On Dec 28 last year, Miss Jacqueline Wong and her boyfriend, Mr Jonathan See, took a day off work to take the train.

It was no ordinary ride, but one that lasted all of 16 hours that day.

Starting at 6am from Joo Koon station, the couple made stops at all 146 MRT and LRT stations across Singapore.

At each stop, they got off the train and took a selfie.

That "extremely tiring" day was documented by Miss Wong, 25, in her blog. The post, titled Many Selfies, went on her blog on March 4 and has been making its rounds on social media sites.

"My friends said I must be mad. My sister was incredulous," the fun-loving blogger said, adding that she was inspired to do this after reading an online article of a couple who took 118 selfies at all the subway stations in Manhattan.

"I procrastinated a lot. It was only when I told my boyfriend about the challenge and he urged me to do it that it happened at all."

Miss Wong said she put off the idea for a few months after she read the article.

The couple spent only about an hour planning their route.

They managed to avoid the Central Business District's lunch crowds and also got free rides along the Downtown Line from Chinatown station to Downtown station.

In all, they spent less than $10 each on train fare.

Along the way, they took creative selfies to fit in with the name of the MRT station.

For example, at Pending station, Miss Wong looks annoyed as she checks her watch while Mr See, 26, looks irritated in the background.

At Buangkok station, the couple took a head-butting picture.

RUSH

"After every shot, we had to rush back into the train before it closed its doors," said Miss Wong.

"We entered another cabin after taking our selfie so the passengers wouldn't stare at us.

"It was very hectic. Once, Jonathan missed the train and I had to wait for him at the next stop."

The couple narrowly missed the train at Ten Mile Junction as well.

There, trains come only once every 20 minutes - something the couple learnt on that day.

Said Miss Wong: "We talked for the most part of the journey. It was like a typical date where we usually spend hours just talking.

"We spent our first date chatting non-stop for 12 hours."

They covered 118 subway stations in Manhattan

The couple who inspired Miss Jacqueline Wong and her boyfriend, Mr Jonathan See, to take selfies are college students James Doernberg and Kai Jordan.

They took nine hours to cover all 118 stations in Manhattan in New York City last year. They took 130 shots in total.

The couple told the Gothamist website how they came up with the idea.

Mr Doernberg, who is not from New York City, said: "The idea just came to me a few months ago. I was probably thinking about ways to make commuting fun/useful, or different records/accomplishments that I could do while in NYC.

"I mentioned the idea to Kai a few days ago and she latched onto it and thought it sounded really fun. And it was - the nine hours flew by.

"I planned the route out as we went and I was really worried that an inefficient route would take too long or stretch into two days. But everything fell into place pretty well."

Mr Doernberg said it was quite a challenge. They had to jump off the train, take the selfie and get back in before the doors closed.

When asked if they intended to take selfies at other subway networks, they said they were not sure but would discuss it.

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These days, there's one item I must have every time I ride the MRT: my earphones.

The music transports me to another world where I'm not in a crowded carriage, and where I'm not standing in the slightest sliver of space between two other strangers.

Thousands of others aren't happy with this new norm either, going by the latest commuter satisfaction survey results released last Tuesday.

Overall satisfaction with Singapore's public transport fell to 88.5 per cent last year, down by 0.3 percentage point from the year before.

This was the lowest since the survey began in 2006.

People were particularly dissatisfied with the waiting time, reliability and service of MRT trains. Satisfaction with the rail service dropped from 92.1 per cent in 2012 to 88.9 per cent last year.

Yet at the same time, the authorities have been going full steam ahead to fix the flaws in public transport, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew. Last Tuesday in Parliament, he gave an update on what has been done so far.

To increase rail capacity, 13 new trains are being added to the North-South and East-West lines this year. Four have already begun running.

To make trains more reliable, SMRT spent 65 per cent more on repair and maintenance in the past two years, while SBS Transit spent 35 per cent more.

The maximum penalty for poor service performance was also raised last month.

There have been some results: Trains were pulled out of service due to faults 25 per cent less frequently last year.

But this isn't translating into more happy commuters because the reality on the ground is very different.

My initial grudging acknowledgement of the Government's efforts vanished when I recalled the MRT trains I have boarded on weekends.

Two words: It's awful.

A crowded train makes misanthropes out of most people, let alone a train that's part of a system suffering unprecedented breakdowns.

So, excuse us beleaguered commuters if we remain unconvinced by the authorities.

First, every time a train breakdown happens, it inconveniences the commuter.

This experience speaks a thousand words, and louder, than policy announcements.

Also, even though the majority of commuters are not affected by disruptions as rail reliability is close to 99.95 per cent, news of it is jarring to other commuters.

These are what stick in our memory, not rides during which the MRT didn't break down. And only visible, sweeping improvements can change minds about the state of affairs.

But this will not be immediate because new trains take time to be delivered and new rail networks take time to be built.

Nine more new trains for the North-South and East-West lines will arrive and be put into service between now and the end of this year.

From next year, 42 new trains will be added to the North East and Circle lines. These will hopefully help with crowdedness and waiting times but not right away.

The five new rail lines to be built will also double Singapore's rail network to 360km - but this will happen only by 2030, not overnight.

Mr Lui himself said as much last Tuesday, calling the improvement works "a lengthy and painstaking journey", though overall trends show that the ministry is moving in the right direction.

Until then, commuters should be aware that the infrastructure improvements will take time, and until then, there isn't much to do but bear with it.

But why must we now accept these crowded conditions as the new normal? It's reasonable to expect higher standards for a basic amenity like public transport.

Not many can switch to driving or taking cabs, or drastically alter schedules to catch trains that are not crowded. Not to mention that public transport has to be a palatable option if the Government wants fewer people to drive.

As it stands, the current system still isn't good enough. Breakdowns aside, the crowdedness during peak hours makes rides uncomfortable for all, save the lucky few who are able to get seats.

And until the train system turns the corner, I'm investing in a good pair of earphones.

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Writer Charlotte Ashton should have just asked when she needed help, say four undergraduates from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Miss Atheena Amira Samsuri, 22, says the British woman went overboard when she said Singapore has a massive compassion deficit. "It's a generalisation of a nation and completely untrue to say Singapore lacks compassion," she says.

Her conviction stems from the results of social experiments her team conducted last month as part of their final-year project, The Ride Etiquette.

The others on the team are Miss Cynthia Soe Thiri Swe, 22; Miss Lim Woan, 23; and Miss Fadzeera Mohamad Fadzully, 22.

With the help of a pillow and some industrial tape, Miss Atheena posed as a pregnant woman taking the MRT train. To emphasise the "pregnancy" as she boarded the train, she stroked her belly and put her hands at her waist to support the "extra weight".

Eight out of 10 times, someone offered her a seat within seconds. And she did not need to ask.

An elderly man even got up and offered her the reserved seat, much to the embarrassment of the younger man beside him.

"The younger man looked like he wanted to offer his seat as well, but the older man had already done so. Throughout the rest of the ride, he was very awkward," says Miss Atheena.

Most of the time, it was the older generation who gave up their seats. In three instances, three people stood up at the same time and offered her their seats.

Their conclusion: Pregnant women don't need to worry about getting a seat.

What then of the experience of Ms Ashton when she was 10 weeks pregnant?

Worried she was going to faint on the MRT, the British woman "crouched to the floor" with her head in her hands and was "completely ignored, for the full 15 minutes it took to reach my station".

She shared her experience in a commentary published on the BBC website last week. It sparked discussions and prompted ministers to urge Singaporeans to reflect on what they can do to build a gracious society.

Miss Atheena, who takes public transport daily, says: "I think I know my country better. If you need help, just ask for it. Singaporeans may not look ready to help, but they will help.

"There are many incidents of people not giving up their seats. But there are many more incidents of people giving up their seats, just that no one talks about it."

She adds that the current trend is to focus on the negative rather than the positive.

That is why their project focuses on rewarding good behaviour rather than shaming those who do not respond.

Miss Soe expected just five out of 10 to offer a seat.

"It's a face-saving issue. People don't want to offer help and get rejected," says Miss Lim, adding that passengers may not have realised Ms Ashton was sick.

"When people don't know what's going on, they are less likely to offer help."

The team created posters. One reads: "It's not that we don't care, we just don't know. Please, tell us if you're pregnant."

The other posters feature perpetrators of the team's top five pet peeves, such as Pole-Dancing Pammy, Wide-Leg Wally and Funky Fred. (See images on facing page.)

Facebook user Sally Goh commented on the team's Facebook page: "Sometimes I just can't differentiate a pregnant woman at the early stage of pregnancy from one who is just bigger in size. I'm afraid I'd offend a woman if I give up my seat only to realise that she is not pregnant."

While it was the older generation who offered their seats, those in their 20s and 30s helped Miss Fadzeera retrieve her belongings in another social experiment.

She entered an MRT train on a weekday afternoon, heavily laden with papers and files. While standing in the middle of a carriage, she "tripped" and let her belongings fall across the floor.

Six out of 10 times, someone helped her to pick them up. But in one instance, two men in their 20s just sat in their seats and giggled at her plight.

In both experiments, commuters who responded positively were given stickers with the slogan "Thanks for not being a &#!$@%".

The group chose the topic of passenger courtesy because it is "where we want to see the most change".

"There are a lot of complaints online, and we feel it is a good time to address this problem," adds Miss Lim.

The posters were displayed at an art exhibition at The Substation last month.

Singapore Kindness Movement director-general William Wan said: "I like the posters. They are funny, creative, nonthreatening and make being kind and gracious fun."

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Writer Charlotte Ashton should have just asked when she needed help, say four undergraduates from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Miss Atheena Amira Samsuri, 22, says the British woman went overboard when she said Singapore has a massive compassion deficit. "It's a generalisation of a nation and completely untrue to say Singapore lacks compassion," she says.

Events in recent years have underscored the need for Singapore to ramp up its transport infrastructure, as well as to rejuvenate what has already been built.

Overcrowded trains and buses, long and unpredictable waiting times, and glitches in the rail system have been top grouses since as early as 2004.

It did not help that Singapore's population grew by more than 30 per cent in the last decade to hit 5.4 million last year. Public transport ridership soared by more than 50 per cent over the same period to 6.36 million trips a day.

Meanwhile, two major rail breakdowns in December 2011 brought into sharp focus the need for infrastructural upkeep on the back of fast-rising usage demand.

The Government has responded fairly swiftly. But experts say a sustainable solution to managing public transport demand also needs measures such as increasing flexi-work arrangements, telecommuting or decentralised office hubs.

On the capacity front, the Government is setting aside an estimated $2 billion to replace ageing parts in all the major rail lines together with rail operators.

It is also in the process of rolling out a bus service enhancement programme - likely to cost in excess of $1.1 billion - which will boost fleet size by 20 per cent.

And in January last year, it announced a slew of new lines that will grow Singapore's rail network to 360km - double its current length. This is on top of $60 billion of investments in place for ongoing projects such as the Downtown and Thomson lines.

In all, transport-related projects may cost more than $150 billion. This is more than 40 per cent of Singapore's total foreign reserves last year, and seven times the 20-year transport infrastructure spending envisioned by a White Paper released in 1996.

By any measure, it is a highly ambitious programme. The question is, will it be economically sustainable to go on ramping up capacity this way?

This is especially when capacity is often designed to cater to peak demand, which is usually less than two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. Hence such a network tends to be "underutilised" for the rest of the day. Average bus occupation, for instance, is only 20 per cent.

Transport experts have thus called for other measures such as promoting flexible working hours and telecommuting.

Attempts to stagger working hours were made back in the early 1970s to ease traffic congestion. But the campaign never did gain much traction.

According to a study published by the Manpower Ministry in 2001, flexi-time was practised by only 0.3 per cent of all private-sector employees.

Telecommuting was even more uncommon, with a participation rate of merely 0.1 per cent. And those who work entirely from home accounted for just 0.01 per cent of employees.

While more current figures are not readily available, there are signs that flexi-time is still not widely accepted.

Last June, the Transport Ministry launched a year-long free-tra-vel initiative to encourage commuters to travel just before the morning peak, following a Travel Smart initiative rolled out in October 2012 to persuade people to shift their peak-hour travel time by 15 minutes.

Response was encouraging initially, with around 9 per cent of peak-hour commuters travelling earlier. But this has since fallen to 6 to 7 per cent.

Certainly, the scheme has potential for improvement - perhaps even without additional tax spending (the year-long free tra-vel initiative costs $10 million).

In 2004, a study by the UK Strategic Rail Authority found that train overcrowding can be eased substantially by widening the differential between peak and off-peak fares. This means giving off-peak fare discounts or wai-vers, as well as raising peak-pe-riod fares.

Not only does this help the operator maintain financial viability, but the shift of peak demand also reduces the financial burden of having to run additional trains during peak hour.

Analysts suggest the savings here would more than cover the cost of providing free fares.

However, adjunct Professor Paul Barter, who teaches transport policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, says there are limits to what flexi-time arrangements can do to flatten peak travel volumes.

This is because there is "dynamic tension" between two things that people want: a regular schedule that gives them fixed times at home or with friends, and more comfortable travel.

Because of this tension, people will modify travel patterns "even without the Government doing anything".

And if there is less overcrowding during the peak period because some commuters have altered their travelling time, others will move in to fill the space freed up.

Prof Barter, however, notes that flexi-time can contribute to shorter peaks, which range from "five to 10 minutes in Canberra to three to four hours in Jakarta".

Also, if people were free to adjust their travelling time, "they would complain less", he said. He feels that many employers in Singapore "are more rigid than they need to be" in this respect.

Indeed, a survey by the Land Transport Authority in 2012 found that the top reason for workers not telecommuting was that employers rarely allow it. And about 80 per cent of 1,500 people polled said they would take up flexi-work arrangements if these were made available.

Finally, experts say a decentralised city is key to improving accessibility without increasing mobility. Even though Singapore had a decentralisation strategy since the 1980s, it has not gained much traction - until now.

"There was a time when it was felt that having a big CBD (Central Business District) was good for the economy," recalls Prof Barter. "But I think it is better to have many sub-centres across the island."

Now, several sub-centres are in the works, including Jurong Lake District, Woodlands and the Kallang Riverside.

All these will allow more people to live near where they work, and work near where they play.

Meanwhile, cities the world over are increasingly looking to "soft" demand management measures to spread out peak loads on transport systems.

In 2008, Melbourne started offering free travel to commuters who arrive at the CBD before 7am. It led 23 per cent of commuters to travel out of peak hours.

Monetary measures are not the only way to temper peak demand. In the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, London embarked on a public education and awareness campaign to prepare for the foreseeable surge in travel demand.

The programme included reducing the need to travel, spacing out journeys, shifting to walking or cycling, as well as re-routing to less busy routes.

The result was encouraging.

Despite record ridership - London Underground, for instance, carried 4.52 million passengers on Aug 9, the highest in its history - the transport network coped well.

Elsewhere, Abu Dhabi has spelt out a transport mobility management strategy as it prepares for a possible trebling of its population by 2030. It includes park-and-ride, car-sharing, flexible working hours, and telecommuting plans.

All these are in place in Singapore, even if they lack scale.

But things may be changing.

Last year, the Urban Redevelopment Authority unveiled plans for a 700km cycling path network by 2030 - thrice the length of the current network.

And URA chief planner Lim Eng Hwee leads by example: He cycles to work.

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Late-night commuters aiming for the last train home will need to factor in earlier times at six North-South Line stations from next month.

SMRT is halting services 30 minutes earlier to speed up replacement track works.

The six stations are Ang Mo Kio, Yio Chu Kang, Khatib, Yishun, Sembawang and Admiralty.

The public transport operator will end train services at those stations at 12.30am on Sunday to Thursday nights, from April 15 till the end of October, except on the eve of public holidays.

The earlier closure means the last train to Jurong East will depart Marina Bay at 11.40pm, while the last train to Ang Mo Kio will leave Jurong East at 11.39pm.

This is the first time that SMRT has ended train services earlier for replacement works. Previously, it closed stretches of track on the Circle Line on Sundays for cable replacement.

SMRT said the early closures will allow it to deploy machinery more efficiently to speed up the replacement of 188,000 timber sleepers with concrete ones, which last about twice as long.

It noted that the extra time will also allow other major projects such as upgrading the signalling system and replacing the third rail to be carried out more quickly.

The operator seeks the "support, patience and understanding" of commuters for the early closures, which "will help enhance system reliability and offer smoother rides".

The six stations account for more than 30,000 sleepers - 20 per cent of all sleepers on the North-South and East-West lines, SMRT noted. As of last month, about 13 per cent along both lines have been replaced.

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I returned to work in the middle of October last year after a bilateral knee replacement.

For a few weeks after my return, I had to hobble around with the aid of a walking stick.

Many people have lamented the lack of social graces among Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, but my experiences during those weeks were positive.

Whenever I boarded a train, someone would offer a seat to me without my having to ask for it.

On one occasion, a young woman even apologised for not offering me a seat earlier because she had closed her eyes and was apparently resting. Another time, during a rainy evening, a young man even carried my bag up and down two flights of stairs when he saw me struggling with it.

Special mention must go to the SMRT service ambassadors at Jurong East station.

They not only ensured that I got to the head of the queue for boarding the train, but one of them even carried my bag into the train and ensured that I was properly seated before departing.

She is a real asset to her employer and deserves special commendation.

Freddy Neo

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I started using the MRT recently after I sold my car, and am not yet a seasoned commuter.

Recently, I was at Bishan station with my three sons.

I had entered the fare gate with two of my sons but the ez-link card of my third son, a seven-year-old, failed to work and we were separated.

Noticing my anxiety, at least five people stopped and offered advice.

One young man guided us to the passenger service counter and remained with us until the glitch was fixed.

The others moved on only after seeing that the problem was resolved.

It goes to show that courtesy and kindness are alive and well here.

My sincere thanks to the kind people, especially the outstanding young man.

Jaap Huigen

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Five contracts worth nearly $1.15 billion have been awarded for the upcoming Thomson Line (TSL) and Eastern Region Line (ERL).

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) selected American conglomerate GE to provide the signalling system and platform screen doors for both lines in a $159 million deal.

Singapore Technologies Electronics (STE) won a $124 million contract to provide the communications systems for both lines.

This includes various sub-systems such as video surveillance and travel information systems. STE is also involved in the Downtown Line and Tuas West Extension projects.

The 30km TSL will be ready in phases from 2019 to 2021. It will join the ERL at the Gardens by the Bay station.

Asked why the LTA bought ERL systems before announcing the detailed alignment, its spokesman said: "As the ERL will run as a single line together with the TSL when it is operational, LTA has aggregated the purchase of the electrical systems of both MRT lines to reap economies of scale."

Separately, the LTA also awarded three civil contracts for the Thomson Line.

A joint venture by RSEA Engineering Corporation, Eng Lee Engineering and Wai Fong Construction will build Mount Pleasant station and its tunnels for $207 million.

This station will serve as the fifth Civil Defence shelter along the Thomson Line, together with Woodlands, Lentor, Mayflower and Sin Ming stations.

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co will build Stevens station and its tunnels for about $441 million. The firm has built numerous subways and high-speed railroad projects in South Korea.

The LTA also awarded a $222 million contract to construct Maxwell station to Hock Lian Seng Infrastructure, which is working on the Downtown Line's Gali Batu Depot.

Construction for all three stations will commence in the second quarter of this year and be completed by 2021.

To date, the LTA has awarded 18 civil contracts worth about a combined $5.3 billion for the Thomson Line.

roysim@sph.com.sg

This article was published on April 22 in The Straits Times.

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SINGAPORE - A new underpass connecting City Hall MRT station to the redeveloped Capitol Singapore will be ready in the first quarter of 2015, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a statement today.

This will link the station along North Bridge Road directly to Basement Two of Capitol Singapore's retail mall, giving commuters underground access to the integrated development.

Capitol Investment Holdings will construct the underground link.

Works on the link are expected to commence in the fourth quarter of this year.

huizhen@sph.com.sg

SINGAPORE - Heartland commuters will have sheltered walkways within a 400m radius of their nearest MRT station by 2018.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced in a statement yesterday that work on these walkways will begin in the final quarter of this year and be completed progressively over the next four years.

The move will add more than 200km of sheltered walkways, which now amount to 46km, to the public transport network.

Signs and local maps will be provided along with health information at rest-stops along the walkways.

"Commuters will enjoy a more comfortable walk to the transport nodes to get to their destinations - rain or shine," the LTA said.

In addition, it has called two tenders to add covered links to another 29 MRT stations, 38 LRT stations and one bus interchange.

Currently, sheltered walkways are provided from transport nodes to schools and health-care facilities within a 200m radius. They are also built within residential estates by town councils.

The LTA announced in January last year that under its Walk2Ride programme, coverage would be expanded to schools, residences and public amenities within a 400m radius of all MRT stations and a 200m radius of all LRT stations and bus interchanges.

It has awarded two of four contracts for the programme.

The first - worth $80.3 million and covering 24 MRT stations in the north-west - went to Singapore Piling & Civil Engineering-Shincon Industrial Joint Venture.

It will carry out work at most stations along the North-South line, between Ang Mo Kio and Bukit Batok, as well as stations along the East-West line, from Tiong Bahru to Joo Koon.

The second contract - for 35 stations in the north-east at a cost of $76.3 million - was awarded to Planar One & Associates.

The project will cover mainly stations along the North-East, East-West and Circle Lines, but it also includes the Bishan, Braddell and Toa Payoh stations along the North-South Line.

Retiree Lee Siew Hock, 85, who takes about 20 minutes to walk the 700m stretch from Tiong Bahru Plaza to his flat down the road at Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, said a covered link is "long overdue".

"This area has many old people, and we walk slower, so we are in the sun for even longer," he said.

"This will make it more convenient for us to go out."

This article was first published on May 30, 2014.
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On May 23, my concession card would not work so I went to Khatib MRT station to report it.

I used another ez-link card temporarily and asked the MRT customer service officers if I could pay concession price with this temporary card.

However, they said "no" and added that I had to pay the adult fare.

This is unfair for concession card holders.

It would be better if concession card holders who lose their cards be allowed to pay concession price when using a temporary card.

Ricky Liu Yip Kiu

This article was first published on June 10, 2014.
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Reserved seats on public transport have become such a big issue that commuters avoid sitting on such seats.

These seats are meant for the elderly, pregnant women and others in need.

Does that mean that we should leave the seats empty? Does that also mean we do not have to give up non-reserved seats to those in need?

Regardless of whether there are reserved seats, it is up to the commuters to decide whether they want to give up their seats. It is a privilege, not a right.

In a recent survey of 1,000 commuters, 94 per cent of them said they would give up their seats to those in need. What about the remaining 6 per cent?

Natalyn Tan Hui Lin, 18, polytechnic student

This article was first published on June 18, 2014.
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SINGAPORE - "It's really hard to get a taxi," I complained to the cabby as I finally managed to hail one after 20 fruitless minutes.

"Why don't you buy a car, then?" he retorted, probably not realising that he would be out of a job if all his customers took his advice.

Still, the thought intrigued me. Conventional wisdom is that cars are much more expensive than taxis which are, in turn, much costlier than taking the bus and MRT.

I have no doubt that public transport is the most affordable but with the non-stop increases in cab fares and surcharges over the years, have taxi costs caught up with the expense of owning a car?

I decided to find out.

New car

I took the case of someone who drove a Toyota Corolla Altis for 10 years before scrapping it for some cash.

This car owner lives in Tampines and drives to and from work in Shenton Way. He also drives on his days off.

A new Toyota Corolla costs about $125,888 now, including certificate of entitlement premium.

I took it that the Tampines driver can pay $50,355 of the car's costs in cash - you'd better have a lot of money if you want to drive in Singapore - and will borrow the rest in a five-year loan from a friendly banker at 2.28 per cent annual interest.

Annual costs include insurance, servicing and road tax, totalling about $3,140. He will also need to pay $4,200 for fuel and $2,700 for parking.

This includes parking in an HDB estate and in shopping malls on weekends. I also assumed this guy's company charges him a good rate of $1,500 a year for parking in Shenton Way.

On the topic of keeping costs low, I assumed that our friend needs to pay only $4.50 in Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges for each working day in the year.

To keep within this budget, he may need to find a way to travel during periods when the ERP charges are slightly lower.

After all the calculations, the cost of owning and operating the car will work out to about $235,590 for 10 years, after deducting the scrap value of about $9,300. That works out to $1,960 a month.

Do note that the costs are very lumpy. On a regular basis you will need to pay less than $1,960 a month because this includes the initial $50,355 car down payment, spread out over many months.

Still, $1,960 is a good ballpark figure for us to know how much driving a new car will cost on average a month.

Second-hand car

But what if our driver buys a second-hand car? I searched auto sites such as OneShift and SgCarMart and found a five-year-old Toyota Corolla Altis going for $63,800. With $50,355 in cash upfront, the driver needs only a small loan, payable in three years.

Including costs such as insurance and ERP, and again getting a rebate from the scrap value, he will need to spend $109,690 over five years before the end of the car's life.

That's $1,830 a month.

I also found a nine-year-old Corolla Altis for the auspicious-sounding $18,800. After deducting the scrap value, it will cost about $19,610 to drive it for a year, or in the range of $1,630 a month.

So, clearly, the costs will be lower if you buy a second-hand car. The older the car, the lower the costs. That sounds like common sense but now I have the maths to prove it.

Taxi

And now to the favoured mode of transport for those who want more convenience but don't want to stump up cash for a car - the taxi.

It costs about $41.50 for a round trip between Tampines and Shenton Way, including surcharges and $4.50 in ERP charges.

I calculated that our individual will want to take taxis on his leave days, public holidays and weekends as well.

By timing his trips properly, he will be able to avoid ERP charges on his non-working days, but will still have to pay some cab surcharges such as the 25 per cent charge between 6pm and midnight.

The annual expense will work out to about $13,060, or about $1,090 a month. This is assuming our individual doesn't book any taxis.

It turns out, even with all the new surcharges, a taxi would still cost about half the amount it takes to drive a new car. Taxi passengers also spend less than drivers of second-hand cars, although the difference is narrower.

Bus/MRT

Just for comparison's sake, I threw in the public transport option, which works out to about $98 a month. That's about one-tenth the cost of taking taxis or one-twentieth the cost of owning and operating a new car.

Do note that my calculations provide only rough figures. The costs will differ from person to person, depending on many factors such as where that person works and whether he can find cheap parking options and repair shops if he chooses to drive a car.

Benefits of driving

Of course, no discussion of car costs is complete without a mention of the benefits of driving.

It all boils down to convenience: You won't need to wait for a taxi and it can be very frustrating on rainy days and on occasions like Chinese New Year.

If you want to book a cab, your costs will increase and even then, there is no guarantee you will get one. But on the flip side, driving a car means you will need to look for parking - a hassle you can avoid if you take taxis. You also don't need to drive your own vehicle if you manage to flag a taxi.

At the end of the day, it's all about trade-offs and how much you are willing - and able - to pay for the sake of comfort and convenience.

I hope you make a good choice, keeping in mind your financial resources.

This article was first published on June 29, 2014.
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People will complain less about the slow rides on the North-South Line from the fourth quarter of this year, when trains are set to pick up speed.

By the middle of next year, trains will run at normal speeds of up to 80kmh from one end to the other.

The reason is that, by then, all the sleepers, which hold the tracks on the North-South Line in place, would have been replaced. With the new sleepers, trains will no longer be subject to speed restrictions.

"Commuters will find that their journeys would be shorter than what it is today," said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew yesterday morning during a site visit to observe the sleepers between Bishan and Ang Mo Kio stations being replaced.

Until then, commuters will experience slower speeds along stretches with the newly installed concrete sleepers, which will last twice as long as the old wooden ones.

It is a precautionary move taken by public transport operator SMRT while it makes sure the sleepers have been stabilised and carries out further safety checks.

Hence, the train speed is capped at 39-40kmh for stretches undergoing replacement work. It will be raised to 61-62kmh after a tamping machine has compacted the ballast, which are rocks that support the sleepers and tracks.

Trains can hit their top speed of 80kmh only after the tracks are assessed to be fully fit for normal speeds.

The temporary slowdown was noted in the past few months by some commuters, who wrote about it on SMRT's Facebook page in recent weeks.

Netizen Nurafian Zulkifli said the replacement works occasionally make the travelling time longer and delay train arrivals, causing a "severe human jam" during peak hours.

Aggravating the situation is the shortage of tamping machines - only one is available.

This caused a backlog of 1.6km of tracks that have yet to receive tamping, even as replacement works are carried out in more locations.

One more machine will be added this month and a third by September.

This article by The Straits Times was published in MyPaper, a free, bilingual newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.

People will complain less about the slow rides on the North- South Line from the fourth quarter of this year, when trains are set to pick up speed.

By the middle of next year, trains will run at normal speeds of up to 80kmh from one end to the other.

The reason is that, by then, all the sleepers, which hold the tracks on the North-South Line in place, would have been replaced. With the new sleepers, trains will no longer be subject to speed restrictions.

"Commuters will find their journeys would be shorter than what it is today," said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew yesterday morning during a site visit to observe sleepers between Bishan and Ang Mo Kio stations being replaced.

Until then, commuters will experience slower speeds along stretches with the newly installed concrete sleepers, which last twice as long as the old wooden sleepers.

It is a precautionary move taken by public transport operator SMRT while it makes sure the sleepers are stabilised and carries out further safety checks.

Hence, the train speed is capped at 39kmh-40kmh for stretches undergoing replacement work. It is raised to 61kmh- 62kmh after a tamping machine has compacted the ballast, which is rocks that support the sleepers and tracks.

Trains can hit their top speed of 80kmh only after the tracks are assessed to be fully fit for normal speeds.

The temporary slowdown was noted in the past few months by some commuters, who have written about it on SMRT's Facebook page in recent weeks. Netizen Nurafian Zulkifli said the replacement works occasionally increase the travelling time and delay train arrivals, causing a "severe human jam" during peak hours.

Aggravating the situation is the shortage of tamping machines. Only one is available, causing a backlog of 1.6km of tracks that have yet to receive tamping even as replacement works are carried out in more locations.

One more will be added this month and a third by September.

Mr Lui said around one-third of the sleepers on the 45km North-South Line have been replaced. When done, the focus will shift to the signalling system, which will let trains run closer together during peak hours. He also said the East-West Line's sleepers will be replaced next year. Since April, SMRT has closed six stations from Ang Mo Kio to Admiralty 30 minutes earlier to give more time for replacing the sleepers.

Residents and commuters have been patient and borne the inconvenience well, Mr Lui said, adding that he has asked SMRT to look into organising visits for residents to observe the work being done.

On train reliability, he said the number of train withdrawals and delays above five minutes are fewer in the second quarter of this year compared with the first quarter as well as last year. Latest Land Transport Authority figures, however, are not available yet.

Sembawang resident Eugene Ong, 26, welcomed news of the gradual speed increases. "If they can reduce travelling time, it's ideal for everyone who takes public transport."

roysim@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on July 02, 2014.
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The second and final phase of an engineering study for the proposed MRT link between Singapore and Johor Baru will start by the end of this year. A spokesman for Malaysia's Land Public Transport Commission said it is expected to take six to 12 months to complete but gave no further details.

The Straits Times understands that decisions will have to be made based on the first phase of the study before the second phase can commence. That study, undertaken by global engineering group Aecom for US$42 million (S$52 million), looked into whether a bridge or tunnel should be used to cross the Strait of Johor. A tunnel is expected to cost three times as much.

Whichever option is chosen will be studied more thoroughly in the second phase.

The MRT line will link the Woodlands North station on Singapore's upcoming Thomson Line to a stop in Johor Baru, likely to be transport hub JB Sentral.

The link, first mooted in 2010, was originally meant to be completed by 2018, but this was revised to 2019 when Singapore decided in 2012 to lengthen the Thomson Line.

At a ground-breaking ceremony of the new line last Friday, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew avoided pinning a date to the project, merely saying that it will be "eventually linked" to Johor Baru.

He added that details of the Woodlands North station have been finalised, and progress of the cross-border link is now largely dependent on Malaysia.

Meanwhile, property developers in Johor Baru are already advertising new projects that are said to be near or adjacent to the MRT station in JB.

This article was first published on July 03, 2014.
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Your time spent waiting for the next train could soon be a lot more entertaining.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is planning to have buskers perform at station platforms or concourses, in a tie-up with SMRT and the National Arts Council.

An LTA spokesman said the three-month pilot scheme will start this month at five MRT stations - Bukit Batok, City Hall, Eunos, Jurong East and Raffles Place.

A test run was done during peak hours at City Hall, Jurong East and Raffles Place MRT stations in May and commuters' response was positive, added the spokesman.

This article was first published on July 05, 2014.
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SINGAPORE -An MRT train carriage was seen being transported on a trailer at about 8pm in Sembawang last night.

Photos of the incident were sent to citizen journalism website Stomp.

There seem to be traffic marshalls in the scene of the transportation, according to the photos.

Visit STOMP for more stories.

Commuters can now juice up their devices with a new charging point offered at City Hall MRT station.

The charging point, which is at the concourse level of the station, consists of three electrical ports positioned side by side on a small ledge.

With these ports, commuters whose mobile devices are running out of juice can charge their smartphones and laptops by plugging in their chargers and connecting the chargers to their devices.

There are also USB ports for those who prefer to charge their devices through USB cables.

The charging points, implemented by SMRT, come after a student was fined $400 for using an electrical socket at a station to charge her mobile phone last August.

Since then, SMRT has received requests from commuters for the train operator to set up charging points that commuters can use in case of an emergency, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Other details, like whether such charging points will also be available at other stations, whether a time limit on charging will be imposed, and whether users have to pay, will be confirmed next week, said SMRT.

In other cities like Seoul, subway stations provide charging services for free at station offices.

South Korean convenience stores also offer charging services, albeit for a small fee.

While charging points are less common in Singapore's public areas, they can still be found at the transit areas in Changi Airport, which provides the charging service for free.

Fashion retail brand Topshop had charging points in some outlets up until earlier this year. Charging services have been temporarily suspended in order to "improve them", said a retail assistant from the ION Orchard branch.

These charging points come in the form of lockers so that customers can charge their mobile phones in the locked cubbyholes for free while they shop.

MRT commuter Lim Zi Ai, 22, hailed the SMRT move, saying: "If a person is meeting a friend and his phone has run out of battery, the charging station would be useful to help them reach each other.

"However, during peak hours when the MRT station is crowded, I would be less inclined to use the charging point."

wtkoh@sph.com.sg

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