April 2013
Travel Early, Travel Free
Travel on The MRT
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Free Train Rides To City For Early Birds
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CONTENTS
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Free Train Rides To City For Early Birds
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Downtown Line 1: The Beginning
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Award-Winning MyTransport.SG Grows
10 Times Since Launch
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Cyclists: Dismount And Push
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Cameras Monitor Illegal Parking
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LTA And SBS Transit:
Working Together To Improve Rail Services
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School Children Learn About Singapore Transport
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Land Transport Initiatives Coming Your Way
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Great news if you work in town and take the MRT:
Arrive at 16 selected destination MRT stations before
7.45am on a weekday and your ride is free.
Yes, free.
Those who miss the cut-off timing for free travel by a
few minutes can also enjoy up to 50 cents off their train
fare if they exit at any of the 16 stations between 7.45am
and 8.00am on weekdays.
The one-year trial will run from 24 June this year to
23 June next year, and aims to make train rides more
comfortable by encouraging commuters to travel earlier
before the morning peak hour.
However, do note that free travel is only applicable on
weekdays (except public holidays), and the point of
entry should not be at any of the 16 stations. If you took
a train from Lavender to Bayfront, you would not be
entitled to free travel.
The 16 destination stations are Bayfront, Bras Basah,
Bugis, Chinatown, City Hall, Clarke Quay, Dhoby Ghaut,
Esplanade, Lavender, Marina Bay, Orchard, Outram Park,
Promenade, Raffles Place, Somerset and Tanjong Pagar.
The free travel trial is a significant enhancement to the
existing SMRT Early Travel Discount scheme, which
offers up to 50 cents discount for travel on SMRT lines
into 14 SMRT stations in the city area before 7.45am.
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Publicity posters and banners on the Travel Free Programme to be put up at selected MRT stations.
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Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew and Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo observing the pre-peak hour crowd
at Raffles Place MRT station platform.
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Award-winning MyTransport.SG
Grows 10 Times Since Launch
Not only are more people using the hugely popular MyTransport.SG,
the award-winning app has just picked up another accolade.
In the three years since it was launched, MyTransport.
SG has won five awards, three of which were
international. It has just picked up its sixth.
The mobile app, which provides useful information on
the go for anyone who is getting around in Singapore,
won a Gold award at the first Mob-Ex awards. The
awards recognize excellent mobile marketing efforts.
On the ground, MyTransport.SG is growing in usage
by the day. Average page views per month before
the launch of MyTransport.SG Mobile native (iOS and
Android platforms) in 2011 was 350,000. Page views
have since grown 10 times to a peak of 3 million pageviews in a month.
MyTransport.SG Mobile has also been downloaded over
1 million times.
Group Director behind the mobile app, Mrs Rosina
Howe, shares with Connect more on MyTransport.SG.
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Why has MyTransport.SG proven to be so popular
with users on the ground? It fulfills its aim as a real-time one-stop transport
advisory for all travelling needs in Singapore – whether
the journey is made via motoring, commuting by bus/
train/taxi, cycling or even walking. We also open up our
data for third-party development and this generates a
reservoir of creative mobile apps which are largely free
to all our users.
How do you see MyTransport.SG developing in the future? We are working with popular third-party developers
to fine-tune their applications as part of MyTransport
so that users need not toggle between sites. One of
the most popular services is bus arrival time and we
are working towards providing island-wide coverage
for better planning of journeys. Walking is also very
much part of our daily travels and we are working on
developing maps showing covered walkways. LTA’s Group Director for Innovation & Infocomm Technology, Mrs Rosina Howe (in blue) receiving the Mob-Ex award.
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LTA and SBS Transit:
Working Together To Improve Rail Services
The LTA and SBS Transit (SBST) have formed a joint
team of engineering and maintenance experts to
improve the service reliability of the North East Line
(NEL) and Sengkang-Punggol LRT.
The joint team will examine possible causes and
contributory factors to three service disruptions on the
NEL. It will spend the next year identifying appropriate
measures to address them and studying new materials
to improve the system.
Already, it was found that the service disruptions
were caused by stress corrosion cracking of vital rail
components.
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These rail components – particularly in the stretch
between HarbourFront and Outram Park - have been
replaced, and the joint team is carrying out checks
beyond Outram Park MRT station to ensure the health
of the entire NEL.
The joint team has also formulated longer term plans to
improve the reliability of the NEL, including engaging an
independent consultant to conduct a comprehensive
review of maintenance regime and recovery measures.
The consultancy will likely be concluded by mid 2014.
LTA had also set up a joint team with the other train
operator, SMRT, to look into the reliability of the NorthSouth Line, East-West Line and Circle Line.
Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew (left) with SBS Transit’s CEO Mr Gan Juay Kiat and Executive Vice President,
Rail Mr Wong Wai Keong looking at the Overhead Catenary System (OCS).
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Land Transport Initiatives
Coming Your Way
Upcoming land transport initiatives were announced at the recent Committee
of Supply debate in March. Here is what anyone who needs to get around in
Singapore can look forward to in future.
TAKE THE
TRAIN?
• From the second half of this year, train frequencies
and waiting times will be gradually improved as the
operators run more train trips. Frequencies of trains
during the shoulder peak periods will also be stepped
up so each train will arrive at an interval of about
three minutes.
• The LTA will continue to work closely with the public
transport operators on areas like more rigorous
maintenance and replacing older parts of the trains.
• For those who live near a train track, the LTA is
installing noise barriers on 16 stretches of MRT tracks
in the next three years to cut down the noise level.
• The Bus Service Enhancement Programme is
moving ahead of schedule: Expect 280 more buses
on the road by the end of this year. Most of the
overall improvements - 800 new buses and 40 new
bus services – will be made by late 2014 instead of
the initial 2016 projection.
TAKE THE
BUS?
• More commuters will be able to hop onto private
buses from their housing estates and travel to work
in the city via the expressways.
• Buses will be given priority on the roads: Over the
next two years, 30 km of bus lanes will be added,
the Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme will be
expanded to another 150 bus stops, bus hubs where
several buses can pick up passengers all at the same
time will be increased from 10 currently to about 40.
DRIVE?
• Buyers of luxury cars will now pay higher tax rates
than buyers of budget cars.
• Owners of Category ‘C’ vehicles like vans and buses
who choose to renew their COEs for five years will
be allowed further 5-year COE renewals.
• LTA is working with the Housing and Development
Board to make car sharing more accessible in the
heartlands where feasible.
• The Marina Coastal Expressway, which will link the
East Coast Parkway and the Kallang-Paya Lebar
Expressway with the Ayer-Rajah Expressway in the
west, is on track to be opened by the end of the year.
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ELDERLY OR
LESS MOBILE?
• The Green Man Plus scheme, which extends the
green man time at traffic lights, will be expanded to
more locations.
• All MRT and LRT stations are barrier-free, and soon,
all bus interchanges will be too. Half of the public
buses are wheelchair-accessible, and by 2020, all of
them will be so.
• Lifts will be installed at selected pedestrian overhead
bridges so the elderly do not have to climb the steps.
Lifts at six bridges will be completed by the end of
the year, and will be built at about 40 more bridges
island-wide by 2018.
• Elder-friendly improvements – like elderly-friendly bus
stop seats with hand grips for the elderly to support
themselves when getting up from their seat, or
smoothening out uneven parts of pavements which
may cause an elderly person to fall – are constantly
being made to the transport infrastructure.
ARE YOU A
PEDESTRIAN?
• School zones will be made safer for children
crossing the road with recognisable red-textured
road surfaces, additional railings and traffic
calming markings.
• 200 km more of sheltered walkways are being built
around train stations, bus interchanges and bus
shelters under the Walk2Ride programme so people
can walk easily to transport hubs.
CYCLE TO GET
AROUND?
• With the emphasis on personal cycling safety, LTA
is launching a guidebook on safe cycling tips and is
painting road markings in some areas to remind cyclists
to dismount at zebra crossings.
• LTA will finish building off-road cycling paths in
Tampines and Sembawang this year. Cycling path
networks in Bedok, Changi-Simei, Pasir Ris, Taman
Jurong and Yishun, as well as areas such as East Coast,
Jurong Lake District, Marina Bay and the Punggol EcoTown, will be progressively completed by 2015.
• In total, there will be 210 km of off-road cycling
paths to about 16 towns, or more than half of all
HDB towns, by 2020.
• Existing signs which alert motorists to the presence
of sports cyclists along popular training routes in
areas like Tanjong Rhu and Yishun, will be made
more visible by the middle of this year.
• On top of the 2,400 bicycle racks being built at 20 MRT
stations, the LTA is building another 600 racks at 12
more MRT stations by the third quarter of 2014.
• LTA is planning a pilot bicycle-sharing scheme at the
Jurong Lake District.
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Downtown Line 1: The Beginning
Part 1 of Connect’s series on the
Downtown Line 1 (DTL1), which is
opening at the end of this year, goes
back to its beginnings in 2001. DTL1
consists of six stations: It will connect
existing stations at Bugis, Promenade,
Bayfront and Chinatown, to new
stations at Downtown and Telok Ayer.
The 4.3km line is fully underground
and will open by the end of 2013.
LTA’s Deputy Group Director, Policy
and Planning Ms Lina Lim talks about
how the idea for the line came about.
When and why was the idea of DTL1
first mooted?
To meet Singapore’s growth and travel demand, we
recognised that additional radial lines were required to
bring commuters from residential areas such as Bukit
Timah and Bedok more directly to the City. At the same
time, there was a need for greater connectivity within
the City itself. Hence, the DTL was conceptualised
as a central loop within the City supported by radial
extensions towards the East and West. The idea
behind DTL arose from the 2001 Concept Plan.
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Were there any concerns which were
expressed at the time?
As DTL1 would run within the densely built-up city
central, there were concerns on the construction
challenges and the need to minimise impact to existing
land uses.
Why was this particular route chosen
for DTL1? What was the thinking
behind the exact station locations?
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The DTL1 alignment was planned to link up major
activity nodes within the City, such as Chinatown,
Bugis and Marina Bay. In addition, the DTL1 provides
interconnectivity with other lines within the City like
the East-West Line, Circle Line and North East Line.
In deciding on the station locations, we wanted to
maximise the connectivity benefits to commuters.
For example, the new Marina Bay business district
is served centrally by the Downtown station, which
is located close to developments like the Marina Bay
Financial Centre.
In the overall train network,
what role does DTL1 play?
With DTL1, places in the city will become more
accessible than ever. Areas like Telok Ayer and the
Marina Bay financial district would have an MRT station
at their doorstep. Commuters would be able to travel
directly from Bugis to Chinatown without transferring,
making it even easier to eat, shop and work in the City.
Together with the other rail lines envisioned in the Land
Transport Master Plan by 2020, the DTL will help to
achieve LTA’s vision for commuters within the Central
Area to be able to access an MRT station within a five
minute walk, on average.
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Cyclists:
Dismount And Push
When a cyclist reaches a zebra crossing, he should
not ride straight across.
Instead, he should get off his bike and ‘walk’ it to the
other side of the road.
As a reminder to the many cyclists who may not be
aware of this or neglect to do so, and who may be
putting themselves in danger, the LTA is putting in
new road markings at four zebra crossings
in Tampines.
1-2 Road markings to remind cyclists to dismount at zebra crossings.
They are located at: Tampines Avenue 2 (Street 23),
Tampines Street 22 (Blk 273), Tampines Street 22
(Blk 282) and Tampines Avenue 4 / Avenue 5.
Tampines is Singapore’s first cycling town, and many
residents choose to get around by cycling on the
widened pathways and clearly-marked cycling paths.
After the trial period of three months, the LTA may
introduce it at more zebra crossings around
Singapore if the markings prove to be effective.
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Cameras Monitor
Illegal Parking
In order to deter illegal parking, the LTA is installing Close
Circuit Television Cameras (CCTVs) at 30 selected locations
island-wide.
The CCTVs – will operate round-the-clock and record
footage of vehicles which park illegally at these places.
These locations are where many flout the parking rules, and
which may then impede the smooth flow of public buses, or
which cause traffic jams or compromise safety.
The cameras proved to be a successful deterrent
following a trial along Beach Road in front of the Golden
Mile Complex, and Marine Parade Central in front of the
Parkway Parade Shopping Centre.
The list of the 30 locations selected for installation
of CCTVs is available on the LTA’s website.
Installation of these cameras will start from the second
quarter of 2013, and all the cameras will be up by 2014.
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Lamp post sign informing road users that the area is monitored by CCTV.
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School Children Learn About
Singapore Transport
The LTA is partnering the Ministry of Education (MOE) to bring to life what
Primary 3 school children will learn about the transport system in Singapore.
CREDIT | Marshall Cavendish, ISBN 978-98101-1659-0
As part of their social studies classes, Primary 3 pupils
in Singapore schools are being given a book called
“Getting Around” developed by MOE with inputs
from LTA.
LTA also conducted a teacher training workshop
incorporating the gallery tour using an in-house
designed teacher’s booklet adapted from the MOE
Teacher’s package.
It covers the history of land transport in Singapore and
the challenges of meeting transport needs in a landscarce country.
As part of school’s plans to bring their nine-year-olds
on fun learning excursions outside of school, teachers
are encouraged to bring them to the LTA’s Land
Transport Gallery.
The book is one in a series of six social studies books
which cover other topics like water, conservation, land
use and housing.
The collaboration does not stop at the books.
The gallery, which was opened in 2008, offers these
pupils an interactive and fun learning experience as
they learn about transport.
Connect is a bi-monthly newsletter of the Land Transport Authority. All rights reserved. © 2013
Please contact Connect Editor regarding permission to reproduce any material within. ISSN:1793-4931
Managing Editor: Sharon Lok ([email protected]) Editor: Lim Si Ting ([email protected]) Editorial Assistant: Lim Shi Jie ([email protected])
Corporate Communications Group