SINGAPORE | Public Transport

[don diego 2000]

All the news on recent development for the rail urban transport in Singapore are welcome here.

[don diego 2000]

Apr 16, 2010
Phase 2 Circle Line opens
By Maria Almenoar | StraitsTimes.com


The second phase of Singapore's newest train line, the Circle Line, was officially opened by Transport Minister Raymond Lim on Friday evening.

Eleven new stations on this line will start operations from Saturday morning at 6am.The stations are: Tai Seng, MacPherson, Paya Lebar, Mountbatten, Dakota, Stadium, Nicoll Highway, Esplanade, Promenade, Bras Basah and Dhoby Ghaut. They will link up with the five existing Circle Line stations which were opened last May (Marymount to Bartley).

Commuters can expect to cut their travelling time and cost using the new line. A commuter travelling from Paya Lebar to Bartley station would normally take 38 minutes and spend $1.61 on his fare. With the new CCL, he will take six minutes and pay $0.66.

By next year, the entire 33km Circle Line will open and give commuters more travelling options. Among the stations yet to open are Telok Blangah, Holland Village and Kent Ridge.

[Yardmaster]

Singapore is doing really well with it's MRT (& LRT): I remember them fondly.

[Skyrobot]

The Circle Line is a real blessing for Tanjong Rhu condo residents. We are near yet far in terms of options to go downtown. Next up, we await the Downtown Line!

[allurban]

Originally Posted by Skyrobot

The Circle Line is a real blessing for Tanjong Rhu condo residents. We are near yet far in terms of options to go downtown. Next up, we await the Downtown Line!

There are some places that I never considered visiting/staying at for more than 1 day in Singapore because there was no MRT access - but now the Circle Line has opened up more areas to visitors & residents.

Cheers, m

[dwdwone]

Those are both low prices. I can see how people there would be encouraged to use mass transit. However, I'm curious how they can do it. I mean, hopping on a New York City subway costs what these days - $4? $5? And here they pay 66 cents?

[Zorobabel]

Not only that; SMRT Corporation, which operates Singapore's MRT system, is profitable while NYC's subway system operates at a significant loss.

Most MRT systems in developed Asia are run more efficiently than they are in the West. For example, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, and Singapore all have an MRT farebox recovery ratio of significantly more than 100%, while the highest in the US is 61% in Washington DC.

But generally speaking, most everything is cheaper in Singapore than NYC. The median wage is about $2300 a month, whereas the average NYC transit worker makes $30-40 an hour, if my memory serves me correctly. A new government-built apartment in Singapore will only put you back about $200,000, probably 1/6 the price of a similar apartment in NYC. Food is cheaper, and so is transportation.

Besides cheaper labor to build and maintain MRT, Singapore is probably able to run the system more efficiently as there is less bureaucracy. NYC's subway relies on funding from the federal, state, and city government as well as revenue from fares; no telling how much red tape is involved in all of that. Singapore MRT also has nearly twice as many riders per line as NYC.

[SingaporeCity]

One interesting future MRT map

[Mith252]

Well, about 50% of the lines are just fantasy lines. For the time being, we only have 4 lines with 1 under construction and 3 still in planning stage, if I am not wrong. The Jurong region Line is shelved for now.

[dwdwone]

Originally Posted by Zorobabel

Not only that; SMRT Corporation, which operates Singapore's MRT system, is profitable while NYC's subway system operates at a significant loss.

So then what you are essentially saying is that public mass transit systems can be profitable? That's pretty amazing, as the subject seems to be part of an age old argument. The reasons you describe for it's profitability are pure capitalism, something the USA prides itself on but perhaps does not practice as much as it likes to say.

[Greanlightman]

Originally Posted by SingaporeCity

One interesting future MRT map

Isn't it too much compare to population dense ?

[railzilla]

Originally Posted by dwdwone

So then what you are essentially saying is that public mass transit systems can be profitable? That's pretty amazing, as the subject seems to be part of an age old argument. The reasons you describe for it's profitability are pure capitalism, something the USA prides itself on but perhaps does not practice as much as it likes to say.

The capitalism in Singapore is different than in the USA. In Asia is considered a good thing if the State makes a profit.
Both public transit companies in SG are government linked. Also the goverment sets the routes for rail and bus services and sets the fares. With the EZlink Smart card all public transit can be used. Don't forget that owning a car in Singapore is very expensive. You need a certificate just to own a car at that certificate costs more than a new car.

US capitalism would mean duplicated lines where there is lot of demand and little or none service where the is not so much demand. Incompatible fare systems between companies. Bad transfer possibilities to the competing companies network and so on. On contrary to Singapore the US Government even subsidies cars which in turn makes public transit less attractive. Not to mention that the public transit is very clean and safe due to restrictive laws. Eating in a train costs you 500SGD and if you dare to spraypaint a train you will spent a few months in prison and get caned.

[SingaporeCity]

Originally Posted by Greanlightman

Isn't it too much compare to population dense ?

Hi, as mentioned, some of these are just fantasy lines, or are unconfirmed proposals. Most of these stations will not be built. Sorry if I misled you.

[Zorobabel]

Originally Posted by dwdwone

So then what you are essentially saying is that public mass transit systems can be profitable? That's pretty amazing, as the subject seems to be part of an age old argument. The reasons you describe for it's profitability are pure capitalism, something the USA prides itself on but perhaps does not practice as much as it likes to say.

As the poster noted above, the capitalism in Singapore and the USA are different. State enterprises in Singapore can make a profit, but they are state enterprises nonetheless. The government is directly involved not only in approving but in planning and implementing basically any major urban project. The Singaporean government discourages private car use and invests heavily in public transportation, while in the United States many people consider public transportation a 'wealth transfer' yet have no problem with the hundreds of billions of dollars used to subsidize roads, highways, oil refineries, etc.

And yes, public transportation can be profitable after a government pays for the upfront costs, or at least it can break even. The Tokyo Metro, for example, currently generates enough revenue to pay for maintenance costs and future expansions, which is quite amazing. Both the central and the local governments there encourage public transportation and car ownership has declined there in recent years.

[CNGL]

Originally Posted by SingaporeCity

One interesting future MRT map

If that were the real plans, I would extend the light green (Holland?) line to Promenade and make the circle line a TRUE circle line. But, as Mith252 said, this is just a fantasy map, like the Beijing holy hell one

[ddes]

Originally Posted by Greanlightman

Isn't it too much compare to population dense ?

Not particularly. The map is not drawn to scale. In fact, the only part that is moderately dense is the space within the Circle Line, which compared to the rest of the island, is pretty small.

[Mith252]

Anyway, the fantasy map is quite misleading. Anyway, I found a slightly better map but the text is a little small. On it are the lines that are oprerational and under construction in Singapore. I found it on a real estate site.

[mrtdude5]

Esplanade Station

[Vrooms]

Whe will the blue line happen?

[Mith252]

Are you referring to the Seletar line or the North Shore Line? I asked because these 2 lines are still part of the concept plan. It probably won't be ready by 2020 unless otherwise stated by the LTA. Anyway, nice pics of Esplanade station, mrtdude5. Got anymore pics of the other stations in the circle line?