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Ministry of Transport (MOT)

The mission of MOT is to strengthen Singapore’s transportation connectivity and to develop the transport sector's potential to advance our economic competitiveness and the quality of life in Singapore. A total budget of $5,566.9 million has been allocated to MOT in FY2012 to fulfill this mission.

MOT aims to achieve the following outcomes:

• A quality, integrated and efficient land transport system
• A leading hub for air and sea transportation, and a leading centre for international aviation and maritime activities

A People-Centred Land Transport System

A people-centred land transport system is integral to Singapore’s development. In FY2011, MOT spent $4,005.6 million on road and public transport infrastructure, among other projects, to provide an affordable, efficient and effective transport system for all. We expect to spend another $4,747.1 million in FY2012 as part of our plans to ensure that our transport system meets the needs of an inclusive, liveable and vibrant global city.

To achieve this outcome, we have identified the following strategic thrusts:

• Making Public Transport a Choice Mode
• Managing Road Usage
• Meeting the Diverse Needs of the People

Making Public Transport a Choice Mode

Given Singapore’s land constraints, our priority is to promote the use of public transport to meet our travel demands on a sustainable basis. Public transport must be made more convenient, accessible and comfortable, with journey times more comparable to travel by private cars. To achieve this objective, we have enhanced the integration of bus and rail services through the development of integrated transport hubs, central bus route planning, improved provision of travel information, expansion in the public transport network coverage, and implementation of distance fares.

Growing our Rail Network

To ensure that our public transport infrastructure meets the needs of a growing population and expanding economy, the government has committed to spend about $60 billion to double the Singapore MRT network from what it was in 2008, and to increase the capacity of existing rail lines. As outlined in the Land Transport Master Plan and recent announcements, more rail lines and capacity enhancements will also be coming on stream to meet public transport travel demand.

Construction of the Downtown Line (DTL) is well in progress. $3,406.3 million will be spent on Rapid Transit System (RTS) projects in FY2012.

The key highlights of RTS projects are as follows:

• Downtown Line (DTL)

The DTL will enhance the connectivity of the RTS network and facilitate direct travel from the northwestern and eastern areas of the island to the Central Business District and Marina Bay. The DTL (42-km long and comprising 34 stations) is being implemented in three stages and is projected to see a daily ridership of more than half a million when in full operation.

Downtown Line projects have progressed at a fast pace to meet the respective milestone targets. DTL1 has completed major structural works as planned. It is on schedule to be completed in 2013 to support developments in the Marina Bay Area.

E&M fit-out and architectural works have started at all DTL1 stations. The first train will be delivered in October 2012 and the subsequent four trains will be delivered in March 2013.

DTL2 starts from the northwest sector of Singapore (Bukit Panjang), runs along the Bukit Timah Road corridor and connects at Bugis with DTL1. It is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

DTL3 serves the eastern part of Singapore, passing through suburban heartlands such as Kallang, MacPherson, Bedok and Tampines before terminating at the EXPO station. All 19 major civil tenders have been awarded and initial works have started at all worksites.

The key challenges in the construction of DTL3 are in ensuring safety and minimal disruption to residents and businesses, given its close proximity to residential and commercial developments along many sections of the railway corridor. LTA will do its best to manage and mitigate noise, vibration and dust generated during construction especially when major works are expected to be carried out continuously to meet the completion date in 2017.

• North South Line Extension (NSLe)

The North-South line that currently ends at the Marina Bay station will be extended southwards to serve the upcoming developments in the southern Marina Bay area, such as the new International Cruise Terminal in Marina South. Construction of the NSLe commenced in December 2009 and is targeted for completion in 2014.

• Tuas West Extension

The Tuas West Extension (TWE) is an extension to the East-West Line from Joo Koon Station, consisting of a 7.5km long twin tracked MRT viaduct, four aboveground stations and a 26-hectare depot. The MRT viaduct will also be integrated with part of the 4.8-km road viaduct along Pioneer Road. All four civil main contracts were awarded in 2011. When operational in 2016, TWE is expected to serve about 100,000 commuters.

• Existing Rail Capacity Enhancement

Upgrading of signaling system for North-South, East-West (NSEW) Lines

LTA is working with SMRT to upgrade the signaling system on the NSEW Lines. Design work will commence in 2012. The upgrading of the signaling system will allow trains to run at shorter intervals of 100 seconds during peak periods, instead of the existing 120 seconds. This is expected to be completed by 2016 for the North-South Line and by 2018 for the East-West Line.

Upgrading of existing train depots and trackworks for stabling of additional trains

Construction works are in progress for new stabling tracks at existing depots at Bishan, Ulu Pandan and Sengkang. An overrun of 50m track will also be constructed at the NEL HarbourFront Station to allow shorter headway for NEL train operation.

Purchase of additional trains

Purchase of additional trains is necessary to increase the capacity of the various RTS lines and allow trains to be run at shorter headways. Additional trains are being procured to serve the NSEW Lines, Tuas West Extension, North-East Line, Circle Line and Bukit Panjang LRT over the next five years

Managing Road Usage

To keep traffic flowing smoothly on our roads, we adopt a holistic approach to managing road usage that includes both road expansion and demand management measures such as Electronic Road Pricing (ERP). The annual vehicle population growth rate will be lowered from the 1.5% to 1.0%¹ in 2012, and then to 0.5% in 2013 and 2014. $1,340.8 million has been set aside in FY2012 to extend our road network and to relieve bottlenecks. The following major road development projects will see further progress in FY2012 and beyond:

• Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE)

The dual five-lane, 5-km Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) will be Singapore’s tenth expressway and is a key element of our strategic island-wide road network to support the long-term growth of Singapore.

This underground east-west transport link joins the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and the East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the east to the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) in the west, with direct connections to the Marina South and Straits View areas.

The main tunnel structure work is ongoing and the project is on track for completion in 2013.

• Sentosa Gateway Tunnel

The road tunnel will connect outbound traffic from Sentosa Island directly to Kampong Bahru Road / Lower Delta Road and Keppel Road, bypassing the busy traffic junctions of Sentosa Gateway and Telok Blangah Road. The road tunnel is expected to be completed by 2015.

Meeting the Diverse Needs of the People

A people-centred land transport system must provide for the diverse needs of our society and contribute to a quality, liveable environment. Provision of various enhancements at stations and facilities will meet the diverse needs of commuter convenience, safety and comfort.

• Enhancing Accessibility for All

To enhance accessibility to our MRT stations, tenders to provide lifts / escalators at six selected Pedestrian Overhead Bridges (POB) were awarded last year. Tenders for new link-bridges at three existing elevated MRT stations will also be progressively awarded during the year.

100% of all MRT stations have at least one Barrier Free Accessibility (BFA) access route, including the CCL stations opened on 8 October 2011. 76 out of a total of 90 MRT stations have achieved two BFA access routes.

Provision of BFA facilities at POBs and Pedestrian Underpasses is ongoing with some completed. Ramps to POBs at Ang Mo Kio, Queensway and Tampines (across PIE) have been installed. BFA features have also been implemented at two underpasses across ECP near Katong Park and East Coast Park Carpark G as shown above. The provision of a ramp at one of the underpasses across ECP near Meyer Park is currently in progress.

As at end-2011, about half (47%) of the public bus fleet are Wheelchair Accessible Buses (WAB). We are working towards having all public buses wheelchair-accessible by 2020.

• National Cycling Plan

Cycling has become increasingly popular in Singapore in recent years. The announcement of the National Cycling Plan in 2010 features a $43.2 million programme to roll out cycling infrastructure in selected HDB towns, starting with Tampines, Taman Jurong, Yishun, Sembawang and Pasir Ris. The cycling path networks provide residents with connectivity to major transport nodes such as RTS stations. Changi-Simei and Bedok towns were subsequently incorporated into the programme for cycling paths.

Phase 1 works for the cycling paths of 6.4 km have been completed as at September 2011 while works for Phase 2 comprising 38.9 km will commence in 2012.

Beyond the seven HDB towns with the completion of Changi-Simei and Bedok in 2014, LTA is working with HDB to incorporate cycling path networks in East Coast and Jurong Lake under HDB’s Remaking our Homeland (ROH) projects and Punggol under their Eco-Town Project.

16 km of cycling path will be laid within Marina Bay with the potential for expansion in tandem with land developments by 2014.

Photos of cycling networks in Sembawang, Pasir Ris and Taman Jurong

A Leading Hub for Sea Transportation

The Port of Singapore provides the critical connectivity needed for Singapore to maintain our position as a premier global business and logistics hub. To cater for the future growth of the port, $214.1 million will be spent in FY2012 on Phases 3 and 4 of the Pasir Panjang Terminal project.  When fully operational, the Pasir Panjang Terminal expansion will raise the port’s total container handling capacity from the current 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to around 50 million TEUs. This will allow the Singapore port to sustain long-term growth and strengthen its pre-eminent position as an international hub port.

To find out more about MOT and our initiatives, please visit our website.

¹ For 2012, the 1% p.a. growth will be front-loaded, with the current 1.5% p.a. growth rate maintained for the first half of the quota year (February 2012 to July 2012), followed by 0.5% p.a. growth rate for the remaining half of the quota year (August 2012 to January 2013).