The feasibility of having an integrated public transport hub in
Bukit Panjang is currently being studied.
Should the study prove positive, residents in the area could see
the LRT station, bus interchange and the upcoming MRT station
located within easier walking distance.
Joanne Chan reports.
Commuters to and from Bukit Panjang will find the area more
accessible, once the Bukit Panjang MRT station is completed in
2015.
The station, which is the last stop on the Downtown Line, will
be located along Upper Bukit Timah Road and within walking distance
of the Bukit Panjang LRT station.
But some residents have complained that the current bus
interchange is located too far away from the MRT station, being 120
metres apart.
So, a study is underway to determine if the three transport
modes can be brought closer together.
Speaking to reporters after a community event, MP for
Holland-Bukit Panjang, Teo Ho Pin, said a solution could be to
relocate the existing bus interchange.
"One proposal which we have suggested to them (the authorities),
is to relocate our present bus interchange to in between the MRT
station and the LRT station. So they will be in straight line. Now
the other proposal will be a more challenging proposal, is to see
if we can do a vertical integration. Now that becomes more
difficult. That would entail relocating the LRT station, which is a
very massive exercise and very costly."
Dr Teo said that should the bus interchange be relocated,
commuters would only have to walk 70 metres end-to-end.
The plan is also to develop the facilities as a transport hub,
with sheltered walkways and lifestyle attractions.
Also providing more updates on the Bukit Panjang MRT station, Dr
Teo said there will be four exits.
"The first north-west exit will lead to Ten Mile Junction, the
other one will lead to a cluster called the 600 Series, it's the
Senja area. Then the South will be leading towards the Bukit
Panjang Plaza area, and one more is the Heavy Vehicle part, Indian
Temple area."
The Bukit Panjang MRT station will be located underground, and
its four exits will have barrier-free accessibility to assist
commuters with poor mobility.
--938Live