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."
This article was first published on July 02, 2014.
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