Now that Cheongsam-wearing Lim Hwee Hua is practicing
her tai-chi outside of Parliament, we have a wider government role
in transport.
More rides ahead for commuters
SINGAPORE - The Government could take the lead in adding greater
capacity to the transport system, rather than leaving it solely to
the operators.
Speaking at the start of tunnelling work for Downtown Line 2 (DTL2)
at the Beauty World Station, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew
signalled that there could be a change in the Government's
approach.
Said Mr Lui: "My feel is that ... we probably are adding
capacity for trains and buses not ahead of demand, maybe not even
in tandem with demand. If left to the operators alone,
I think they will take a relatively cautious and gradual
process."
With the Government's involvement, "we can inject capacity in a
very timely fashion - particularly over the next three to four
years - before we see the materialisation of Downtown Lines 2 and 3
and future projects", said Mr Lui.
Ramping up the capacity for buses, in particular, is high on his
to-do list, as Mr Lui noted that rail projects have "very long"
gestation periods, given the complexities involved.
Mr Lui, who took on the portfolio following the unveiling of the
new Cabinet less than three weeks ago, pledged that the Government
will work more closely with operators to address bottlenecks in the
transportation network.
Mr Lui said there could be social costs if the capacity of
the public transport system is boosted. <what
does he mean by that?> A speedy measure to alleviate
transportation woes could include empty buses mid-stream on certain
routes, said Mr Lui.
Mr Lui, whose frequent journeys on buses and MRT trains had been
caught on camera and uploaded on the Internet, recalled that two
Fridays ago, he tried to take a bus during the evening peak hour
from the PSA Building.
A very crowded double-decker went by. The next bus, a
single-decker, was also very crowded, and he could not board.
"I decided ... to go to HarbourFront, took the North-East Line,
went to Dhoby Ghaut, took the Circle Line and reached Dakota where
I wanted to go to," he said.
Mr Lui also suggested that more extensive data mining from ez-link
cards, so that commuters can know if a bus is full or whether seats
are available.
"As a commuter, I would want to know when the bus is coming ... if
I can get onto the bus, and whether I can find a seat. We will work
with the operators and find ways to make this information available
and then you can make a more informed decision," he said.
Mr Lui also disclosed that the public transport operators have yet
to submit any proposals for an increase in fares.
The Public Transport Council has said earlier that adjustments, if
any, will come into effect at a later date - to coincide with the
opening of the last stage of the Circle Line this October.
Tunnelling work for the Downtown Line 2 (DTL2) of the Mass Rapid
Transit system started yesterday at Beauty World Station - another
significant milestone in the construction of the underground line,
according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Two tunnel-boring machines will carve out the 1km stretch from the
Beauty World Station to the King Albert Park Station as part of the
tunnelling process for the 16.6km DTL2. It will take about 18
months for work to be completed, with 19 machines being used
concurrently at different locations.
The LTA said the tunnelling will be one of the most challenging
phases in the construction of DTL2, due to the varied ground
conditions.
When the line is completed, likely by 2015, it will give commuters
greater accessibility to Bukit Timah and the city as well as the
rest of the island. With connections to existing rail networks
through three interchange stations, DTL2 is expected to improve
travel time by up to 30 per cent. Saifulbahri Ismail
