SINGAPORE - The overall waiting time on the North-South and East-West MRT lines during the peak is now 2.3 minutes, down from 2.5 in January.

More details were revealed in a statement released today by the Land Transport Authority (LTA):

Shorter Waits with More Train Trips

MRT commuters can now expect shorter waiting times for trains, especially during off-peak periods. More trains and train trips have been progressively deployed for the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) over the year during the off-peak period.

In 2014, a total of 13 new trains were added to the NSEWL, increasing the train fleet from 128 to 141. The addition of these new trains has allowed older trains to be taken off from operational service for resignalling upgrading works.

The overall average peak wait for NSEWL now stands at 2.3 minutes, from 2.5 minutes in January 2014, an overall improvement of 8 per cent. SMRT has also reduced off-peak headway to between 4 and 5 minutes except when trains have to be withdrawn due to maintenance activities.

In total, about 400 or 5 per cent of the weekly train trips have been improved on the NSEWL, compared to 2013.

For the North East Line (NEL), SBST has deployed more NEL train trips during the heaviest evening peak period since July 2014. This has improved headway to 2.7 minutes from 3 minutes previously.

Three more trains have also been deployed during off-peak periods since January 2014 so that the off-peak headway is not more than 5 minutes except when trains have to be withdrawn due to maintenance activities.

In summary, NEL has added about 400 or close to 14 per cent more weekly train trips since January 2014. There will be further improvements in morning peak headways as new trains are delivered from 2015 to 2016.

For the Circle Line (CCL), over 390, or 8.4 per cent more weekly trips have been added since January 2014, reducing off-peak wait times to between 5 and 6 minutes.

Peak headways are maintained at 3.5 minutes. This will improve as new trains are delivered from 2015 to 2016.

With more trains added to the MRT network over the next few years, commuters can look forward to more train trips throughout the day, shorter waiting time and more comfortable journeys.

Having trouble connecting to the Web through cellular networks with your phone or tablet while travelling on public buses? Another way to hook up on the go is in the pipeline.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is looking into providing Wi-Fi access on buses, as well as at bus interchanges.

This was revealed by Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim. He announced this while replying to MP Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC), who had asked if the free Wi-Fi service WiFi@MRT would be extended to Khatib MRT station.

Since the Wi-Fi service was launched at City Hall, Orchard and Raffles Place MRT stations in August, more than 145,000 commuters have used it.

Some 20 MRT stations, including those on the North-East Line, will get Wi-Fi access progressively over the next few months.

Noting that the service was rolled out on a trial basis, Associate Professor Faishal yesterday said MRT interchanges that see a high volume of commuters would be given priority, and that the service would be available at Khatib Station by next year.

If the trial is successful and well-received by people, the service would be rolled out at other MRT stations too, he added.

The LTA is also developing a system that will relay real-time information between buses and bus stops, so commuters can get more information while they are travelling.

The central bus management system will be implemented progressively from the end of next year and will be completed in 2017, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo in Parliament yesterday.

She was responding to Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam, who had asked whether the LTA will consider using technology on buses and at bus stops to help visually impaired commuters travel more independently and safely.

Mrs Teo said of the new system: "We will have announcements of the next bus stop, for example, broadcast on buses, or delivered in a more targeted way through smartphone applications and other devices."

Full-time students also have reason to cheer.

The Public Transport Council has asked public transport operators to consider extending student concessions to all full-time students in universities, polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education, even if they are receiving some form of income.

Mrs Teo said that the operators are considering the request.

She was responding to MP Baey Yam Keng (Tampines GRC), who had asked why students receiving allowances from organisations are ineligible for the Tertiary Student Concession Card.

Mrs Teo said: "Students who are receiving some form of income, for example, from companies which employ them, have traditionally been deemed to be financially independent and hence not eligible for student concession."

But she added that the council has asked operators to consider extending these concessions to students receiving some form of income, as the "numbers are not large, and the distinction between them and other students who are receiving scholarships or bursary assistance is not always clear".

Before this, the council and operators have been "judicious" about who should get to enjoy concessions, as these are cross-subsidised by other commuters, she explained.

yeosamjo@sph.com.sg

Get MyPaper for more stories.

SINGAPORE - SMRT has defended its staff's actions during an overcrowding incident at Lakeside station on Tuesday, The Straits Times reported.

The paper quoted SMRT's vice president of corporate information and communications Patrick Nathan as saying that employees were deployed to stop commuters from using the escalator at the station which was packed due to train delays.

There were also staff helping to disperse and manage the crowd at the platform, Mr Nathan told The Straits Times.

A video of the incident, titled "Human Tetris on MRT Platform", was uploaded publicly onto Facebook by user Joel Rasis on Wednesday. The clip was also submitted to citizen journalism website Stomp by the commuter.

He had told Stomp that he had experienced a train delay of about 20 minutes on the day of the incident while on his way to work at about 7.40am.

He said: "What happened was commuters were instructed to get off the train and at the very same time, a new batch of commuters were heading to the platform on the escalator.

"At one point, commuters were all squashed up against each other while on the escalator up. There was basically no more space on the platform.

"I feel that the MRT staff below should have informed the commuters who were coming up."

In response to the video, Mr Nathan told The Strais Times that "it also shows station staff stopping more commuters from getting onto the escalator, and the escalator was stopped shortly after."

Four of the six fare gates were also closed to reduce the number of commuters entering the station, he said.

He added: "Our station staff are trained to manage crowding at platforms and have commuters' safety as their top priority."

huizhen@sph.com.sg

The most challenging portion of building the new MRT Downtown Line 3, which involved the diversion of the Singapore River - not once but twice - is almost over.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said tunnelling under the river between the Chinatown and Bencoolen stations will be completed by year end. Work to reinstate the original flow of the waterway should finish by next year.

Downtown Line 3 will link Chinatown to Changi by 2017.

The task of diverting the river began over two years ago, when a part of it near Riverside Point was rechannelled. This involved demolishing parts of the old river embankment while building a series of dams, hardening the soil for tunnelling, and excavating a new canal 40m wide, 100m long and 7m deep. The redirected river came within half a car's length of the ceiling of the Central Expressway (CTE) tunnel nearby.

Asked if this caused any sleepless night, LTA project director Chang Kin Boon said: "We are engineers. This is what we do.

"We looked at all the risks, from start to end. And every part of the project was well executed."

Mr Chang said none of the 200 monitors installed in the CTE to detect structural movements had triggered an alarm. The unusual construction method was necessary because the proximity of the CTE ruled out other methods.

The river had to be reinstated to its original path as a plot on its west bank - through which the redirected river flowed - was set for redevelopment. "It was a very tedious process," Mr Chang said. "But I think it's worth it."

Downtown Line 3, which connects towns like Kallang Bahru, Aljunied, Bedok and Tampines, is part of an ambitious race to double the rail network to 360km by 2030 after a building lull in the early noughties. Downtown Line 3 tunnelling is close to 90 per cent done, while stations are close to 75 per cent completed.

Downtown Line 2, linking Bukit Panjang to Rochor, is slated for completion by the first quarter of 2016. Civil works are completed, and electrical and mechanical works have commenced.

Elsewhere, the Tuas West Extension, which brings the East-West line close to the Second Link, is fast taking shape. It will be Singapore's first two-tier viaduct when it is up by 2016, with trains on the upper deck, and road vehicles on the lower.

Civil works have also commenced on the northern stretch of the Thomson-East Coast Line linking Woodlands in the north to Marina Bay in the south, before turning east towards Sungei Bedok.

It will open in stages from 2019 to 2024, and will eventually link up to Johor Baru. Construction for the East Coast stretch of the line will start in 2016.

Other lines such as the 50km Cross Island Line (linking Changi to Jurong), 20km Jurong Region Line to serve Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay and Tengah, and Circle Line 6 (which will make the Circle Line a complete loop) are in the advanced stages of planning.

Mr Derek McCully, managing director of Aston Martin Lagonda (SEA), said he is looking forward to the completion of the Tuas West Extension. "One of the stations is barely 50m from our facility," he said, referring to his showroom-cum-workshop in Tuas Basin Link. "It will improve accessibility and it'd be great for our employees."

The next new line to open is the North-South Line extension to Marina South. It will bring Singapore's oldest line farther south to Marina South Pier, and should open by next month.

christan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Oct 29, 2014.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

She was recently spotted on an MRT train with a sign that said, "Please wake me up at Sengkang, thank you", drawing both praise and criticism from netizens.

Now, Tan Zi Hui, 20, explained that she did it because she has been oversleeping on the train and missing her stops.

A photo of Ms Tan and her sign was posted on citizen-journalism site Stomp on Tuesday. Her sign even had a side note which said: "If you want to Stomp just Stomp, I'm too sleepy."

The Stomp post garnered more than 31,000 views as of 7.30pm yesterday. Some netizens said she was a "genius" and that she was "thinking out of the box", while others thought she had taken a reserved seat and should not have done so.

One netizen also found it hard to believe that Ms Tan could hold her sign in the position depicted in the photo.

Ms Tan, who graduated from a polytechnic half a year ago, has been working at a restaurant in the Tanjong Pagar area, Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday.

As she ends her work at around 11pm, she always has to hurry to catch the last train.

"Because of my work, every time I board the train, I'm overcome by weariness and fall asleep," she said.

But she has been missing her stop on three to four occasions recently, waking up only at the terminal station, Punggol. She then had to hail a taxi to get back to her home in Sengkang.

Her cab fare came up to about $10, which she thinks is a waste of money. She earns $8 an hour.

She decided to make a sign to ask other commuters to wake her up. "People in Japan have been doing what I did," said Ms Tan, who has been using her sign since Monday.

She managed to wake up in time on Monday to get off at her stop.

But on Tuesday, she would have missed it, if not for a man in his 40s who woke her up when the train was passing through Hougang.

Ms Tan's mother, a 40-year-old housewife, said the criticism that her daughter slept on a reserved seat was not fair.

"She boards the train at a very late hour. There aren't many people on the train, so she wouldn't have inconvenienced other commuters," she said.

Ms Tan added that it is easier to sleep at a corner seat. "But if someone really needs the seat, they can always wake me up."

"I don't think I did anything wrong, so I'll continue doing it," she said, adding that she will not need the sign at the end of the year as she will be switching to a workplace closer to home.

Get MyPaper for more stories.

SINGAPORE - An early assessment of the latest vandalism case at SMRT's Bishan depot points to disgruntled workers or vendors, even as the rail operator has said nothing is conclusive.

Findings, however, suggest that the vandal or vandals had more time to complete the deed than in May, when a vandalism incident also happened.

A photo of the vandalised train obtained by The Straits Times showed graffiti which was more elaborate, but it was similar to the May incident as it was stretched across two sets of train doors.

SINGAPORE - An early assessment of the latest vandalism case at SMRT's Bishan depot points to disgruntled workers or vendors, even as the rail operator has said nothing is conclusive.

Findings, however, suggest that the vandal or vandals had more time to complete the deed than in May, when a vandalism incident also happened.

A photo of the vandalised train obtained by The Straits Times showed graffiti which was more elaborate, but it was similar to the May incident as it was stretched across two sets of train doors.

There were two other reported cases of defaced trains here. In 2011, a hole was cut in the Bishan depot fence and the words "Jet Setter's" were spray-painted on a train. In 2010, two vandals cut through SMRT's Changi depot fence and spray-painted graffiti on a train.

One of the vandals, Swiss national Oliver Fricker, was caught. He is the only vandal caught so far in all four cases. He received seven months' jail and three strokes of the cane.

This year's two incidents took place despite SMRT having upped security by installing more cameras, more lights, motion sensors along its perimeter fencing and deploying guards from third-party vendors.

The Land Transport Authority said security threats continue to evolve, and agencies will continue to work to address security challenges faced.

A source with intimate knowledge of SMRT's security measures said of the latest case: "It is most likely an inside job. Whoever did it is very daring, very foolish or desperate, because they will be jailed and caned if they're caught."

But he added there was still a slight possibility that it was the work of intruders, as the Bishan depot perimeter is 6.5km long.

"It may take some time for them to examine it closely to determine if there had been any breach," he said.

SMRT said it was too early to conclude that the latest case was the work of disgruntled employees. Group spokesman Patrick Nathan said that an internal survey last year found that 82 per cent of employees were "sustainably engaged". About 90 per cent said that they were "proud" to work at SMRT.

The head of the Master of Counselling programme at SIM University, Joel Yang, said that vandals have various motivations, including anger, frustration and vengeance.

"These theoretical overviews suggest that vandalism in general is motivated by negative feelings," he said. "However, other studies have also shown that vandalism can be motivated by curiosity, playfulness and pleasure."

christan@sph.com.sg

Get MyPaper for more stories.

TAIPEI - Passenger volume on the Taipei MRT registered a major increase yesterday as the new Songshan-Xindian Line began services.

The Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. (TRTC), which manages the MRT, said the entire system recorded a volume of about 890,000 passengers as of 3pm, approximately 55,000 more than the average for Saturdays in October.

Passengers riding from Ximen to Songshan - the completely new stretch along route - totaled 143,000 as of 3 pm, the TRTC said.

The new line was formed by rerouting trains from Xindian - previously running to Tamsui - to the new stretch that heads for Sonshang Station, which serves both MRT and Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) trains.

Many passengers said the new line offered much convenience, saving much time from changing trains between different lines.

But there were some complaints about confusing directions inside the stations connecting with other lines of the MRT system.

The TRCT offers free rides along the new stretch until Dec 14, which is meant to allow passengers to better understand the route changes of the system. Stations along the other stretched affected by the route changes will also enjoy a 30-per cent fare discount until Dec 14, the company said.

The TRCT also suggested commuters try the new line during the weekend to avoid getting lost when they go to work by MRT tomorrow.

Department stores located near the stations along the new line said they saw significant increases in customer traffic as they arranged promotional activities - such as discounts, concerts and photo shoots with Santa Claus - to take advantage of the public's interests in the new route on its first day of services.

Citylink, a department store at Songshan Station, expected customer traffic to grow by 40 per cent for the day, a company executive was cited by the Central News Agency as saying.

Shin Kong Mitsukoshi's store at Zhongshan Station said customer traffic would increase by about 20 per cent for the day, according to CNA.

While the new line offers more convenience for commuters and shoppers, and increases business opportunities for shops in the neighborhood, property prices in areas along the route have been rising, real estate agents said.

Property prices in the areas near the Songjiang-Nanjing, Nanjing-Fuxing, Taipei Arena and Nanjing-Sanmin Stations are the highest along the line, topping NT$800,000 (S$33,770) per ping (36 square feet) the agents said.

And the Songjiang-Nanjing area is probably the most expensive of all, with property prices reaching as high as NT$865,000 per ping, an agent with the Yungching Real Estate was cited by CNA as saying.

Property prices in areas along the Xinyi-Tamsui Line have also soared, reaching almost NT$1 million per ping since it began services last year, real estate agents said.

The new line runs between Xindian and Songshan with a total of 19 stations (including the two terminals). It is connected to all other lines at a number of stations.

Passengers who were able to travel from Xindian directly Tamsui will now have to change trains at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station. If they miss the stop, they can still change trains for Tamsui at the Zhongshan Station.

SINGAPORE - The new Marina South Pier MRT station along the North-South Line will open for passenger service on Sunday after three months of train testing, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a statement today.

It will serve commuters travelling to and from the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore, Marina South Pier and Marina Bay Downtown area.

Train service to the station will run at eight to 12-minute intervals during peak hours on weekday mornings.

This works out to one in every four southbound trains proceeding to Marina South Pier station. The other three trains will turn around at Marina Bay station so that commuters on the more crowded stretches of the North-South Line can enjoy shorter train headways, the LTA said.

At other times, including on weekends and public holidays, train services to Marina South Pier station will run at 15-minute intervals.

The LTA said it will work with operator SMRT to improve train frequencies at times when the station receives more passengers, such as when cruise ships call at the cruise centre during off-peak periods or during the annual Kusu pilgrimage season.

The two will also work on reviewing train operations in the future based on the ridership for the station and developments near the station.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - Four men were filmed outrunning an MRT train in a relay from Little India to Farrer Park station along the North East Line on Oct 14.

A video of the race was uploaded onto YouTube on Nov 13.

According to the clip, the men had to be faster than 2mins 3secs to catch the train at its next stop from Little India station.

SINGAPORE - Four men were filmed outrunning an MRT train in a relay from Little India to Farrer Park station along the North East Line on Oct 14.

A video of the race was uploaded onto YouTube on Nov 13.

According to the clip, the men had to be faster than 2mins 3secs to catch the train at its next stop from Little India station.

Each of their runs was filmed with a GoPro camera strapped on to their heads. A recording showing the train journey took place simultaneously, while video cameras stationed at the baton-passing points captured the progress of the race.

Google Maps shows the walking distance between the two stations as approximately 850m via Race Course Road.

The last runner was passed the baton at Farrer Park station. He managed to enter the same train cabin as where the first runner alighted just before the doors closed.

The video caption on YouTube names the runners as Lance Tan, Banjamin Quek Wei Jian, Philip Ramachandran and Raviin Muthu.

The challenge is similar to a race completed by James Heptonstall in London a few months ago. He sprinted 380m from Mansion House to Cannon Street station in 1min 18secs.

Watch the video on the next page.

The video uploaded onto YouTube on Nov 13:

SINGAPORE - It would take more than just improvements in infrastructure for the public transport system to be truly elder-friendly, say social groups.

Apart from upgrading facilities, making navigation simpler and educating staff about seniors' needs could help the elderly feel more at ease with using public transport.

Bus-stop seats could be fitted with arm rests, suggested Ms Chua Hui Keng, a care manager with the Hua Mei Centre for Successful Ageing's care management service. The arm rests would help elderly commuters get up from their seats more easily.

Other ideas include providing grab bars along sheltered walkways and having all announcements on the MRT made in the four official languages. Some said they would like to see larger fonts being used on the maps, posters and signs at bus stops and in buses.

Last Saturday, Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo said Singapore will soon have a comprehensive plan to make public transport facilities more senior-friendly.

This could include having more anti-slip flooring, and more seats at bus stops and train stations. Details are likely to be announced during the Committee of Supply debate next year.

While these physical improvements would help elderly commuters, some people indicated that it is also important to make sure service personnel are aware of the challenges certain seniors face, such as a difficulty in walking or keeping their balance.

Improving the "heartware" aspect is as important, said Ms Chua.

One gripe that retired human resource manager Soh Swee Kiat has is that bus drivers are not always aware of what their older passengers need.

"In the new buses, the brake system is very strong and there is a lot of jerking," said the 66-year-old. "A number of times, the bus also started to move off before I could get to my seat."

Navigation is another area where seniors face difficulties. "Many are afraid that they will get lost, and they tend to stick to familiar things and familiar routes," said Mr Isaiah Chng, director of social enterprise Proage, which promotes active ageing.

Ms Julia Lee, director of Touch Seniors Activity Centre, said: "The elderly are generally afraid of taking public transport unless it is necessary, as most of their familiar landmarks are gone and they have difficulty with spatial orientation as they age."

Said 79-year-old retiree Ou Mei Zhu, in Mandarin: "I take public transport a lot, but mostly only to Jurong because my daughter lives there, or to Changi Airport because I have a direct bus. But if you asked me to go to Suntec City by myself, I would get lost. It's too complicated."

This article was first published on November 18, 2014.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE - The new Marina South Pier MRT Station will open for operations tomorrow (Nov 23), The Straits Times reported.

Speaking at the station's opening ceremony today, Transport Minister Mr Lui Tuck Yew said that the newest station on the North-South Line (NSL) would serve passengers going to the Marina South Pier and the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, as well as families going to Marina South on weekends to enjoy the Singapore skyline.

"Come 2021, the vicinity around Marina South Pier Station will be complemented by three stations on the Thomson-East Coast Line: Gardens by the Bay, Marina South and an interchange station at Marina Bay," he said.

Mr Lui also said that construction works on the Downtown Lines 2 and 3 are progressing well, and that tenders for remaining stretches of the Thomson-East Coast Line are expected to be called next year.

"We are steadily expanding our rail network to put eight in 10 households within a 10-minute walk to a station," he said.

It was previously reported that train services to the station will run at eight to 12-minute intervals during peak hours on weekday mornings, which means one in every four southbound trains will proceed to Marina South Pier station. The other three trains will turn around at Marina Bay station so that commuters on more crowded stretches of the North-South Line can enjoy shorter train headways.

At other times, including weekends and public holidays, trains to Marina South Pier station will run at 15-minute intervals.

seanyap@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - Train commuters can look forward to shorter waiting times during peak hours and fewer disruptions from as early as next year.

That is when the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is expected to complete an ongoing review and announce higher standards that rail operators have to meet.

Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew revealed yesterday that the review was under way when he opened the Marina South Pier MRT station, the southernmost stop on the North-South MRT Line and part of a $357.5 million 1km extension.

He explained that the review was prompted by "more new trains coming into the system, and the completion of (rail) projects from 2016". During the Budget debate this year, he announced that 83 new trains will be progressively added to the various MRT lines to boost capacity.

The standards for rail operators SMRT and SBS Transit were last tightened in January last year. Currently, they have to keep trains running at frequencies of two to three minutes during peak hours.

"In the coming years, commuters can expect to see newer trains, better frequencies and faster speeds," said Mr Lui yesterday, three days after the Public Transport Council revealed that it has started its annual fare review.

In his speech, he outlined the progress made in improving the MRT network, saying the rail network had expanded by about 25 per cent in the past four years.

The expansion will continue with the construction of the Downtown and Thomson-East Coast lines.

Mr Lui also said reliability has improved, with fewer train delays of five minutes or more. There have been 1.2 delays per 100,000km on the North-South and East-West lines so far this year, down from 2.3 delays last year.

These lines can expect "significant" improvements in train frequencies after an upgrade to the signalling system is progressively completed in 2016 and 2018, he added.

Member of Parliament Cedric Foo, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, believes the review is timely. "Still, these new standards must be realistic. Otherwise the operators will throw up their hands and say this is unachievable."

Businesses in the vicinity of the new station, which will start serving visitors to both the pier and Marina Bay Cruise Centre from this morning, are hoping it will bring a boost. "Few people come to this area now because of the inconvenience," said Mr Akbar Ali, who owns a money changer at the Marina South Pier. "Hopefully the new station will bring more visitors."

tohyc@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on November 23, 2014.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

PETALING JAYA - Mass Rapid Transit Corpo­ration Sdn Bhd has finalised names for the 31 MRT stations located on the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line, also known as Line 1.

"The name changes are to better reflect the locality of the station," MRT Corp CEO Datuk Wira Azhar Abdul Hamid said in a press briefing here yesterday.

Citing the Titiwangsa monorail station built more than a decade ago as an example, Azhar said it was actually in the vicinity of the Pekeliling flats and bus stand, rather than Titiwangsa per se.

"We want to avoid this situation from recurring. A commuter should know where he is when he arrives at any MRT station, and this is why we have tweaked the provisional station names," Azhar said, adding that the Prime Minister had personally approved the final list.

"He made one or two changes after we presented our proposal to him," said Azhar, who was probably holding his final press confe­rence as MRT Corp CEO as he will be stepping down on Dec 21.

A MRT Corp official confirmed the new CEO would be announced by early next January.

Azhar also defended MRT Corp's decision not to hold a public contest to name the stations, saying that all would like to see their own choices picked, making a satisfactory conclusion impossible.

Major changes include naming the Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh station (next to the Sungai Buloh station) as Kampung Selamat.

Kwasa Land, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Employees Provident Fund, is set to gain further prominence as the Kota Damansara and Taman Industri Sungai Buloh stations will be named Kwasa Damansara and Kwasa Sentral respectively.

The KL Sentral station will be named Muzium Negara, as the footprint of the station is actually at the door of the National Museum, while the Tun Razak Exchange will be the final name for the interchange station formerly known as Pasar Rakyat.

Plaza Phoenix will be called Taman Connaught, which was also announced as a future interchange station between Line 1 and the proposed Line 2.

"We decided to drop the name Plaza Phoenix as there is no guarantee that the building would not be sold and renamed by the new owner.

"We took all these factors into consideration in coming up with this final list," said Azhar.

SINGAPORE - London mayor Boris Johnson took the MRT train to meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana today.

According to Reuters, Mr Johnson boarded at Bayfront station, which is on the Circle Line, and sat beside two Japanese tourists. The nearest MRT station to the Istana would be Dhoby Ghaut, four stops away, on the North-South Line.

The mayor tweeted a photo of his ride, calling the MRT system "Singapore's gleaming tube".

He arrived in the Republic yesterday for a three-day official visit. He will call on the Land Transport Authority and visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens, among other programmes, the British High Commission Singapore said.

He met PM Lee for a "discussion on trade, Europe and opportunities for growth between London and the UK and Singapore" and attended a FinTech event at the ArtScience Museum today.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - A glass window on a train travelling from City Hall to Bugis MRT station shattered last Saturday evening, at around 7.15pm.

According to Shin Min Daily News, a netizen told reporters that a loud noise was heard from the cabin, before the glass window shattered in the matter of seconds.

A photo he took shows the damage on the glass door, forming an image that resembled a spider web.

From the same picture, a woman in red can be seen grabbing her belongings and jumping out of her seat.

Another female commuter looking shocked can be observed through the reflection on the glass.

However, a woman in the next train compartment seemed oblivious to the commotion and remained engrossed in her phone.

Visit STOMP for more stories.

SINGAPORE - SMRT train services will start as early as 2.30am on Sunday in view of the Standard Chartered Marathon 2014. The event is scheduled to begin at 5am.

On the North-South Line, the first north-bound train will depart Marina Bay station at 3.30am, while the first south-bound train will depart Jurong East station at 2.45am.

On the East-West Line, the first east-bound train will depart Joo Koon station at 2.30am, while the first west-bound train will depart Pasir Ris station at 3am.

On the Circle Line, the first inner-bound train will depart Dhoby Ghaut station at 3am, while the first outer-bound train will depart HarbourFront station at 2.45am.

Service A from Senja station on the Bukit Panjang LRT line will start at 2.30am.

The extended operating hours do not apply to Expo, Changi Airport, Bayfront, Marina Bay (on the Circle Line) and Marina South Pier stations, SMRT said.

The public transport operator added that routes for bus services 61, 75, 77, 106, 167, 171, 190, 700A, 851, 960, 961 and 970 will be diverted in the city area between 1am and 3.30pm due to road closures.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - Announcements by an SMRT train driver with a BBC-like accent caught commuters by surprise this week.

Commuter Laurane Lim shared the audio clip with Yahoo Singapore, and it promptly went viral.

Instead of the mechanical announcements drivers make, this one on a train heading towards Jurong East on the North-south Line in the morning peak on Thursday sounded like it came from a newscaster. A comical one, at that.

"If you're planning to leave anything behind, please make sure it's something I can either use or sell," he said with wry humour. "Otherwise, please remember to take all your belongings with you."

He didn't stop there.

"Since it's a Thursday today, what you do today will determine whether tomorrow will be a 'thank goodness it's Friday' or 'oh goodness, it's Friday'," he advised.

Operator SMRT insists the announcements - executed with perfect diction - were 'live' and not pre-recorded.

Spokesman Patrick Nathan said: "We are encouraging our train captains to be more spontaneous in their announcements, adding that human touch to the prepared messages that we have been using."

The articulate driver was not immediately available for comment. Mr Nathan said he might be available next week (perhaps for tea and crumpets).

SMRT has apparently taken a leaf from London Underground, where train drivers are known to make announcements in a tongue-in-cheek fashion to lighten the atmosphere in often crowded, stifling carriages.

Examples include: "Beggars are operating on this train, please do not encourage these professional beggars. If you have any spare change, please give it to a registered charity, failing that, give it to me.".

"To the gentleman wearing the long grey coat trying to get on the second carriage, what part of 'stand clear of the doors' don't you understand?"

At one station where a train was stationary for a long time: "Sorry for the delay ladies and gentlemen but there is a queue of trains ahead of us, so I have decided to wait here, because I'm sure you don't want to sit in a tunnel getting hot and sweaty."

This article was first published on December 5, 2014.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

SINGAPORE - Free WiFi access is now available at selected platforms of Bishan, Dhoby Ghaut and Outram Park stations, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said today.

In its Rail Report which provides an update on Singapore's MRT network, LTA also revealed that WiFi connection will be available on all platforms at these stations by mid-2015.

Free WiFi access will also be made available at all stations on the North East Line (NEL) and 12 other stations by the end of 2015. The 12 additional stations on the North-South Line (NSL) and East-West Line (EWL) are Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Batok, Buona Vista, Choa Chu Kang, Clementi, Eunos, Jurong East, Khatib, Paya Lebar, Sembawang and Yishun.

This is in addition to Raffles Place, City Hall and Orchard stations, which have already been equipped with free WiFi access from Aug 22 this year.

In the report, LTA also said that more trains will be added to existing MRT lines every year from 2015 to 2019.

The first of 18 new North East Line and 24 new Circle Line trains will be progressively put into service from mid-2015, while 57 new trains will be added to the North-South and East-West Lines from 2016.

Meanwhile, new station entrances, equipped with fare gates and ticketing machines will be constructred at Clementi, Commonwealth and Queenstown MRT stations by the middle of next year. Additional pedetrian link bridges linking the stations to pedestrian pavements will also be built.

Construction will also begin in 2015 on a new platform at Tanah Merah station, which will provide two tracks for trains heading to and from Changi Airport. This will reduce waiting times and enable faster travel to the Expo and Changi Airport stations, and is expected to be completed by 2024.

LTA also said that works to replace timber sleepers with concrete sleepters on the NSL and EWL are on track for completition by mid-2015 and end-2016 respectively. The signalling system on both lines to allow trains to run at shorter intervals will also be complete by 2016 and 2018 respectively.

According to LTA, construction works for the Downtown Line Stage 2 is also close to 90 per cent complete, and on schedule for completion by the first quarter of 2016. Four more stations on the EWL, and the new Canberra station on the NSL will also be added to the existing rail network.

The 31 stations on the new Thomson-East Coast Line will be completed in stages from 2019 to 2024, with work having commenced for service utilities and road diversions and piling works on the line's northern stretch.

With the completion of these upgrades in the coming years, "commuters can look forward to shorter waits and a less crowded and more comfortable journey," LTA concluded.

seanyap@sph.com.sg