SINGAPORE: The Circle Line's capacity will be ramped
up by 60 per cent, with 24 more trains to be added progressively
from 2015.
This was announced by Transport Minister Lui Tuck
Yew who was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Tuas
West extension on Friday.
Construction to make it easier to commute to the
Tuas area has begun.
Four stations will be added to the East-West Line, starting from
Joo Koon Station.
They are: Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent, Tuas West Road and Tuas
Link.
There will also be a 26-hectare depot.
The Tuas West extension is expected to benefit more than 100,000
commuters daily. The four stations will be located close to offices
and factories to help reduce travelling time by up to 35 minutes
for many commuters.
Even as the rail network is being expanded, capacity will also be
improved in the coming years.
Twenty-four trains will be added into the Circle Line's
progressively from 2015, instead of the 16 previously
announced.
This will increase the Circle Line's capacity by 60 per cent.
During the ceremony, Mr Lui also said the government and train
operators will spare no effort in making the rail system more
reliable.
The transport minister noted the concerns over serious trains
disruptions in recent months.
He said SMRT will put in place a more robust system to anticipate
potential faults and vulnerabilities in the system.
On the recently-announced S$900 million plan to upgrade and renew
ageing assets, Mr Lui said two main components will contribute to
the costs.
One is replacing the sleepers of the track, while the other is
upgrading of the signalling system.
He said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT are in the
process of making sure that each party will pay a "fair share of
the costs".
Mr Lui said: Broadly speaking, I think the formulation is that
infrastructural works should come under the government and the
replacement of operating assets comes under the operator. There is
a formula on how to share the costs so what is happening now
between LTA and SMRT is that they are going to through the details
and making sure that each party is paying its fair share of the
costs."
On whether the costs will eventually be passed on to commuters as
higher fares, Mr Lui said fares are determined by the fare
adjustment formula, which is being reviewed.
Mr Lui said fares will not be adjusted this year while the review
is underway.
- CNA/fa