Singapore
Channel NewsAsia’s Vanessa Paige Chelvan was at Buona Vista MRT station on Saturday on the first morning of delayed opening times along part of the East-West and North-South Lines.
The scene at Buona Vista MRT Station on the East-West Line on the morning of Dec 9, 2017. (Photo: Vanessa Paige Chelvan)
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SINGAPORE: “No train service on East-West Line until 8am!”
This shout greeted commuters as they arrived at Buona Vista MRT station early on Saturday (Dec 9) morning.
Some were unaware that the station is one of 17 on the East-West Line (EWL) that will open later at 8am on Saturdays and Sundays until Dec 31.
At least five personnel were on hand to direct affected commuters to free shuttle buses plying between affected stations, and hand out leaflets detailing the operating hours of affected stations.
A shuttle bus outside Buona Vista MRT station on Dec 9, 2017. (Photo: Vanessa Paige Chelvan)
There were no queues for the shuttles at Buona Vista, though the double-decker buses arrived – some of them within a minute of each other – less than half full.
Not many commuters seemed to be boarding the shuttles, with more choosing to wait the 10 minutes for the EWL to open or take a regular bus service to their destinations instead.
Some commuters said they would factor in extra travelling time in future, because the shuttles – following the same fare structure as trains – are bound to take longer to reach their destinations.
Commuter (in red) being told that train service will start late at Buona Vista MRT station. (Photo: Vanessa Paige Chelvan)
A commuter, Ryo, said there was “no choice” but to deal with the line’s delayed operating hours. Another, an elderly Chinese lady speaking in Mandarin, said it was an inconvenience but a “necessary sacrifice”.
The shorter operating hours will double engineering and track access time for engineers to “accelerate” re-signalling works on the EWL, the Land Transport Authority and train operator SMRT said last month.
Two stations on the North-South Line (NSL) – Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak – are also affected as engineering works will extend to Jurong East MRT station, a heavily used intersection of the NSL and EWL, they added.
The move comes after a software glitch in the EWL signalling system caused two trains to collide at Joo Koon MRT station on Nov 15, injuring 38 people.
On Saturday morning, commuters seemed to take the new operating hours in their stride.
One woman arranged to carpool with her colleagues, and teenager Shamima, who planned to meet her friends at Orchard MRT station, had decided to stay put at Buona Vista to wait for a friend to share a taxi into town.
As the clock struck eight and the EWL opened, staff at the bus stop started to pack up the movable barricades they had used to create a queue line for the shuttles.
Sending commuters on their way, an employee cheerfully shouted: “Take care! Good morning!”
