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  Business Times 10 Mar 07
Big public transport revamp with population growth
Ministry plans to widen rail network and improve quality of buses and trains
By Vincent Wee

Channel NewsAsia 9 Mar 07
Bus services to be improved, vehicle growth rate to be reviewed
By Asha Popatlal

Today Online 10 Mar 07
More premium bus services to heartlands
Gracia Chiang

Today Online 10 Mar 07
Extra MRT lines may ease crowding
Concerns whether transport system can handle 6.5m
Leong Wee Keat weekeat@mediacorp.com.sg

CAN Singapore's public transport system handle 6.5 million people? The revised population planning parameter was a burning issue on parliamentarians' minds as the Ministry of Transport's plans came under the spotlight on Friday.

MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Liang Eng Hwa said public transport systems in some routes are already at — or near — capacity during peak hours. With expressways already four lanes wide and land limited here, he wondered how more road space could be added.

Mr Seah Kian Peng, MP for Marine Parade GRC, also wondered if the system would be able to handle 6 .5 million people, especially when Singaporeans' top three grouses last year about public transport were travelling and waiting time and crowds.

In his reply, Transport Minister Raymond Lim told Parliament that his Ministry would "anticipate, change and respond to greater demand for travel and see through the eyes of the commuting public".

One of the strategies is to look at expanding the rail network here, Mr Lim said. While the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is completing its feasibility studies for a new 33-station Downtown Line that will link the eastern and northwestern corridors to the Marina Bay area, it has also started identifying other possible rail lines required to support the Republic's development.

This could mean building the equivalent of at least seven North-east Lines. "Our expansion plans will bring the MRT to areas that are currently not well-served … and relieve congestion on heavily-used MRT routes," Mr Lim said.

At the same time, there is a need for Singapore to moderate its vehicle growth. The current annual growth rate of 3 per cent cannot be maintained indefinitely given Singapore's land constraints, Mr Lim said. A review of the annual growth rate will be carried out next year.

The Electronic Road Pricing coverage will also be reviewed continually "to ensure Singapore does not resemble a giant car park lot".

Over on the aviation front, Singapore will begin exploring expanding the capacity of the Budget Terminal. Even though only two low-cost carriers operate out of the Terminal currently, about 130, 000 passengers pass through its gates a month. The figure represents close to 60 per cent of its 2 .7 million passengers per annum capacity.

Moving to the Causeway, Mr Lim said Singapore had written to the Malaysian Government to propose convening a Joint Committee to manage the temporary diversion of heavy vehicles from Woodlands to the Tuas Second Link.

Last December, Malaysia announced the diversion to facilitate the building of new customs, immigration and quarantine facilities at the Causeway. To deal with the anticipated increase in traffic volume at the Second Link, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the LTA are making preparations to redeploy resources and adjust traffic flows at the checkpoints, Mr Lim said.

Today Online 10 Mar 07
More premium bus services to heartlands
Gracia Chiang gracia@mediacorp.com.sg

THE good news for commuters sick of long waiting times and crowded buses is, operators are queuing up to offer premium bus services to the HDB heartlands — including far-flung estates such as Punggol and Loyang.

Barely two weeks after the guidelines for premium bus services were revised on Feb 1, the Public Transport Council (PTC) received more than 40 new applications, compared to the one or so a month previously, said Transport Minister Raymond Lim.

And as of March 9, two routes have been approved — one from Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 to Shenton Way, and another from The Gardens at Bishan condominium to Bishan MRT station. Both operators will have to get their routes going within three months.

Chairman of Singapore School Transport Association, Mr Wong Ann Lin, was thrilled that his 750- member group was awarded the licence to run the Ang Mo Kio route. "We hope it will be a success," he said.

The tentative plans are to have up to six buses plying this new route every 10 to 15 minutes during the morning and evening peak hours. Fares could cost up to $3.

In all, there are now 12 premium bus services, with 44 more — proposed by six operators, including SBS Transit — waiting for the green light. Other new players include Transcity Bus Services and Ackzo6-Ventures, which propose to serve areas such as Bukit Panjang, Punggol and Loyang, taking commuters to the Central Business District.

Operations manager of Ackzo6-Ventures, Mr Elliot Lin, said: "Before the North-East Line was built, there used to be Express 501 running through Punggol. From our surveys, we found that people still like such services." If approved, his two routes will run in the morning and charge $2.50 per trip.

Commuters, especially those who work in the CBD, are heartened by the greater number of options. Said Punggol resident, Wendy Chung, 22: "There are now only one or two buses serving the Punggol Field area. I have to wait up to 20 minutes for a bus. With this premium service, there will be more specific arrival times so that's good."

Channel NewsAsia 9 Mar 07
Bus services to be improved, vehicle growth rate to be reviewed
By Asha Popatlal

SINGAPORE: With Singapore projecting a future population of 6.5 million, MPs have asked how the land transport system will cope. MPs on Friday spoke bluntly on the transport problems already faced by the average Singaporean right now. And they fear these problems will get worse.

From 1997 to 2004, the road capacity in Singapore grew by 5% but the car population went up by 10% and daily car trips rose even more, by 23%. This squeeze has not gone unnoticed.

Seah Kian Peng, MP for Marine Parade GRC, said: "Another friend who just came back from Australia, having spent three years there, said, 'Suddenly, I felt everywhere was so crowded! MRT is so full, even at 7am. And the roads are jammed with cars, even late at night at 7pm'."

MP Seng Han Thong zoomed in on drivers' main frustration when ERP (Electronic Road Pricing) increases are used to manage congestion. "I hope it will make ERP more effective rather than make it more expensive," he said.

And now, with higher population figures projected, the GPC Chairman for Transport mirrored the concerns - in and outside the House. "For this to happen without Singapore roads ending up in gridlocks, we need a major revamp of our land transport infrastructure. At the moment, we have more questions than answers," said Cedric Foo, GPC Chairman for Transport and MP for West Coast GRC.

Addressing the MPs' concerns, Transport Minister Raymond Lim agreed that we could not keep putting cars on the road. Mr Lim said: "If we continue to allow 3% annual growth, our current vehicle population of 800,000 would increase by about 50% to about 1.2 million by 2020. It is clear that the current 3% annual growth rate cannot be maintained indefinitely, given our land constraint and a slower pace of road -building as Singapore becomes more built-up." So that rate would be reviewed next year, he added.

More importantly, he said, public transport would have to become more attractive and usage increased. "As part of our long-term planning for a future Singapore of 6.5 million population, we expect that we will need to at least double our current rail network of 138 km for a 50% increase in population," he said.

That means putting in the equivalent of at least seven North-East Lines, starting perhaps with a new 33-station Downtown Line. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is completing its feasibility studies for this new Line that will link the eastern and north-western corridors to the Marina Bay.

Improving bus services is another big area. Already, full-day bus lanes are being expanded to give more buses more priority on the roads. The LTA will also roll out a system to display real-time bus information at selected bus-stops. The trial will begin in the middle of this year. A similar trial by the LTA ended in 2003 due to technological constraints and cost.

The display of real-time bus information at bus-stops will complement similar services provided by SBS Transit, but through mobile phones and its website. TransitLink will also develop an electronic bus journey planner so that commuters can figure out how to get from Point A to Point B.

These measures go to the heart of commuters' top grouses - which are long waiting times at bus- stops and being unable to predict their travel times. If these measures can be coupled with smoother flow on the road for buses, it would go a long way towards improving the overall quality of a bus journey. - CNA/ir

Business Times 10 Mar 07
Big public transport revamp with population growth
Ministry plans to widen rail network and improve quality of buses and trains
By Vincent Wee

A GROWING population requires big moves to improve the public transport system, particularly extending and improving the MRT, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said in Parliament yesterday.

Speaking during the debate on land transport, Mr Lim said he aimed to make public transport so attractive that it would be seen as not just catering to people with no other means of getting around, but converting those with access to their own private transport too.

To do this, the Transport Ministry plans to expand the rail network, give buses priority on the roads, raise the quality of buses and trains, enhance choices for commuters and improve connectivity and accessibility.

To expand the rail network, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is conducting feasibility studies for a new 33-station Downtown Line that will link the eastern and north-western corridors to Marina Bay. Other possible rail lines and extensions are also being considered.

The ministry envisages that the current rail network of 138km will need to be at least doubled to cater for a 50 per cent increase in the population. The expansion plans will take the MRT to areas that are currently not well served, enhance connectivity, reduce travel time, and relieve congestion on heavily used routes.

Other steps that will be taken include giving greater priority to buses on the road to help improve the reliability of bus services and reduce delays. A pilot scheme for a full-day bus lane on Orchard Road will be extended next month to other areas in the CBD, like Eu Tong Sen Street, Hill Street, Victoria Street, Bras Basah Road and Somerset Road.

Other options to boost bus traffic efficiency include the possibility of making it mandatory for motorists to give buses the right of way.

The problems of crowding on buses and the MRT, long waiting times for buses and long journey times on public transport will also be addressed through more stringent quality-of-service standards for basic bus services.

To improve travel efficiency, the LTA is working with both the bus operators to bring in a system to display real-time bus information at selected bus stops. A trial system will begin from the middle of this year.

The LTA has also provided funding support for TransitLink to develop an electronic bus journey planner to ensure seamless and integrated services across the different operators. There are also plans to expand the number of public transport choices available to commuters by allowing more premium bus services for commuters who want a more direct and comfortable ride.

In this respect, the Public Transport Council recently simplified its premium bus service guidelines to encourage operators to provide more services, a move which has been met with a good response.

There is also an aim to make the system barrier-free. By 2010, as many as 40 per cent of the buses will be wheelchair accessible while efforts will be made to increase barrier-free access to the rail network.

The minister added that a study has been commissioned to look at the fundamental public transport industry structure and related competition issues as well as to see how the public transport system can be made more efficient and integrated, while giving commuters more choices.
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