Thomson Line announced!
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Government to pump in $20 billion to improve MRT network
The government will spend another 20 billion dollars to build two more MRT Lines and extend the current MRT network.
In the second part of the Land Transport Review, Transport Minister Raymond Lim announced the changes in the rail industry, which includes doubling the current rail network.
Mr Lim says that by 2020, the aim is to allow commuters in the city to reach an MRT station within a five minute walk.
The two new MRT lines which will be fully underground are :
An 18-station Thomson Line, which will travel northwards through the Central Business District , up through Ang Mo Kio to Woodlands.
It will connect estates such as Sin Ming, Kebun Baru, Thomson and Kim Seng.
There will also be a Eastern Region Line which will add another 12 stations to the MRT network.
This line will run from Marina Bay to Changi, passing by Tanjong Rhu, Marine Parade, Siglap, Bedok South and Upper East Coast.
In addition, the existing lines will also be extended.
The North-South line, which currently ends at the Marina Bay, will run another kilometre southwards to serve the upcoming developments in the southern Marina Bay area.
The East-West line will also be extended by another 14 kilometres to Tuas.
The Land Transport Authority says that in all, the rail network in 2020 will be able to carry 3 times more journeys than today.
There are also plans to open stages of the Circle Line and Downtown line earlier than previously scheduled.
Stage 3 of the circle line which runs in the north, will open by the middle of next year, instead of 2010.
Residents of Bedok Reservoir and Tampines will also benefit as the Downtown line Stage 3 will be brought forward by 2 years, to open in 2016.
The first stage of the Downtown line is expected to open in five years' time. -
got map showing the lines??
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Jan 25, 2008
Govt to accelerate MRT expansion
Two new lines to double network length to 278km by 2020; first stage of Circle Line to open next year
By Christopher Tan
IN what could well be Singapore's most aggressive public transport infrastructure plans ever, the Government is spending $40 billion to double the MRT network by 2020.
By then, Singapore will have 278km of rail link, from 138km today. Its network density will rise from 31km per million residents today to 51km per million - surpassing what Hong Kong and Tokyo has today and comparable to current densities in places like New York and London.
Announcing these targets on Friday as part of a sweeping Land Transport Review, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said two new lines will be built - barely nine months after he gave the go-ahead to the $12 billion 40km Downtown Line.
One, the Thomson Line, runs to the left of and almost parallel to the North-east Line. It is 27km long and links Marina Bay in the south to Woodlands in the north. To be completed in 2018, it will have 18 stations, in places such as Ang Mo Kio, Kebun Baru, Sin Ming, Thomson and Kim Seng.
The other is the Eastern Region Line, which is a southern loop of the Downtown Line's eastern wing. It is 21km long and links Marina Bay to Changi. This line has 12 stops in places such as Tanjong Rhu, Siglap, Bedok South and Marine Parade, and is scheduled for completion in 2020.
'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,' Mr Lim said.
Existing MRT lines will also be lengthened. The North South Line will dip towards Marina South, with one station, and should be ready by 2015. Elsewhere, the East West Line will go west to serve the Tuas Industrial Estate. Also to be ready in 2015, it is 14km long and dotted with five stations.
More immediately though, Mr Lim said residents can look forward to riding one stage of the Circle Line from middle of next year. This stage is a five-station section linking Bartley to Marymount, with interchanges at Serangoon and Bishan.
Completion of the Downtown Line has also been brought forward by two years to 2016.
The accelerated rail plans are attributable to a new financing framework for rail infrastructure. Instead of assessing the viability of new lines in isolation, the Government will now evaluate its contribution to the entire network. As such, future MRT projects could be implemented 'a few years earlier... so long as the entire rail network remains viable'.
Like changes he announced for buses last week, the minister said the Government will introduce more competition to the rail industry. Operating contracts will be 10 to 15 years long, instead of the current 30-year tenures. This is to keep the operators on their toes so that they keep service standards high.
In line with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's promise that no one would be left behind, accessibility to wheelchairs and prams will likewise be speeded up. By 2010, access to MRT stations, taxi and bus shelters will be barrier free within a 400m radius. Because there are 4,500 bus-stops here, practically all walkways will be accessible to the handicapped, elderly and those using baby prams.
And by 2010, 40 per cent of public buses will be wheelchair accessible, with the rest to follow by 2020.
The minister took the opportunity to announce other transport-related initiatives during a visit to the Kim Chuan MRT Depot on Friday morning. These include:
• July: A single telephone number for booking a cab.
• March: Six-month trial for foldable bicycles to be allowed onboard MRT trains during off-peak periods.
• Next year: Better bicycle parking facilities at MRT stations, starting with Tampines and Pasir Ris.
• March: Road signs warning motorists of cyclists in popular bicycle routes.
• 2014: All taxis to meet Euro IV emission standards. (wat the hell
)
• 2020: All buses to meet Euro IV emission standards. (wat the hell )
On what commuters can look forward to in the coming years, Mr Lim said: 'By 2020, people who live or work in the city and those who shop and find enjoyment there will be able to reach an MRT station within 400 metres on average, a mere five-minute walk.
'Travelling across the city will be a breeze, because we will have a dense network of MRT stations like what we see in London and New York today.'
He added: 'With a vast rail network and a bus network that works in partnership with rail, commuters will have fast and reliable connections that bring them where they want to go. A gamut of transport choices including premium buses, taxis and cycling among others, will enable different needs to be met.'
The Minister said as society evolves and people's needs change, Singapore's land transport offerings must keep pace as well as encompass the diversity of needs and aspirations.
'To achieve this, we will plan our land transport system around people, not the other way round. This then will be our touchstone in the planning of land transport policies going forward,' he promised.
Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. -
Transport costs to rise again arh?
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wait for scans of tomorrow's ST.Originally posted by Father Lim:got map showing the lines?? -
Why must wait
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Full speech here.
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LTA wants to open a new line or some stations every year.Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Why must wait 
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It is 27km long and links Marina Bay in the south to Woodlands in the north.
???
NSL doesn't cover it? -
It runs parallel to it, covering the Thomson area.Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:???
NSL doesn't cover it? -
Since completion time is brought forward, quality is guaranteed a not? Me no want see another Hotel New World
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Oh...Originally posted by ^tamago^:It runs parallel to it, covering the Thomson area.
I guess lesser buses again for my area again if it runs through Thomson.
Wonders if 132, 165 and 74 will disappear for my area.
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can expect fares to reach a maximum of $5.00Originally posted by :Transport costs to rise again arh?
and explanation will be "convenience comes at a cost" -
With the new Tuas Extension that brings the East-West line right into the heart of Tuas, more of the journey will be on the high speed MRT, reducing his journey time by 20 minutes.Originally posted by ^tamago^:Full speech here.
Now, we are far from the crowded conditions of Tokyo trains, which Mr Norman Chong, a Singaporean who has lived in Tokyo for 10 years, describes as being “so packed that bodies are crushed against one another.” He calls it his “regular morning massage”. Other MRT users have likened the average peak period loading on our trains to an off-peak crowd in Shanghai.
To ensure a more comfortable ride for commuters, LTA has worked with the train operators to run 93 additional train trips per week during the morning and evening periods from February 2008 on the North-South East-West and the North-East lines. (= every train run two more trips per week )
We will be working with SMRT to purchase more trains and address infrastructure constraints so that peak hour train frequencies can be increased. When completed in about 4 yearsÂ’ time, carrying capacity will be increased by a further 15%, and commuters can look forward to shorter peak waiting times of 2 minutes.
We had earlier decided to build the Thomson and West Coast stations as shell stations and fit them out only when there are sufficient developments around them. As the pace of development around these stations is picking up, LTA will now fit out these stations and open them together with the other CCL stations.
To enhance the accessibility of the Marina Bay area to the rest of the island, LTA will also build and open the Marina Bay station as part of the CCL extension beyond Bayfront station in 2012. (as we have discovered in tender documents.)
We will therefore install platform screen doors at all above-ground MRT stations, so that commuters can have safer and more reliable train services. LTA will carry out a pilot at Yishun, Jurong East and Pasir Ris stations in 2009 to ensure that operational considerations are met, before rolling this out to all stations by 2012.
LTA together with the public transport operators will launch a six-month trial from March 2008 to allow cyclists to carry their foldable bicycles on board trains and buses. (Isn't foldable bikes allowed already?) -
LOLOriginally posted by de_middle:can expect fares to reach a maximum of $5.00
and explanation will be "convenience comes at a cost"
$5
Me buy bicycle then. -
165 might be axed or shortened.Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Oh...
I guess lesser buses again for my area again if it runs through Thomson.
Wonders if 132, 165 and 74 will disappear for my area.
74 has 50-50 percent chance of being shortened, but probably not axed.
Maybe they will revamp the whole place with a new service serving AMK MRT and Hougang/Serangoon North.
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now already in the $2.90 region.....$5.00 isn't far off once the complete network of lines are up.Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:LOL
$5
Me buy bicycle then. -
and if pple complain about frequency of trains during peak hours for being slow.....implementation of peak hour fares may also be possible since more costs incurred to run more trains
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Wah liaoOriginally posted by ^tamago^:165 might be axed or shortened.
74 has 50-50 percent chance of being shortened, but probably not axed.
Maybe they will revamp the whole place with a new service serving AMK MRT and Hougang/Serangoon North.
If want to take MRT go Thomson, freaking expensive leh.
Then 74 forever so jam packed.
AMK --> Bishan --> change line to Thomson
Or AMK --> direct line to Thomson
Me wait for mappy tomorrow.
Same for Hougang. Blood suckers!!!
AMK --> Dhoby Ghaut --> NEL
74 takes 1 big round
If 165 or 132 kena shortened or axed, I will murder SBS. -
But, those going NP how? Take bus to AMK, then train to Adam, then change bus again?Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Wah liao
If want to take MRT go Thomson, freaking expensive leh.
Then 74 forever so jam packed.
AMK --> Bishan --> change line to Thomson
Or AMK --> direct line to Thomson
Me wait for mappy tomorrow. That's why I think 74 won't be axed.
But 165 may tio axed. Holland Village will be served by CCL, want to go Ulu Pandan transfer to bus 7 from there.
The other parts of 165 duplicates 132. -
Wei weiOriginally posted by de_middle:and if pple complain about frequency of trains during peak hours for being slow.....implementation of peak hour fares may also be possible since more costs incurred to run more trains
Don't give ideas to SBS/SMRT -
AMK --> EWL --> Take busOriginally posted by ^tamago^:But, those going NP how? Take bus to AMK, then train to Adam, then change bus again?
But 165 may tio axed. Holland Village will be served by CCL, want to go Ulu Pandan transfer to bus 7 from there. The other parts of 165 duplicates 132.
Looks like high chance of 132 being axed. -
I think 165 has higher chance.Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:AMK --> EWL --> Take bus
Looks like high chance of 132 being axed. -
[IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/rogue013/mrt_map_small.gif[/IMG]
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Originally posted by ndmmxiaomayi:Wei wei
Don't give ideas to SBS/SMRT 