7 new Thomson-East Coast Line stations to open on Jun 23; commuters can ride for free on Jun 21
7 new Thomson-East Coast Line stations to open on Jun 23; commuters can ride for free on Jun 21
The Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park, Tanjong Katong, Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap and Bayshore stations will give commuters in the east coast area more travel options.
Marine Parade MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line. (Photo: Land Transport Authority)
Grace Yeo
05 Mar 2024 04:39PM(Updated: 05 Mar 2024 07:02PM)
SINGAPORE: Seven new MRT stations on Singapore's Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) will begin passenger service on Jun 23, announced Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat on Tuesday (Mar 5).
These stations – Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park, Tanjong Katong, Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap and Bayshore – make up Stage 4 of the TEL.
Ahead of the official start date, commuters can preview and travel for free along these seven stations during an opening event on Jun 21, from 10am to 9pm. More details will be available on the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) social media pages, closer to the date.
During his ministry's budget debate in parliament, Mr Chee also highlighted renewal and enhancement works to the Bukit Panjang and Sengkang-Punggol LRT networks.
The Transport Ministry shared plans as well to update regulatory requirements for taxis and private-hire cars; and to improve point-to-point (P2P) service platforms.
OTHER UPCOMING MRT STATIONS
With the seven new TEL stations, commuters can expect travel time savings of up to 50 per cent on TEL, said LTA on Tuesday.
For instance, a resident in Marine Parade travelling to Shenton Way will take 20 minutes via TEL compared to the current 40-minute journey by bus and train, Mr Chee illustrated.
And around 235,000 households will be within a 10-minute walk from an existing TEL station, from Woodlands North to Bayshore.
Meanwhile, the Punggol Coast station on the North-East Line extension is expected to open by the end of this year. This station will enable convenient access to the Singapore Institute of Technology Punggol campus which will open this year as well as the upcoming Punggol Digital District, the minister added.
On the Downtown Line (DTL), Hume Station is on track to open in 2025, improving accessibility to the Rail Corridor (Central).
More stations – Bedok South, Sungei Bedok interchange and Xilin – are slated to open in 2026, when Stage 5 of the TEL and the DTL extension projects are completed. The East Coast Integrated Depot, which has connecting tunnels to both TEL and DTL as well as viaducts from the East-West Line, is also expected to open in 2026.
It was previously announced that these projects would be open in 2025.
Three new Circle Line stations will also open in 2026. Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward stations will “close the loop” between the existing HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations, Mr Chee said.
One platform each at Telok Blangah and HarbourFront stations will be temporarily closed until May this year to facilitate these integration works.
LRT ENHANCEMENTS
The Bukit Panjang LRT will resume dual loop operations from Mar 16 and run on Saturdays from 11am to 1pm and 5pm to 7pm.
It has been operating on one loop during off-peak hours since Dec 1, 2019, to facilitate renewal works.
LTA said it would monitor the network’s performance before deciding whether to extend it further to cover more off-peak hours. Full dual loop services will continue to be available during peak hours on weekday mornings and evenings.
Additionally, two new trains for the Bukit Panjang LRT are expected to begin passenger service in the third quarter of 2024. These are among 19 new trains which will replace the first-generation vehicles that have been in service since 1999.
Second-generation vehicles are currently undergoing upgrading works in tandem with a new communications-based train control signalling system. More trains are expected to complete the upgrade and re-enter passenger service later this year.
To facilitate testing of the new vehicles and systems, Bukit Panjang LRT services will end one hour earlier - at 10.30pm - on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, from Mar 22 to Jun 30.
During this period, commuters can take bus services 67, 171, 920, 922, 960, 963, 972, 972M, 973, 974 and 976 after 10.30pm. These buses serve Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang areas.
As for the Sengkang-Punggol LRT, works will begin this month to improve commuter flow on Sengkang LRT station platforms, with dedicated stopping locations for each of the four routes plying the station, said LTA.
The station will also get new signs and queue markings, and a new tactile guiding system to facilitate boarding and alighting.
The first of 25 new two-car trains for Sengkang-Punggol LRT is expected to arrive by the end of the year, and will progressively be deployed for passenger service after undergoing testing. These new trains will eventually replace the existing one-car trains and some of the existing two-car trains, increasing passenger capacity.
“We are on track to reaching our goal of expanding the rail network to about 360km by the 2030s, with eight in 10 households within 10 minutes of a train station,” LTA added.
REVIEWING P2P SERVICES
LTA also announced on Tuesday that it will update regulatory requirements for taxis and private-hire cars. This will ensure relevance, as one reason for declining taxi supply is tighter regulatory requirements translating to higher operating costs for taxi operators and higher rental rates for drivers.
For instance, under changes to the inspection frequency for various vehicle types, taxis less than three years old will undergo inspection once a year, down from once every six months currently.
On the other hand, chauffeured private-hire cars more than 10 years old will need to be inspected once every six months, instead of the current frequency of once a year.
The statutory lifespan of diesel, petrol and hybrid taxis will be extended to 10 years, up from the current eight years.
Smaller taxi operators will also no longer be required to provide call-booking services, “given the high cost relative to low utilisation rate”, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor.
ComfortDelGro, which currently fulfils the bulk of call-booking trips, will continue offering these services.
Authorities will also introduce baseline standards for P2P service platforms to mitigate the impact of service disruptions.
Operators must inform LTA, commuters and drivers within an hour of confirming a “systemic incident” that could impair P2P services. They must then submit a report outlining measures taken to resolve the incident, added Dr Khor.
Operators must also develop and regularly review contingency plans to ensure timely service recovery and mitigate the recurrence of any systemic incidents.
In addition, as commuters and drivers may rely on P2P services for their livelihoods, the notification period will be doubled for operators that intend to exit the market. Operators will need to inform LTA of an exit plan at least 120 days before surrendering their licence – up from the current 60 days.
They will need to inform the public at least 60 days before surrendering their licence.
The authorities will also work with operators to enhance their booking platforms, making it easier for commuters to indicate if they need a private-hire car with sufficient boot space, such as for a foldable wheelchair or a child seat.
The booking platform should also indicate if these services are unavailable, so commuters who require them can cancel and make a new booking.
Further details on the implementation of these changes will be provided at a later date.