Tweaking transportation system to meet growth

Business Times - 09 Aug 2008

Tweaking transportation system to meet growth

By NISHA RAMCHANDANI

AS Singapore strives to position itself as both a business hub and a choice destination for business and leisure travellers, efforts are under way to improve its transportation systems as well as put in place the infrastructure needed.

Earlier this year, Transport Minister Raymond Lim announced an overhaul of the transport system over the next few years that will tackle some of the issues that commuters have been facing, such as long waits and over-crowding.

The various initiatives include the Land Transport Authority (LTA) adopting a centralised bus planning role from end-2009 as well as roads being improved to cope with the increase in traffic. For instance the Sentosa-Harbourfront area will be upgraded in anticipation of heavier usage once Resorts World at Sentosa and other developments in the area come onstream in 2010.

There is also $40 billion worth of rail projects in the pipeline between now and 2020. These include the Thomson Line, joining Woodlands to Marina Bay, and the Eastern Region Line, connecting Changi to Marina Bay via Marine Parade. Recent increases in Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges and wider ERP coverage are expected to ease traffic congestion.

Meanwhile, public transport operator SMRT added 83 train trips in February for peak-hour travel to cut down on waiting time and reduce passenger loads on MRTs, and a further 700 train trips weekly from May. SMRT also kicked off a $26 million bus upgrade programme in February, which will be carried out in phases over the next eight years. So far, 200 of over 700 buses have already been upgraded. Another 130 new buses will be added to SMRT's fleet to replace older buses and enhance customer service. As Singapore pushes for greater emphasis on the environment, this has been reflected through eco-friendly buses that are also wheelchair-friendly. Sixty six such buses, which comply with Euro V standards, will be seen on the roads by end 2008.

To promote energy-efficient vehicles and cleaner fuels, SMRT Taxis is adding new environment-friendly taxis to its fleet. The first compressed natural gas SMRT taxis are already in use, while the Euro IV Chrysler 300C will make its appearance from September.

These newer modes of eco-friendly transport 'meet the increasing service expectations of locals and rising tourist arrivals, especially with upcoming developments like the integrated resorts and events such as the Formula One,' said an SMRT spokesperson.

'Singapore has managed to mastermind a unique competitive advantage based on attracting foreign investments and establishing an excellent transport infrastructure,' she added. As such, 'Singaporeans and residents alike have an efficient, affordable and comfortable means of travel.'

Over two million passenger trips are made daily in Singapore across the SMRT network.

Where air transportation is concerned, Changi Airport has long been lauded as among the top airports in the world. Its newest terminal, Terminal 3 (T3), was built at a cost of $1.75 billion. The seven-storey T3 spans 380,000 square metres and will handle 22 million passengers a year, effectively raising Changi's total capacity to 70 million. Reports last month revealed that T3 has already handled over five million passengers since it opened in January.

Singapore Airlines was the first to make use of the new terminal, and was later joined by Jet Airways, China Eastern Airlines, Qatar Airways and United Airlines in March. T3 has 28 aerobridges - of which eight are for use by the jumbo Airbus A380 - and also boasts a high-speed inter-terminal baggage transfer system. Other features include a five-storey high vertical garden, about a hundred retail stores, cascading waterfalls and skylights.

While there are currently plans in the works for a fourth terminal to ensure that Changi's capacity is able to meet demand, it is likely to be up and running only by 2020. In addition, Changi Airport's first terminal, which started operations in 1981, is undergoing a $500 million upgrade - to improve services and facilities - that will be completed in 2011. Terminal 2 has already seen a $240 million makeover which took place last year. In March, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced that the budget terminal (BT) too will undergo expansion, increasing the terminal's handling capacity from the current 2.7 million passengers per year to seven million. In addition, floor area of the BT will increase by about 15 per cent.

For the first half of this year, LCCs such as Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia contributed about 11.5 per cent of passenger traffic in Changi Airport as well as 47 per cent of the net growth in traffic.

CAAS is sinking $10 million into the expansion works at the BT which will be completed by early 2009.

With such investment in infrastructure and the government's relentless efforts to tweak the transportation system, Singaporeans can heave a collective sigh of relief this National Day, knowing that they will not have to go through the hassle of gridlocked roads, and inefficient and ineffective public transport systems which are the bane to travel and transportation in many places elsewhere in the region.


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