SINGAPORE: Four shuttle bus services will ply the routes along the MRT stations on the East-West Line (EWL) and North-South Line (NSL) that will have their operating hours shortened in December, SMRT said in a media release on Monday (Nov 27).
The buses, which will follow the same fare structure as trains, will ply the following four routes and will arrive at frequencies of between three to five minutes during peak hours, and five to 10 minutes during non-peak hours:
- Loop 1: Outram Park to Jurong East (both directions)
- Loop 2: Jurong East to Joo Koon (both directions)
- Loop 3: Joo Koon to Tuas Link (both directions)
- Loop 4: Jurong East to Choa Chu Kang (both directions)
The train operator earlier announced that 17 EWL stations stations and two NSL stations will be fully closed on Dec 10 and Dec 17.
In addition, from Dec 8 to Dec 31, the 17 EWL stations from Tiong Bahru to Tuas Link as well as Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak stations on the NSL will close earlier on Fridays and Saturdays (at 11pm) and open later on Saturdays and Sundays (at 8am).
SMRT said its staff will be deployed at bus stops to assist and guide commuters from Dec 8 until Dec 31.
The two full-day closures and shortened operating hours were announced after a collision involving two trains at Joo Koon MRT station on Nov 15. The collision, which injured 38 people, was caused by a software glitch in the EWL signalling system.
SMRT said the shortened operating hours will more than double engineering and track access time from three hours to seven-and-a-half hours each night.
“With extended engineering hours from December 2017, the re-signalling works on the EWL will be completed significantly earlier by June 2018, instead of end-2018,” it added.
SMRT Trains CEO Lee Ling Wee said the previous rounds of early closure or late opening of MRT services have seen the engineering teams “gain valuable time to work on tracks and trackside infrastructure”. He added that parts of the train network that were renewed “have served commuters well”.
“Our engineering teams will make full use of the additional time to perform train and signalling tests, and planned maintenance and renewal works on tracks, in MRT stations and in train depots,” Mr Lee said.
More information on the closure and the shuttle buses available can be found on SMRT’s website, social media pages as well as in stations and trains.
