, while the East-West Line will be extended 14 kilometres into Tuas.

The new rail lines will cost the government some S$20 billion to build. This is over and above the S$20 billion the government has already committed for the on-going Boon Lay extension, the Circle Line and the Downtown Line.

However, the Transport Minister notes that while this complete picture is just 12 years away, people have been asking whether the building of the lines could take place sooner. So certain stages of the Downtown Line and Circle Line will be brought forward.

To cut down on waiting time during peak periods, more trains will be added.

Also in the plans are more barrier-free access, more environmentally-friendly fleets of vehicles, more options for cyclists, and even platform screen doors at all overhead stations.

Mr Lim made the announcement when he visited Kim Chuan Depot on Friday morning. - CNA/ir



2 new lines and $20b to double rail network
Samuel Ee, Business Times 26 Jan 08;

Current projects could also be completed earlier, greater contestability in rail industry to be introduced

(SINGAPORE) The government will spend some $20 billion to build two new rail lines and a couple of extensions to double the length of Singapore's rail network by 2020.

The figure, announced by Transport Minister Raymond Lim yesterday in the second instalment of the sweeping changes arising from the land transport review, is over and above the $20 billion already committed for the ongoing Circle Line, Downtown Line and Boon Lay extension.

Two new underground MRT lines will be built to connect Marina Bay to Woodlands in the north, and Changi in the east. The 27-km long, 18-station Thomson Line will run upwards from Marina Bay through Ang Mo Kio, connecting Kim Seng, Thomson, Sin Ming and Kebun Baru - areas that do not have a direct MRT link. This is expected to be ready by 2018.

Similarly, the 21-km long, 12-station Eastern Region Line will branch out to the right - parallel to the East-West Line - and serve the residential estates of Tanjong Rhu, Marine Parade, Siglap, Bedok South and Upper East Coast. It will be completed by 2020.

In addition, the current North-South and East-West Lines will be extended. The former, which now ends at Marina Bay station, will be extended one kilometre southwards to serve upcoming developments in the area such as the new cruise terminal in Marina South.

As for the East-West Line, it will be extended by another 14 km into Tuas. Both extensions will be completed by 2015.

'Together with the rail lines now under construction, the new rail lines will double our network from today's 138 km to 278 km in 2020,' said Mr Lim. 'We expect our rail network to carry three times as many journeys, rising from today's 1.4 million a day to 4.6 million in 2020.'

The government is also speeding up construction of the Circle Line (CCL) and Downtown Line (DTL). Mr Lim said additional resources will be pumped in to bring forward the completion of DTL Stage 3 by two years - from 2018 to 2016 - so that it would be ready just a year after DTL Stage 2 is ready. DTL 3 serves Bedok Reservoir and Tampines, while DTL 2 the Bukit Timah Corridor.

CCL Stage 3, which was due to open from 2010 onwards, will now be ready in mid-2009 to benefit residents in the north and north-east areas. More CCL stations will be opened, such as the Thomson and West Coast stations. Originally, these two shell stations were to be fitted out only when they were deemed to have sufficient surrounding developments.

With these plans firmly in place, Mr Lim said new extensions or stages of new lines would open almost every other year until 2020.

The minister was speaking during a visit to the $290-million Kim Chuan Depot, an underground MRT depot that is the first of its kind in Singapore and the largest in the world. The 11-hectare, four-storey facility took five years to build. It will provide the stabling and maintenance facilities of the Circle and Downtown Lines, as well as house the two lines' operation control centre.

As for the existing rail network, Mr Lim revealed that all above-ground MRT stations will have platform screen doors installed by 2012 to curb the rising number of train track intrusions.

He also said that as the rail network is expanded, future lines would cost more to build and operate as they would mostly be underground. Mr Lim said his Transport and Finance Ministries would work together to refine the financing framework. A more holistic network approach will be taken when evaluating new MRT lines, instead of the current line or project approach.

'This would potentially enable future new lines to be implemented a few years earlier than otherwise, so long as the entire rail network remains viable,' he explained.

Greater contestability in the rail industry will be introduced as well, in order to enhance efficiency and maintain cost competitiveness.

'A key step in enhancing contestability is to have shorter operating licences, say 10 to 15 years, compared to the existing 30-year licence periods,' said Mr Lim. 'Operators will compete for the right to operate rail services. They will have to meet service obligations or risk being replaced at the end of their term.'

A senior executive at SMRT, the dominant rail operator, called the minister's remarks 'positive'.

'More rail lines is good news for everyone,' he said. 'As for competition, that is to be expected. But we believe we are well-positioned to bid for the lines because of our operation, maintenance and engineering skills. And in terms of cost management, we are already one of the most efficient in the world.'

SMRT's licence to operate the North-South and East-West Lines expires in 2028. As for the contestability policy, the Transport Ministry said this would only apply when the current licence expires. Existing contracts will be honoured and 'any changes will involve discussions with the operator'.

Two new MRT lines by 2020
They will run through estates in north and east; North-South and East-West lines will also be extended by 2015
Maria Almenoar, Straits Times 26 Jan 08;

TWO new underground MRT lines will be built by 2020 - one from Woodlands to Marina Bay via Thomson, and the other from Changi to Marina Bay via Marine Parade.

The 27km Thomson line will run through Sin Ming and Kim Seng, while the Eastern Region Line (ERL) will slice through Siglap and Tanjong Rhu. All are neighbourhoods not served by the MRT now.

The two new lines add 48km of rail and possibly 30 new stations.

In addition, extensions will be made to the East-West and North-South lines by 2015.

The East-West line will stretch 14km out to Tuas with an above-ground track, while the North-South line will be extended underground to Marina South.

These four additions, together with the lines now being built, will extend the rail network from the current 138km of track to 278km.

The tab: $20 billion. This is over and above the $20 billion already committed for the Circle Line, the Downtown Line and the Boon Lay extension.

When completed, cross-city trips will be faster; commuters will have a train stop within 400m, or five minutes' walking distance, said Transport Minister Raymond Lim yesterday.

He was delivering Part Two of his three-part policy speech on improvements to Singapore's land transport system.

He first unveiled a slew of changes to the bus system last week, and will wrap it up next week with what is in store for other road users.

With the Thomson Line in operation, commuters in Sin Ming, for example, will shave 20 minutes off their current 45-minute trip to the city; those in Marine Parade will get to Marina Bay on the ERL in 20 minutes - almost as fast as by car, said Mr Lim.

The extensions to the existing East-West and North-South lines will also shorten commuting time.

Take, for example, a commuter who lives in Clementi and works in Tuas. To get to work now, he will have to take a train from Clementi to Boon Lay, from where it will take him another 35 minutes by bus to his destination. With the extension of the East-West line to Tuas, he will save 20 minutes.

Mr Lim, who toured the Kim Chuan train depot yesterday, said: 'Commuters can look forward to new extensions or stages of new lines opening almost every other year until 2020.'

The next milestone will be marked in the middle of next year, when Stage 3 of the Circle Line opens - a year ahead of schedule - to connect areas such as Lorong Chuan and Bartley.

But commuters will experience improvements from next month, when 93 train trips will be added every week during the rush hours to ease crowding and cut waiting times.

Down the road, new trains will be bought and work done on the two oldest tracks so they can carry 15 per cent more passengers.

As with bus routes, the Government will also open up the rail market to competition. Contracts to run rail services will be 10 to 15 years long, down from 30.

To enhance the commuter's experience, more covered linkways and overhead bridges will be built in the next two years; the elderly and disabled will have full access to buses and improved access to MRT stations. A six-month trial to allow foldable bicycles on trains will also be carried out.

As for taxi commuters, a centralised call booking centre will be set up by July.

Mr Lim gave the assurance that fares will continue to be regulated by the Public Transport Council, and help will be given to those who cannot afford to pay.