Singapore Expands Train Capacity And Shortens Waiting Times
Construction on the Jurong East Modification Project (JEMP) at Jurong East Station is progressing well and works are on track to complete by 2011.
The JEMP, together with the 22 newly-purchased trains that will be introduced progressively into the North-South-East-West Line (NSEWL), will eventually expand the NSEWL’s passenger carrying capacity by about 15%.
Trains can then run more frequently during the peak periods and commuters can look forward to a shorter waiting time of between 2 to 3 minutes at the busiest stretches, compared to the current 2.5 to 4.5 minutes.
Turnout Installation and Service Disruption
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has completed the construction of the civil works for JEMP’s new viaducts. The next stage of works will involve installing the Eastbound (EB), Northbound (NB) and Southbound (SB) turnouts to connect the new tracks to the existing ones at three locations.
The installation of these turnouts will be a key milestone for the JEMP. It is a major and complex operation that requires the removal of 60 metres of the existing tracks per turnout and the subsequent insertion of the new turnout at each location.
The installation of each turnout will take slightly more than two days and during this period, the train services between (i) Jurong East and Clementi, and (ii) Jurong East and Bukit Batok Stations will have to be temporarily disrupted.
To minimise inconvenience to commuters, LTA has arranged for the turnouts to be installed over two weekends – 4 & 5 September and 18 & 19 September 2010. Train service will resume on the following Monday.
On 4 & 5 September, LTA will install the turnout on the EB track. During this period, only the train services between Jurong East and Clementi Stations will be disrupted. The North-South Line (NSL) services will not be affected.
On 18 & 19 September, LTA will install the turnouts on the NB and SB tracks. During this period, only the train services between Jurong East and Bukit Batok Stations will be disrupted. The East-West Line (EWL) services will not be affected.
In the first few days following the turnout installation, commuters may experience a slower train speed over the re-jointed stretches, as the system is tuned to its full performance capacity.
Alternative Transport Modes
The public is advised that there will not be any train services operating between Jurong East and Clementi Stations on 4 & 5 September, and between Jurong East and Bukit Batok Stations on 18 & 19 September.
LTA and SMRT will be providing free bus bridging services to ferry commuters between (i) Jurong East and Clementi Stations on the first weekend, and (ii) Jurong East and Bukit Batok Stations on the second. Commuters are advised to consider the additional time required for the transfer from train to the bridging bus and vice versa, when they plan their journeys.
As some commuters may wish to continue their journey by train during the two weekends by using the counter-bound train services, i.e. NSL on 4 & 5 September and EWL on 18 & 19 September, the NSEWL’s train frequency will be improved from the current 6 – 8 minutes to 4.5 minutes over the two weekends all day.
Commuters also have the option of using the existing public bus services which serve the area. LTA will closely monitor the ground situation, and work with SBS Transit and SMRT to beef up bus services serving the affected areas where necessary.
Please refer to Annex B for more information on the bus bridging services, and Annex C for the alternative transport modes and estimated travel time for popular origins and destinations.
Informing the Public
LTA has been working closely with grassroots leaders to inform the community and business owners in the affected areas so that they can plan their journeys early during the period of service disruption. Grassroots leaders, along with LTA and SMRT staff, will be distributing flyers at the affected stations a few days before the service disruption.
Messages on the service disruption dates and affected stations will also be broadcast over LTA Traffic News. Information is also available on the LTA corporate site (lta.gov.sg), PublicTransport@SG portal (publictransport.sg) and SMRT website (smrt.com.sg).
LTA and SMRT staff will also be at the affected stations to provide assistance to commuters during the two weekends.
Members of the public can also call the following hotlines for information and assistance:
- LTA 1800 – CALL LTA (1800 225 5582)
- SMRT at 1800 336 8900
Topics: 2010, Asia, commuters, construction, Governance, government, JEMP, Jurong East Station, Land Transport Authority, LTA, moniter, monitor, news, North South East West line, NSEWL, Pacific, passengers, Singapore, society, trains, urong East Modification Project
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