Singapore’s public transport system has achieved significant milestones and has ambitious plans ahead, but residents in some parts of the country feel connectivity to their estates can be better. SINGAPORE: Living in Tanjong Katong, information technology consultant Benny Kosasih’s daily commute to the central business district can be unpredictable.
Those bound for Maxwell, Outram Park and Orchard stand to gain the most, given that previously, bus journeys could take up to an hour, or about twice the time compared to now with the new MRT service.However, in several pockets of estates across the island, some residents are still left wanting, as they have no choice but to continue to rely primarily on buses to get around.
Despite the remoteness, he chose Changi Village for its proximity to nature, which he finds beneficial for his well-being. “This area is quite central, but there’s no MRT station here,” he told TODAY when met at a bus stop outside Block 19. The area is served by two buses, SBS Transit service number 21 and 129, whose frequency can be as long as 25 minutes.
The target of having eight in 10 households within a 10-minute walk to a train station by 2030 has been talked about since 2013 amid continuing efforts to make Singapore a car-lite city. The government targets to have eight in 10 households within a 10-minute walk to a train station by the 2030s. The expansion of the MRT network continued at a brisk pace. Just three years after the North-South Line, the East-West Line started operations, bridging the eastern and western parts of the island.
There are now over 140 stations spread across six MRT lines, covering over 230km and catering to a daily ridership exceeding three million.Then-Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said in 2021 that the government has been spending about S$1 billion a year to subsidise rail operations and another S$1 billion a year to subsidise bus operations.
“For example, we have been enhancing or adding bus services to connect new housing estates to key transport nodes and other surrounding amenities,” the spokesman added.CONNECTIVITY ISSUES FOR SOME REMOTE AND CENTRAL ESTATES Despite being in the middle of Singapore, some residents in the area feel that they might have fallen through the cracks as connectivity is still not optimal.
The 41-year-old executive assistant, who usually drives, tried taking public transport to work once. She found that she had to walk 10 minutes to the nearest bus stop and take two buses just to get to her workplace in Suntec City.Whampoa residents have to take a 15-minute bus ride to Novena MRT Station or walk about 20 minutes to Boon Keng MRT Station.
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