Land Transport Review - Rail
-
Double post.
-
Speech is here .
I will highlight the ones related to rail here.
In a nutshell,
- Thomson Line by 2018
- Eastern Region Line by 2020
- NSL extended for one more station at future Cruise Centre
- EWL extends 14km (from Joo Koon) to Tuas
- 83 more trips per week during peak hours on EWL and NSL
- 10 more trips per week during peak hours on NEL
- New trains for EWL and NSL by 2012
- CCL Stage 3 opens by mid-2009
- CCL West Coast and Thomson stations opens with its stage
- DTL Stage 3 completes by 2016
- More contestability on rail network with shorter operating licenses of 10-15 years
- New guidelines based on entire rail network instead of just the line itself to review viability of a rail line to allow new lines to open faster
New Rail Lines
Thomson Line and Eastern Region Line
8 From the heart of Marina Bay, a new MRT line, the Thomson Line, will travel northwards, through the Central Business District and up through Ang Mo Kio all the way to Woodlands connecting estates such as Sin Ming, Kebun Baru, Thomson and Kim Seng which do not now have a direct MRT link. From Marina Bay, this line would connect with another new MRT line, the Eastern Region Line, which will serve the residential estates of Tanjong Rhu, Marine Parade, Siglap, Bedok South and Upper East Coast, and link them to Changi in the east. The Thomson Line or TSL and the Eastern Region Line or ERL together will add 48km to our rail network. The Government has given the go-ahead for the TSL to be built by 2018, and the ERL by 2020.
9 The TSL and ERL will shorten journey times and significantly enhance the connectivity of the rail network. Commuters staying in Sin Ming can save 20 minutes out of their current 45-minute journey to the city, whereas a trip from Marine Parade to Marina Bay on the ERL would take about 20 minutes, almost as fast as travelling by car.
North-South and East-West Lines Extension
10 We will also add extensions to the North-South and East-West Lines, which should be completed around 2015.
11 The North-South Line now ends at the Marina Bay station in the south. We will extend the line 1-km southwards to serve upcoming developments in the southern Marina Bay area, such as the new cruise terminal in Marina South.
12 The East-West Line will be extended by another 14km into Tuas. Today, a commuter who lives in Clementi and takes the MRT to work in Tuas has to alight at Boon Lay station and then take a 35-minute bus ride to get to his workplace. 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.
Doubling of rail network by 2020
13 These new rail lines will cost us some $20 billion to build, over and above the $20 billion that government has already committed for the on-going Boon Lay Extension (BLE), the Circle Line (CCL) and the Downtown Line (DTL). The government has decided that all these rail projects are a necessary investment to ensure that our transport infrastructure meets the needs of a growing population and an expanding economy.
14 Together with the rail lines now under construction, the new rail lines will double our network from todayÂ’s 138km to 278km in 2020. We expect our rail network to carry 3 times as many journeys, rising from todayÂ’s 1.4 million a day to 4.6 million in 2020.
15 Many more people will be served by the MRT, and they will be able to use it to get to many more places. The density of our rail network will increase by 60%, from 31 to 51 km per million population by 2020, comparable to cities like New York and London, and surpassing Hong Kong and Tokyo.
A More Comfortable Ride
16 Let me turn to the existing rail lines. Train ridership is increasing steadily and commuters have said that they are feeling the squeeze, especially on the North-South and East-West lines. 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.
17 However, we are not about to let conditions deteriorate and commuters need not worry about getting morning massages any time soon. LTA closely monitors the passenger loading on our trains. 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. For commuters, this will mean less crowded trains and a reduction in waiting time by about 10-15% during peak hours.
18 Beyond that, we will also expand the carrying capacity of the North-South and East-West Lines. 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, compared to the current 2.5 to 4.5 minutes at stretches that experience heavy loading, and an even more comfortable ride. -
A Shorter Wait for the DTL and CCL
19 Many people are counting down to the day they can use the Circle Line (CCL). Others have asked whether we can speed up the building of the Downtown Line (DTL). We have taken to heart such feedback and worked hard with the Ministry of Finance and other partners such as URA, to see how we can bring forward the opening of these lines, to make public transport a choice mode.
DTL 3 to be brought forward by 2 years
20 To benefit residents of Bedok Reservoir and Tampines, we will bring forward the completion of DTL 3 by 2 years, from 2018 to 2016. The completion date of DTL 3 will now be just one year after that of DTL Stage 2 serving the Bukit Timah corridor. As we speed up the development of the DTL, LTA will continue to maintain stringent safety and quality standards in construction.
Earlier opening of Circle Line in 2009
21 Likewise, we will bring forward the Circle Line which was due to open from 2010 onwards. We will now open Circle Line Stage 3 in mid-2009 to benefit residents in the north and north-east. This CCL segment connects Bishan station on the North-South Line and Serangoon station on NEL and opens up multiple new connections for residents in the north and north-east. With the CCL 3, Serangoon residents will take only 25 minutes to get to Yishun by transferring to the North-South line at Bishan station, compared to 45 minutes by bus or by taking the NEL all the way to Dhoby Ghaut before transferring to the North-South line. As for residents staying in Marymount, Lorong Chuan and Bartley, they will enjoy more seamless and direct travel to the city and other parts once CCL 3 commences operation.
More Circle Line stations will be opened
22 Other than bringing forward CCL 3, we will also open more stations on the Circle Line. This will enhance the reach and connectivity of the Circle Line, and allow many more people to benefit from the MRT. 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.
23 With all these developments that I have highlighted, commuters can look forward to new extensions or stages of new lines opening almost every other year until 2020.
Rail Financing and Industry Frameworks to be Strengthened
27 Besides the slew of initiatives I have described - extending the rail network, opening MRT lines earlier and giving commuters more comfortable and safer rides - we will also strengthen the financing framework to facilitate rail expansion. At the same time, we will introduce greater contestability in the rail industry to ensure efficient rail operations and keep costs competitive.
Review financing framework to support rail expansion
28 From now till 2020 and beyond, we are rolling out ambitious rail expansion plans to meet the travel needs of a growing population.
29 As we expand the rail network, future lines will be more expensive to build, operate and maintain as they will be mostly underground. New lines will also need time to build up their ridership, compared to mature lines which serve the more densely built-up corridors. Hence, to keep up the pace of rail expansion, MOT will work with the Ministry of Finance to refine the financing framework. The framework should allow for a network approach, instead of a line approach, to be adopted in evaluating new lines. 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.
Greater contestability in the rail industry
30 We will also strengthen the rail industry framework to enhance efficiency and maintain cost competitiveness.
31 We currently have two rail operators. This enables the regulator to benchmark the operators against each other in terms of service standards and cost efficiency.
32 There have been suggestions to merge the separate rail operations to reap greater economies of scale. Others see value in retaining the existing structure, as competition between the operators helps improve efficiency and service standards.
33 Following an extensive study, LTAÂ’s assessment is that the key issue here is not so much whether there are one or two operators but that the threat of competition must be real to the incumbents. Further, competition must not compromise the integration of the network as the seamless working of the whole network is what gives value to the commuter.
34 Going forward, we will make the rail industry more contestable, to drive efficiency and enhance service standards for commuters. 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. 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. LTA will study the implementation issues carefully with relevant stakeholders. -
You might also want to look at the related videos section on ST Video News here.
All new lines and extensions by 2020:
Thomson Line and areas served:
Eastern Region Line and areas served:
Tuas Extension on EWL and Marina Bay Extension on NSL:
the Tuas Extension on EWL would actually be a forked end according to the diagrams above. considering it is 14km, how do you think it would end up looking like?
and I think it is going to be likely that the eastern sections of the Downtown Line will most likely become the originally-planned Eastern Region Line loop once the section along marine parade is completed.
I also think the additional trips during peak hours are going to be welcome, but my gut feeling tells me it still may not be enough.
new rolling stock for NSL and EWL by 2012. sounds exciting. to me at least, since I use the EWL often. but 4 years is a bit...
and where exactly did Jurong LRT go? it is going to benefit me most from all the current projects if it was going to built. so it was really shelved indefinitely?
any other discussions regarding the new lines and improvements are welcome. -
Yeah... I was surprised on why the govt did not mention anything about Jurong LRT...Originally posted by deskoh91:You might also want to look at the related videos section on ST Video News here.
[img=http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2528/63241318jm8.jpg][/img]
the Tuas Extension on EWL would actually be a forked end according to the picture above. considering it is 14km, how do you think it would end up looking like?
and I think it is going to be likely that the eastern sections of the Downtown Line will most likely become the originally-planned Eastern Region Line loop once the section along marine parade is completed.
I also think the additional trips during peak hours are going to be welcome, but my gut feeling tells me it still may not be enough.
new rolling stock for NSL and EWL by 2012. sounds exciting. to me at least, since I use the EWL often. but 4 years is a bit...
and where exactly did Jurong LRT go? it is going to benefit me most from all the current projects if it was going to built. so it was really shelved indefinitely?
any other discussions regarding the new lines and improvements are welcome.
Is it still on feasible studies or scrapped or what ? Delayed ? -
woa man! this is really alot of stuff to digest!
but its rather hard to believe, after (being away from m com for more than a week) reading almost all bad news from the previou threads like delays, accidents and the SPH issue...
Its personally hard to believe that SMRT, given its hard-lined leader, would bother buying new trains after it decided to "refurbish to save cost rather than buy new ones"
The pushing forward of the openings of CCL3 and DTL3 is really exciting... and if i'm not wrong its the first time they're doing it right? I dont ever remember any station being opened on/ahead of schedule... everything was late...
I have to say this new ERL is rather ambitious though
-
I believe the LTA coaxed SMRT into doing so through a combination of hard and soft attacks to get them to concedeOriginally posted by SMRT 32373238:woa man! this is really alot of stuff to digest!
but its rather hard to believe, after (being away from m com for more than a week) reading almost all bad news from the previou threads like delays, accidents and the SPH issue...
Its personally hard to believe that SMRT, given its hard-lined leader, would bother buying new trains after it decided to "refurbish to save cost rather than buy new ones"
The pushing forward of the openings of CCL3 and DTL3 is really exciting... and if i'm not wrong its the first time they're doing it right? I dont ever remember any station being opened on/ahead of schedule... everything was late...
I have to say this new ERL is rather ambitious though 
-
This is not the first time.Originally posted by SMRT 32373238:woa man! this is really alot of stuff to digest!
but its rather hard to believe, after (being away from m com for more than a week) reading almost all bad news from the previou threads like delays, accidents and the SPH issue...
Its personally hard to believe that SMRT, given its hard-lined leader, would bother buying new trains after it decided to "refurbish to save cost rather than buy new ones"
The pushing forward of the openings of CCL3 and DTL3 is really exciting... and if i'm not wrong its the first time they're doing it right? I dont ever remember any station being opened on/ahead of schedule... everything was late...
I have to say this new ERL is rather ambitious though
The initial plan for EWL / NSL / CCK was to be up and running by 1992. But they did it at such a fast pace that all lines were fully functioning by 1990. Ahead by almost 2 years. -
If you don't believe, it's all here for you.Originally posted by SMRT 32373238:woa man! this is really alot of stuff to digest!
but its rather hard to believe, after (being away from m com for more than a week) reading almost all bad news from the previou threads like delays, accidents and the SPH issue...
Its personally hard to believe that SMRT, given its hard-lined leader, would bother buying new trains after it decided to "refurbish to save cost rather than buy new ones"
The pushing forward of the openings of CCL3 and DTL3 is really exciting... and if i'm not wrong its the first time they're doing it right? I dont ever remember any station being opened on/ahead of schedule... everything was late...
I have to say this new ERL is rather ambitious though 
They didn't mention the quantity, right? 10 new trains = new trains also. -
HAHA true... well its an improvement at least... (hope it wont be alstom but jus like the 3rd gen Kawaski trains)Originally posted by Oceane:If you don't believe, it's all here for you.
They didn't mention the quantity, right? 10 new trains = new trains also. -
Alstom is boring.Originally posted by SMRT 32373238:HAHA true... well its an improvement at least... (hope it wont be alstom but jus like the 3rd gen Kawaski trains) -
Yeah. Prefer Kawasaki very much. The 4th gen Kawasaki train will be added in 2012 as it was mentioned that LTA will be working with SMRT to purchase additional trains on NSL and EWL. We will get to see new series like 401/402, 403/404 and blah.
Its codename could be "C951". Cos I remembered C851 is already taken up as the DTL train if I remembered it correctly. -
well, dun say govt keep rise fare but nvr improve.
20 billion is a lot of money, and govt committed it. -
At least, the government has responded to the "overcrowding" issue in MRT. I hope the govt will continue their commitment to make public transport to be the most affordable and more convenient for many of us.Originally posted by hiphop2009:well, dun say govt keep rise fare but nvr improve.
20 billion is a lot of money, and govt committed it. -
1 Line for Tuas Checkpoint, 1 Line for Tuas South Areas.Originally posted by deskoh91:You might also want to look at the related videos section on ST Video News here.
Tuas Extension on EWL and Marina Bay Extension on NSL:
the Tuas Extension on EWL would actually be a forked end according to the diagrams above. considering it is 14km, how do you think it would end up looking like?
I was told about the Tuas Extension plans even my family bought my current home near Pioneer Stn in 1999... -
whatever happened to the bukit timah line?
it's also interesting to note how the fake MRT devt plans got onto the news just weeks before the real thing is out... political ploy? -
BTL is now the western part of the Downtown Line. my gut feeling keeps telling me the eastern part of DTL will become part of the Eastern Region Line originally planned though. hmmOriginally posted by sir_peanuts:whatever happened to the bukit timah line?
it's also interesting to note how the fake MRT devt plans got onto the news just weeks before the real thing is out... political ploy?
-
dad working in Tuas? buy house in 1999. 10+ years later then got pioneer station!Originally posted by brotherchen1982:I was told about the Tuas Extension plans even my family bought my current home near Pioneer Stn in 1999... -
Aiya... It's not SMRT say wanna buy new trains... It's the gahmen...Originally posted by SMRT 32373238:...
Its personally hard to believe that SMRT, given its hard-lined leader, would bother buying new trains after it decided to "refurbish to save cost rather than buy new ones"
I have to say this new ERL is rather ambitious though
Anyway, I think the new ERL will be like the Tung Chung Line in Hong Kong, considering the crappy "High-Speed MRT" liner. -
Later...raise fares...part of elections ploy maybe???
-
eh try asking LTA?Originally posted by azharjj:Yeah... I was surprised on why the govt did not mention anything about Jurong LRT...
Is it still on feasible studies or scrapped or what ? Delayed ? -
it has been indefinitely postponed. straits times interviewed this guy called lim bok ngam in an article titled 'groundwork begins for new MRT lines' published sometime in 2006, who said that 'unless theres going to be a very heavily built up township', we will not build another LRT system. it was also in there that he first mentioned the thomson line, but it was the said to be the 'MRT equivalent of the CTE', which it most certainly isnt. (not according to the newly released plans)Originally posted by azharjj:Yeah... I was surprised on why the govt did not mention anything about Jurong LRT...
Is it still on feasible studies or scrapped or what ? Delayed ? -
Nope, upgrading to bigger home...Originally posted by sinicker:dad working in Tuas? buy house in 1999. 10+ years later then got pioneer station!
Btw, the handbook for New Flats in Jurong West Area then had the 'Proposed MRT Line' along Jurong West St 63 & the HDB staff said the MRT will be extended to Tuas 'in a few yrs time'... -
so it all came true. congrats.Originally posted by brotherchen1982:Nope, upgrading to bigger home...
Btw, the handbook for New Flats in Jurong West Area then had the 'Proposed MRT Line' along Jurong West St 63 & the HDB staff said the MRT will be extended to Tuas 'in a few yrs time'...
my parents told me when they first bought the house in tampines(i stay blk 243), everyone thought the mrt will run down ave 5 towards tanah merah(follow bus 31 route) because then, the interchange was across the stadium(presumably the empty field diagonally across the banks/across stadium) but the mrt station was built was across my house!! -
Originally posted by Novawin™:
Yeah. Prefer Kawasaki very much. The 4th gen Kawasaki train will be added in 2012 as it was mentioned that LTA will be working with SMRT to purchase additional trains on NSL and EWL. We will get to see new series like 401/402, 403/404 and blah.
Its codename could be "C951". Cos I remembered C851 is already taken up as the DTL train if I remembered it correctly.
Really looking forward to that! How u know its gonna be Kawasaki?