History of the Mass Rapid Transit
The history of the Mass Rapid Transit system of Singapore commences with its planning in the 1960s, leading to its opening in
1987 with the launch of the 6
km section of the
North South Line from
Yio Chu Kang Station to
Toa Payoh Station. It now has three lines in operation with a total combined route length of 109km and
64 stations. Another MRT line, the Circle Line, is also currently under construction. The
Light Rapid Transit which opened in
1999 acts as a feeder service to the MRT network.
Conceptualisation
The idea for constructing a
rapid transit line in the country, was initiated in
1967, when a four year State and City Planning study conducted by the Singapore government and the
United Nations Development Programme. It was part of an urban renewal and development project which aimed to formulate a long-term comprehensive concept plan for guiding the country's future physical development. It was concluded that physical land constraints faced by the island nation, was not able to accommodate more roads to meet the rise in transportation demands. It was needed that the city state needed a rail transit system by
1992.
[ ]Bus vs. rail debate
One of the early participants of the study was the late
President Ong Teng Cheong. He was then a member of the
Ministry of National Development's Planning Department, after returning from overseas studies that same year. He became a fervent supporter and advocate of a rail based system; being an
architect and an
urban planner placed him in good stead. When he became the then-Minister for Communications (now the
Ministry of Transport), he had to convince the cabinet in a
debate in early
1980, that the
S$ 5 billion was needed for the system would be beneficial for the long-term development of Singapore. He argued that
"this is going to be the most expensive single project to be undertaken in Singapore. The last thing that we want to do is to squander away our hard-earned reserves and leave behind enormous debt for our children and our grandchildren. Now since we are sure that this is not going to be the case, we'll proceed with the MRT, and the MRT will usher in a new phase in Singapore's development and bring about a better life for all of us."Therefore, a provisional Mass Rapid Transit Authority was established in July
1980, after the debate. However, Mr Ong faced strong opposition from other members of the cabinet, by Finance Minister
Goh Keng Swee, due especially to the heavy investments involved. A team of specialists from
Harvard University, recommended that an all-bus system would be sufficient into the
1990s, and would cost 50
% less than a rail-based system.
Later on, two independent
American transport and urban planning specialist teams were then appointed by the government to conduct their own independent reviews as part of the Comprehensive Traffic Study in
1981. This debate was also brought to national television in September
1980, which was rare at that time. The study came to a conclusion that an all-bus system would be inadequate as it would have to compete for road space which would have been increasingly overcrowded by then. A solution would be solved by building a rail system. Mr Ong hence declared in triumph on
28 March 1982, that
"the Government has now taken a firm decision to build the MRT. The MRT is much more than a transport investment, and must be viewed in its wider economic perspective. The boost it'll provide to long term investors' confidence, the multiplier effect and how MRT will lead to the enhancement of the intrinsic value of Singapore's real estate are spin-offs that cannot be ignored."Construction begins
The Singapore government granted permission to begin the construction of the country's then largest public works project was given in May
1982. A ground-breaking ceremony commenced the construction on
22 October 1983 at Shan Road. The majority of the work was expected to be completed in
1992. This included 67
km of track to be constructed, with 42 stations, which 26 would be
elevated, 1 at grade and 15 underground. The network was constructed in stages, with the
North South Line given priority as the line passed through the
Orchard Road corridor as well as the
Central Area, both of which faced a high demand for public transport. Also, it was near the more densely populated housing estates such as
Toa Payoh and
Ang Mo Kio. The MRT Corporation, now
SMRT Corporation, was established on
14 October 1983, taking over the roles and responsibilities of the former provisional Mass Rapid Transit Authority.
Initial opening
On
7 November 1987, the first 6 kilometres of the
North South Line from
Yio Chu Kang to
Toa Payoh went into operation. The novelty resulted in thousands flocking to the 5 station segment of the line just to experience and try out the system. At the launching of
Toa Payoh Station, Mr Ong was quoted as saying that
"this is like a 20-year affair from conception to delivery. Now the baby is born, to say that I am happy and pleased is an understatement."Nine more stations from
Novena to
Outram Park were officially opened
12 December 1987 by then
Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. These trains ran as a through service from one end to the other. Two stations on the system became interchange stations at
City Hall and
Raffles Place.
Tanjong Pagar and
Outram Park on the
East West Line.
The system was officially launched on
12 March 1988 by Mr
Lee Kuan Yew, the former
Prime Minister of Singapore, coinciding with the opening of six more stations from
Tiong Bahru to
Clementi.
Nearing completion
The rest of the system opened rapidly in stages.
*
5 November 1988: Three stations on
East West Line from
Jurong East to
Lakeside were opened.
*
20 December 1988: Two stations on
North South Line from
Khatib to
Yishun were opened, completing the Northern section of the line.
*
4 November 1989:
Marina Bay, the last station on the
North South Line, was opened. Also opened were nine stations on the
East West Line from
Bugis to
Tanah Merah. Hence forth, the system started to run as a two-line system, with the 2-level interchanges coming into full operation at
City Hall and
Raffles Place.
*
16 December 1989: Three stations on
East West Line from
Simei to
Pasir Ris were opened, completing the Eastern section of the line.
*
10 March 1990: Three stations on a Branch Line starting from
Jurong East to
Choa Chu Kang were opened.
* On
6 July 1990, the last station on the
East West Line,
Boon Lay, was opened, which marked the completion of the system two years ahead of schedule.
North South Line Woodlands Extension
 |
Woodlands is a station on the Woodlands Extension. It was built with the Woodlands Regional Interchange located under the station. |
In less than a year after the completion of the MRT project, the government announced in February
1991 their intentions to extend the system to
Woodlands. Construction commenced in
1993, and the 16
km, 6 station elevated line was opened on
10 February 1996 at a total cost of
S$$1.2 billion. With thus extension, the
North South Line included the three stations on the former Choa Chu Kang Branch Line (
Jurong East,
Bukit Batok,
Bukit Batok and
Choa Chu Kang), forming a continuous line from
Jurong East to
Marina Bay.
The construction of the extension was not without political fallout. For a long time, the politicians representing residences in the North-East area of the island have been calling for the construction of a planned
North East Line. The announcement of the Woodlands Extension has led to protests especially from opposition members of parliament, in particular from
Chiam See Tong and
Low Thia Khiang, representatives of
Potong Pasir and
Hougang constituencies respectively, with both areas potentially benefiting from such a line. The opposition members accused the government of favouring the Woodlands Extension over the
North East Line due to opposition representation in the north-east area, arguing that there were far more residents in the north-east compared to the north, and questioned the rationale of building the Woodlands extension when the north was relatively undeveloped.
Woodlands New Town was only half completed, and
Sembawang New Town was still in the planning stage at that time.
More than a decade later, however, when the disputes with
Malaysia over the railway land used by KTM escalated, it came to the fore, that one of the criteria the Malaysian authorities had listed before they would consider shifting the existing railway station away from
Tanjong Pagar was for the MRT system to be introduced to
Woodlands. On
16 October 2003, in response to a question fielded in parliament, Professor
S. Jayakumar, then Minister for Foreign Affairs, mentioned, that the
Points of Agreement concluded between the two sides on
27 November 1990 included a clause stating that KTM will shift the station to a site adjacent or close to the
Woodlands MRT station within five years from the day the MRT to
Woodlands is opened, something the KTM has not yet done.
Considering that the Points of Agreement was made in the year
1990, and followed quickly by an announcement to build the MRT line a year later in
1991, there is a possibility, that the line was given priority over the
North East Line due more to international and local political concerns than economic considerations alone.
Introduction of the Light Rapid Transit
The concept of having rail lines which could bring people from door to door without requiring the use of road-clogging buses was much favoured by the government transport planners, especially with the increased emphasis on a rail-based public transport network. On
6 November 1999, the first LRT trains on the
Bukit Panjang LRT Line went into operation.
The system, as well as the light rail concept, was not without its criticisms. With the system in Bukit Panjang experiencing lower-than-expected ridership in its earlier years, several feeder bus services to the estate were removed or amended to encourage ridership, much to the chagrin of many local residents. Popular opinion against the LRT system was high, with complaints that the new LRT system was more expensive compared to buses, less comprehensive in coverage, and less reliable. Indeed, the Bukit Panjang system experienced over 50 breakdowns since its opening, prompting the
Land Transport Authority to impose hefty fines on its operator,
SMRT Corporation.
Public confidence in the overall LRT system was so low, that when
SBS Transit announced the commencement of operations in her system in
Sengkang, much emphasis was made on the different rail system that has been adopted, as well as constant reassurances on reliability and safety. That this system was linked to the
North East Line, the first fully automated and driverless heavy rail system in Singapore and the world, necessitated the increased attention paid to public-confidence.
The
Expo Station opened on
10 January 2001, sporting a "
space age" architecture designed by world renowned architect Sir
Norman Foster. The roof is clad in
titanium and its design enabled the platform to be free of any columns, freeing up space in a station which will be used by thousands of visitors to the massive 100,000
square metre Singapore Expo next door.
 |
An exterior view of the Dover Station, which was built around existing elevated railway track and has overpasses leading to Singapore Polytechnic and bus stops on both sides of the road. |
The
Dover Station, built on the
East West Line between the
Clementi and the
Buona Vista, was opened on
October 18,
2001. The first station to be built over an operating rail line with no disruptions to train services (although trains drove by the site at a reduced speed during the construction phase), it was also the first elevated station with two side platforms on either side of the tracks, as opposed to having an island platform in all other elevated stations.
Adjacent to the
Singapore Polytechnic on one side, and undeveloped land on the other, the building of the station was met with reservations by some members of the public over its low
catchment area. There were criticisms over the spending of "tax payer's money" chiefly for use only by students of one educational institution. The government proceeded with the construction anyway, citing the catchment area extends to public housing flats on either end of the polytechnic, and that the undeveloped land opposite is slated for extensive development, largely residential in nature.
For a long time since its opening in
1981, the
Singapore Changi Airport has relied on
taxis and buses as the primary means of public transportation to the rest of the country. They served the airport well, but concerns over competition from other regional airports which often feature quick rail-based services to their city centres, such as the one in nearby
Kuala Lumpur International Airport, has accelerated the government's plans to build a rail link to the airport.
Provision has long been made for a new line branching off from the existing
East West MRT Line at the
Tanah Merah MRT Station, with some conceptual plans showing a tentative route alignment up to the airport along Airport Boulevard, continuing beyond the airport to Changi point, before turning southwest back towards the city along the east coast of the island. When the extension to the airport was finally announced, however, the route alignment showed a deviation from previous plans.
The final plan involved building only the first two stations, namely
Expo, an elevated station directly adjacent to the
Singapore Expo, and the
Changi Airport an underground station built between Terminal Two and the upcoming Terminal Three. The alignment of the station at the airport has been switched perpendicularly to an East-west direction, such that the station leads to two of the terminals directly from either end of the station.
Changi Airport Station was opened on
8 February 2002, giving the airport its first rail link in 21 years. Initially operated as a shuttle service, through services from Boon Lay were commenced after the full opening, but due to ridership falling below expectations the service was reverted into shuttle mode in
2004.
|
The entrance to Chinatown MRT Station at street level: the completion of the North East Line allowed the prominent ethnic neighbourhood of Chinatown to be connected by rail to the rest of Singapore's towns for the first time. |
The
North East Line, the first line operated by
SBS Transit and among the first fully-automated heavy rail line in the world, opened on
June 20,
2003. Due to system problems of the line, it was delayed back by six months which was scheduled to open in December
2002. The construction period of the North East line was fraught with many delays and some budget problems. It marked the pinnacle of a long and chequered history of over two decades since the conception of the line had taken place along with that of the original system which was eventually completed in
1990. As of May
2005, the line was still running at a deficit, and the line operator, SBS Transit, still turns a profit themselves essentially only because of its public bus service. Running from
HarbourFront where Singapore's former World Trade Centre building lies to
Punggol to the northeast of the island, this line allowed for previously isolated or distanced areas to be linked up with the rest of Singapore by rail. The trains on the North East line are driverless and fully automated.
1987 - 1996
The MRT was a very recent addition for Singapore and as such, the authorities wanted to keep the MRT map as easy to use for Singaporeans as possible. Hence, each direction of travel was
colour coded in a different
colour as though it were a line on its own. In that way, confusion in decision-making when taking a certain line in a certain direction would be reduced for passengers. However, this reduced the amount of colours available for new lines and was not in line with international practice.
Previously, each direction of travel on the MRT was denoted on system maps as a different colour.
* Northbound services were denoted in yellow
* Southbound services in red
* Eastbound services in green
* Westbound services in blue
* Northbound Choa Chu Kang Branch Line services in orange
* Southbound Choa Chu Kang Branch Line services in brown
Each station was also assigned a unique alphanumeric code, with the alphabet indicating which part of the island the station lies at (North, East, West, Central, Marina Bay region or Choa Chu Kang Branch Line) & the numbers (in ascending order from the centre of the island) indicating which part of that region the station is located at.
* Stations from Bugis to Pasir Ris denoted by codes E1 to E12
* Stations from Tanjong Pagar to Boon Lay denoted by codes W1 to W12
* City Hall Station, Raffles Place Station & Marina Bay Station denoted as C2, C1 & M1 respectively
* Stations from Dhoby Ghaut to Yishun denoted by codes N1 to N12
* Stations from Bukit Batok to Choa Chu Kang denoted by codes B1 to B3
1996 - 2001
The colour and alphanumeric codes for each direction of travel remained unchanged, except that with the opening of the Woodlands Extension (connecting Yishun station to Choa Chu Kang station), the Jurong East - Choa Chu Kang Branch Line ceased to exist. As such, the formerly Northbound Choa Chu Kang Branch Line services in orange travelled southbound to Marina Bay & as such were denoted as red while the formerly Southbound Choa Chu Kang Branch Line services in brown originated from Marina Bay, hence having travelled northbound it was denoted as yellow. The alphanumeric codes for these stations were also replaced. Expo station which opened in 2001, was denoted by the code E13 for a short while.
The Bukit Panjang LRT opened in 1999 and was given the colours purple and orange to represent its direction of travel. Due to the alignment of the route, which was a loop track around Bukit Panjang New Town, the map was different. The stations were given the alphanumeric code A1 to A14, with numbering starting from Choa Chu Kang interchange and going anti-clockwise direction on the loop. The directional arrow on the shared service track (between stations A1 to A6) was split, half purple coloured and half orange coloured. From Bukit Panjang station, the orange arrows travelled in an anti-clockwise direction (service B) while the purple arrows travelled in a clockwise direction (service A).
From 31 July 2001
Because of an expanding rail network, the MRT System Map could no longer afford to have each direction of travel represented by a different colour. Eventually, the map would run out of colours to use to represent each direction of travel. This was the main reason behind the revamp. Using the acclaimed London Underground Map as a reference, the MRT System Map was revamped.
Colours were used to represent each line rather than each direction of travel, cutting the usage of colours by half and preserving other colours for future lines.
* Red for
North South Line* Green for
East West Line* Purple for
North East Line* Orange for the future
Circle Line* Grey for all LRT lines
The direction of travel was instead represented by numbers contained within a coloured circle located at the ends of each line, known as the destination number.
* The number 1 contained within a green circle represent East West Line services travelling towards Pasir Ris Station.
* 2 on green for
East West Line services towards Boon Lay
* 3 on green for
East West Line Shuttle services towards Changi Airport
* 4 on red for
North South Line services towards Jurong East
* 5 on red for
North South Line services towards Marina Bay
* 6 on purple for
North East Line services towards HarbourFront
* 7 on purple for
North East Line services towards Punggol
* 8 on orange for
Circle Line services towards Dhoby Ghaut
* 9 on orange for
Circle Line services towards HarbourFront (maybe extension to Marina Bay)
* 10 possibly for
Circle Line services towards Chinatown on the Downtown Extension
Services towards Tanah Merah are not given a number. This is because when this system map was implemented, it was planned for through services to Changi Airport from Boon Lay and vice versa. Though shuttle services replaced it in 2004 due to low ridership of this service, it was decided that this system was preserved.
Like before, each station was assigned a unique alphanumeric symbol. However under this revamped system map, the alphabet in each symbol denotes the line (rather than the region of Singapore the station lines in previously) and the number increases in ascending order from East to West (East West Line), North to South (North South Line), towards the North East (North East Line) & in an anti clockwise direction (Circle Line). Interchange stations will then have at least two codes. For example,
City Hall will have two codes, EW13 for the East West Line section and NS25 for the North South Line section.
*
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)Citations
