The mission of MOT is to develop Singapore’s land, sea and air transport sectors so as to enhance our economic competitiveness and quality of life in a knowledge-based economy. A total budget of $2,067 million has been allocated to MOT in FY2005 to achieve this mission.

MOT aims to provide Singaporeans with a quality and efficient land transport system. To this end, MOT will continue in its efforts to develop an affordable, efficient and effective public transport system with rail transport as its backbone, as well as ensure that our roads are kept free flowing.

In line with these objectives, MOT is spending $1,211 million to expand our rail network, $478 million on roads and $65 million to improve public transport facilities. In addition, MOT is building more berths at Pasir Panjang to cater to the future growth of our port. This is part of the Pasir Panjang Terminal Phases 3 & 4 project.

Rails on the way….

$1,211 million to expand our rail network:

The Circle Line (CCL), scheduled to be completed in 2010, is the next major rail project coming your way after the North East MRT Line. The fully underground orbital line, at 33.3-km long, will link all radial lines leading to the city and offer inter-suburban linkages not provided by the existing MRT lines. The project is implemented in five stages. Commuters will be able to bypass the city centre and cut down on travelling time when CCL is fully completed in 2010.

The Boon Lay Extension (BLE) is scheduled for completion in 2009. The BLE, comprising two stations, is a fully-elevated 3.8 km extension of the East-West MRT line from the existing Boon Lay station westwards into the Jurong Industrial Estate (JIE). The BLE will reduce the travel time for people working in the JIE by an average of 15 minutes. It will also ease the peak hour commuter crowd at the Boon Lay Bus Interchange and the traffic congestion on roads around the bus interchange. The BLE will also help to meet the higher future travel demand with the expected intensification of the industrial and residential developments in the Jurong region.

The road ahead….

$478 million to construct, improve and upgrade the road network system in Singapore:

The 12-km Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE), which will open in 2008, will stretch from the East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south to the Tampines Expressway (TPE) in the North East. KPE will cater to the growing population in the North East corridor and provide a better alternative route between the city and the estates in the north of the island. It is also expected to lighten the load on the Central Expressway (CTE) and reduce travelling time for Sengkang, Punggol and Hougang residents to the city by up to 25%.

The upgrading of West Coast Highway and Jalan Buroh (about 12-km), scheduled for completion in 2006, will cater to the increase in traffic demand arising from the development of the Pasir Panjang Container Port and the industrial development in Tuas and Jurong areas. The upgrading will also benefit residents in the West and better serve the Jurong and Tuas Industrial estates.

Under the Vehicular Bridges Upgrading Programme Phase II, 83 bridges are expected to be upgraded by 2007 to accommodate heavier and larger vehicles.

The following roads will be extended/widened to ease traffic congestion:

Other roads improvements coming your way….

$65 million to improve commuter facilities, road related projects, implement traffic/transport schemes and systems as well as construct and upgrade bus interchanges.

Pasir Panjang Terminal

Currently, there are 26 berths at Pasir Panjang Terminal. To cater to the future growth of our port, MOT and MPA have started to plan for the next phase of development at Pasir Panjang, which will eventually add another 16 berths. This will allow our terminal operators sufficient space to expand to meet the growing volumes from their existing customers and also attract new business. To better serve the customers of the Singapore port, we will closely monitor industry trends and developments so that our planned port infrastructure will meet their future needs. For example, as the shipping lines are ordering bigger container vessels, the layout of the new berths will be designed to cater to such mega-sized ships.