SINGAPORE - SMRT has also explained to LTA why they went ahead without getting prior approval, an LTA spokesman said on Wednesday.
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ACS(I) charters MRT trains for rugby final
Sanjay Nair | Thursday, Aug 26, 2014
All trains lead to the National Stadium - at least for 3,000 students and staff of Anglo- Chinese School (Independent).
To mark today's historic Schools National C Division rugby championship clash at the new Singapore Sports Hub, the first school final to be held there, the school has chartered five MRT trains to transport supporters to Kallang.
The match pitting ACS(I) against defending champions St Andrew's Secondary (SAS) is expected to attract more than 5,000 spectators at the 55,000-capacity stadium. And the large turnout is the reason that ACS(I) has taken the unusual approach of getting MRT trains to shuttle their students.
ACS(I) principal Winston Hodge said students, parents and alumni had expressed interest in attending the "special game", which starts at 4pm.
He said: "As we would have needed at least 80 buses to transport our students and staff, the trains are a cost-efficient way of taking them from school to the Sports Hub safely and with ease." ACS(I) and SMRT declined to reveal the cost, but The Straits Times understands that it would be about $2 a head.
Students will be dismissed progressively from 11am for lunch, before being escorted by teachers to one-north station near the school's Dover Road campus for the 40-minute ride. They will travel directly to Stadium station on the Circle Line.
SMRT has previously worked with schools to charter trains transporting students for large- scale events such as the National Day Parade rehearsals.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, SMRT's vice- president for corporate information and communication Patrick Nathan said requests for chartered trains are reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure there is no interference with regular services, and the services are carried out during off-peak hours.
"SMRT believes in supporting local education and national initiatives and will continue this support without compromising our core service delivery in ensuring reliable, safe journeys for all passengers," Mr Nathan added.
Match tickets are free, but offered only to family members, friends and alumni of the two schools. SAS' teacher-in-charge of rugby Daniel Thiam said the school will send around 400 supporters to the stadium.
In last year's final, SAS beat the same opponents 14-13 to lift the Goh Keng Swee Shield for the first time since 1990.
ACS(I) rugby coach Adrian Chong said: "I cannot remember other school rugby sides ever getting a chance to feature in such an iconic setting."
This article was first published on August 26, 2014.
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In response to media queries, a Land Transport Authority (LTA) spokesman said:
Under the Circle Line licence, SMRT has to seek LTA's prior approval for the provision of train services that are not open to the general commuting public. In this case, SMRT did not seek our approval before agreeing to provide the service. We are looking into the appropriate action to take. We have also reminded SMRT that its primary focus must be to ensure good service delivery to the commuting public at large.