Today, I went to Kaki Bukit MRT Station, to visit the
neighborhood where I had been for as long as I have lived.
To be honest, Kaki Bukit Station is not within walking distance
from Telok Kurau, for an average person; young man still can, but
it may be a torture for the elderly to walk about 400m between Kaki
Bukit MRT Station and their house at Bedok Reservoir Road.
Nonetheless, I gotta say that the distance is about the same as
walking from Telok Kurau area to the market at Eunos CC.
I hardly went to the POSB atm where Kaki Bukit MRT Station is
located, so I wasn’t expecting the distance to be “exceptionally
long” to walk from Kaki Bukit Station to Bedok Reservoir Road. But
the distance may be as long as the distance to the market.
Forget about Bedok North Station. Although the banner at Eunos
CC says that it’s near Eunos CC, it’s actually tucked at one corner
of a housing estate, further away than the market from Telok Kurau
area.
Anyway, as a person who grow up at Telok Kurau and have all
these while travelled there via the East West Line or taxi,
traveling to that place on the Downtown Line via Kaki Bukit Station
is really a milestone.
When I first step out of the train, I looked at the locality map
and saw my relative’s flat, at the top corner of the map. It’s
really remarkable.
Unfortunately, there was no bus to Bedok Reservoir Road.
Meanwhile, the PAP grassroots people still can hang a banner at
Bedok Reservoir Road to advertise the new bus service 137, when the
bus route does not serve that area. What is this suppose to mean?
To make the people regret for not voting for the PAP is it?
Seriously, I feel that they have politicized the situation at
the wrong time... The MRT is supposed to be for everyone.
Nonetheless, I feel that in terms of connectivity, the DTL3 is
not primarily meant for the residents of Bedok, but more for the
industrial area above it which has limited access to the East West
Line and North East Line.
After all, Paya Lebar is a relatively large area. The Bedok
Reservoir Road area already have the East West Line. Although there
may not be connection to the Downtown Line, at least one can expect
the East West Line to be less crowded...
Which leads me to the next point. On my way back home, I took
the East West Line. The train is still crowded.
Apparently, the DTL3 has limited effectiveness on the current
coverage, but rather, it is meant for the future developments in
the corridors that it serve.
Notice at many stations, it’s mostly a greenfield site? Yeah.
That’s what I mean. The DTL3 is meant for the future, unlike DTL2
which runs on a relatively built-up area of Bukit Timah and Bukit
Panjang, that’s why it was effective in alleviating the crowding
level on the western section of East West Line (as of 2016 when it
just opened)... so the impact on the Eastern section of the East
West Line is minimal.
But well, 儿孙自有儿孙福。Every line has its pros and cons.
Thank you LTA for developing the Downtown Line. DTL3 may not be
useful now, but I’m sure it will realise it’s potential in the long
run.
Congratulations Tampines residents and Bedok... and... never
mind....
Congratulations Tampines residents on the opening of the
Downtown Line.
Wonder why u change ur username like frm Burger to Borger or wtv
lol
Anyways i would agree with u that there might be some
political agendas behind this 137 route. It rly is too ridiculously
winding when the two endpoints are relatively nearby. I dare say
these kind of absurd things have slowly been popping out more often
than last time ever since this BSEP and GCM thingy kicked in.