RESIDENTS have given the thumbs up to plans to transform three Housing Board (HDB) estates: Hougang, East Coast and Jurong Lake.

The HDB said yesterday that almost every one of the 13,000 residents it polled at exhibitions displaying the fresh and enhanced features is ‘looking forward eagerly’ to the changes.

The three areas are home to around 700,000 residents, and about 77,000 of them went to exhibitions held in January on the upgrading plans.

The rejuvenation of these areas is part of the HDB’s Remaking Our Heartland programme, which will see homes upgraded and outdoor spaces enhanced.

It is the second phase of the initiative, announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2007.

The first covered Punggol, Yishun and Dawson precincts, where waterfront parks, cycling paths and designer Housing Board blocks were being developed.

The HDB statement yesterday said its poll found some features were especially popular with residents.

In Hougang, residents will see an improved town centre, with a mixed commercial and private development that offers shopping, dining and entertainment facilities.

There will also be waterfront housing and the upgrading of flats plus a heritage corridor along Upper Serangoon Road, with signs that tell Hougang’s history.

In East Coast, a popular recreational spot for many Singaporeans, residents gave the thumbs up to a dedicated cycling and pedestrian path that will provide them with a direct link to Bedok Town Centre from Bedok Reservoir as well as the East Coast Park.

Jurong residents were most keen on the proposals to create new water playgrounds with attractions, waterfront hotels, new parks and promenades around the Jurong lakeside.

UP TO 35 more minutes of sleep time.
That is the good news for commuters when four stations added to the East-West MRT line open in 2016.

News of the extension, costing $3.5 billion, to serve Tuas, Tuas Crescent, Tuas West and Tuas Link was announced yesterday by Transport Minister Raymond Lim after he viewed new platform screen doors at Bedok MRT station.

He said the new link would improve accessibility and connectivity for people who work in Jurong and Tuas.

Travelling from Ang Mo Kio to Tuas West, for example, now takes 1hr 40min by train and bus. Once the extension is up, the trip will take 1hr 5min, saving 35 minutes.

The $3.5 billion will pay for the new stations, depot and trains as well as a road viaduct running parallel to the line.

When completed in 2016, the 7.5km extension from Joo Koon station is expected to cater to 100,000 passengers daily.

The East-West line, from Pasir Ris to Boon Lay, was fully opened in 1990. The extension, from Boon Lay to Joo Koon in 2009, now serves about 60,000 passengers daily.

Initial studies of the Tuas West extension, first released in the Land Transport Masterplan in 2008, called for three stations but further studies found that an extra one would help cater to more commuters.

Plans were also updated to include building a 26ha depot to house the extra trains the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is buying. The new depot – the fourth here – has room for 60 trains compared to Bishan depot’s 37.

The bigger space will be needed for the 22 new trains for the East-West line and 13 new ones for the Tuas West extension.

The first of the 22 new trains was delivered this week.

To make way for the new project, nine industrial properties will be acquired along with portions of 49 others.

LTA chief executive Chew Hock Yong said while there was traffic congestion in Tuas during peak periods, it was not ‘intolerable’.

‘The extension is about projecting ahead given the current economic growth and it is about us being ready in time for more workers taking up new jobs in the Tuas area,’ he added.

The road viaduct or overpass will serve as an alternative to Pioneer Road, the main thoroughfare in the area. It will have three lanes in both directions.

Companies welcome news of the new stations. With Joo Koon MRT station quite some distance away, those who do not drive rely on their colleagues for a lift or book a taxi in advance.

Many companies offer free shuttle services to staff in the morning and evening. At Compact Metal Industries in Tuas West, its 50 employees rely on three shuttle services.

But with the new stations, Mr Por Choon Seng, its general manager, said the improved access would mean that they ‘do not have to leave or reach the office only according to the shuttle times’.

Said Mr B. Y. Yee, managing director (Asean) of chemical company BASF South-East Asia: ‘It will also be easier to attract potential employees to work in Tuas, as some do hesitate due to the inaccessibility of the area.’

Source: STraits Times, 12 Jan 2011

THE western arc of the Circle Line looks more likely to open in the latter half of this year than any time soon.

This assessment is based on contracts the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has drawn up for some work for the line, although it would only say the opening date is expected to be some time this year.

One indication that the 12 stations on the 31-station line will open in the second half of the year is the revised timeline it gave last month when commissioning a commemorative book on the fully underground line.

Such books have been launched at the opening of major transport projects such as the North-East MRT Line and the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway.

The Circle Line book will cover the milestones of building the line and recognise the contributions of key people.

The LTA will give the publisher 27 weeks to produce the book from when it awards the contract, up from 23 weeks for previous books. It has yet to make public which of the three bidders has won the contract. This means the book is scheduled to be ready only after June.

Another indication that the line is unlikely to open in the next few months is the LTA’s plans for installing artwork at the stations.

One of them is an interactive artwork at Kent Ridge station that allows commuters to send messages on their mobile phones, which are then converted into poems and projected on a screen.

The LTA, which has yet to make public the winning bidder for the contract, has allocated three months for the installation to be done.

It also gave a contractor five months from Dec 13 to install another artwork by artist Yek Wong at One-North station.

Observers also note that the opening dates of the central and eastern sections of the Circle Line were both announced about three months in advance.

The May 30, 2009 opening date for the central section, later revised to May28, was announced on Feb 12; the April 17, 2010 opening date for the eastern section was announced on Jan 26.

The Circle Line is meant to ease crowding on existing lines, allowing people to bypass busy interchanges like Raffles Place and City Hall.

It is also part of a push for more people to take public transport, in line with a government masterplan to reduce travelling times and avoid road congestion.

Five stations on the line from Marymount to Bartley opened in May 2009, followed by 11 more from Dhoby Ghaut to Tai Seng in April last year.

The 12 unopened stations from Caldecott to HarbourFront will serve popular spots like Holland Village, Botanic Gardens and the National University of Singapore, as well as offices like Biopolis and Fusionopolis at one-north.

An extension to Marina Bay station on the North-South Line and Bayfront on the future Downtown Line is scheduled to be ready next year.

One station planned for the line, Bukit Brown, will not be opened until the area around it is developed.

All roads affected by the construction of the western stretch of the Circle Line since work there started in 2004 are scheduled to be reinstated by March, the LTA has said.

It also told The Straits Times that it is in the process of obtaining temporary occupation permits for the stations.

The permits allow the LTA to occupy the stations after meeting key regulatory requirements and signal the completion of building works, ahead of receiving formal certification.

The Straits Times found the outer structure of the 12 stations in different stages of completion over the weekend.

Some entrances, like the ones at Caldecott, Farrer Road and One-North stations, looked finished and cleaned up. The one at Botanic Gardens was still being landscaped, while that at Labrador Park station had only an outer frame without glass panels.

The opening of more stations is expected to boost travel on the line. There were an average of 154,000 riders a day on the central and eastern sections as of September last year, up from 30,000 in 2009.

Source: Straits Times, 11 Jan 2011

THE name ‘Circle Line’ is a bit of a misnomer.

Even when all 29 stations along its 33km route are in use by some time next year, it will not be a full circle: A gap of about 4km long will still separate the HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations.

The Ministry of Transport has not ruled out closing this ‘missing link’, but is now taking a ‘wait and see’ approach. It said: ‘We have to assess whether there’s sufficient ridership to justify such a direct linkage, as there are already alternatives now through the current rail network.’

It will continue monitoring the situation, it added.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said he believes closing the loop would ‘make sense’ and is glad the Government is not dismissing the option.

‘Commuters will then be able to travel clockwise or anti-clockwise, and trains don’t have to make a U-turn to go the other way,’ he pointed out.

Circle Line operator SMRT Corp agrees.

SMRT president Saw Phaik Hwa, noting also that a loop service will mean a quicker turnaround for the trains, said: ‘We welcome rail extensions that bring greater accessibility to commuters.’

Making the Circle Line go full circle will particularly benefit commuters now in the south-west. Those living in West Coast, Pasir Panjang and Telok Blangah will be able to get to the Marina downtown area in one train ride, as opposed to transferring to the North-East Line at HarbourFront, heading north to Dhoby Ghaut and then south again to Marina.

Closing the loop will also get these commuters more quickly to and from Suntec City, Beach Road, the National Stadium and the Old Airport Road hawker centre without needing to switch lines.

Telok Blangah resident Hwang Jeng Ming, 30, has realised this.

The maritime executive said that closing the loop will give people like him a direct route to Marina and farther east without having to change to another train.

If the extension is built, it will not be the first. In 2005, the Government announced that the Circle Line would be extended to the Marina downtown, where the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort and other commercial and leisure developments are sited.

Transport researcher Lee Der Horng of the National University of Singapore (NUS) has asked his students to assess the merits of closing the loop.

Their conclusion? It should be done, in view of the proposed redevelopment of Tanjong Pagar port into a new downtown area the size of Marina Bay, which sits where the gap in the line now is.

The provision of a rapid transit system is crucial to the redevelopment of the area, said Dr Lee. He added: ‘My view is that we should adopt a ‘transit-oriented development’ approach.’ The term refers to building an urban development around a highly efficient transit system that is within walking distance for those who live, work or play in it.

But Associate Professor Anthony Chin, who specialises in transport economics at NUS, warned that bridging the Circle Line’s ‘missing link’ should be weighed against other considerations.

Closing the loop will have several benefits to a group of commuters, he agreed, but pointed out: ‘Like all transport infrastructure projects, the central issue is economic and financial viability. So until the port moves out and enough density is created, one will have a hard time justifying it.’ The Government must weigh very carefully between addressing more pressing needs versus spending on closing the loop, he added.

The new downtown area proposed for the site where the port now sits was suggested by the Economic Strategies Committee. It suggested that when the port’s current lease expires in 2027, it could be re-sited in, say, Tuas.

Construction industry sources estimate that the link – if it is to have four stops – will cost between $1.5 billion and $2 billion at today’s cost.

Observers note that the Land Transport Masterplan has indicated that new lines can be built if they do not compromise the viability of the network. So, given that the viability of every individual new line is not a must now, the link could be built sooner rather than later.

The Straits Times understands that the Government has studied another option to closing the loop – by linking HarbourFront to the East-West line’s Tanjong Pagar station, and then joining it to Marina Bay.

Source: Straits Times, 23 Apr 2010

The National Library Board (NLB) announced on Wednesday that the new Serangoon Public Library will be located at “nex”.

“nex” is a mega eco-friendly mall linked to the new 16-bay Serangoon Bus Interchange and the stations of the new Circle line and existing North East line.

The Serangoon Public Library will cater to some 122,000 residents in Serangoon.

It will cover an area of about 17,000 square feet, and start with a collection of about 150,000 books, magazines and audio-visual material.

Source: Channel News Asia, 3 Feb 2010

THE former sleepy fishing village of Punggol is to undergo a green makeover that will transform it into Singapore’s first ‘eco-town’.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said on Wednesday that the northern coastal town is to serve as a testbed for innovative green technologies.

Testing such technologies at Punggol will allow the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to lower the implementation cost of these solutions and to replicate them across other towns, he added.
The HDB sees Punggol, one of Singapore’s younger towns, as being ideally placed to undergo the planned transformation.

It is already home to HDB’s first green housing project, Treelodge@Punggol, which features solar panels and rainwater recycling.

A waterway is being built at Punggol that will feature green landscapes and bring nature closer to residents.
The town has small, intimate estates featuring common green areas, accessible amenities and a well-integrated public transport network.

The HDB hopes the town’s green living environment will raise awareness of environmental sustainability.
To bring about Punggol’s revamp, it will be working with government agencies and private sector firms in the areas of energy, waste and water management.

The HDB is adopting a three-pronged approach to the development of the eco-town.
This will involve implementing effective urban planning designs that encourage residents to adopt greener lifestyles, using green technologies and educating residents through grassroots events.
Speaking to a 500-strong audience yesterday at an HDB-hosted housing conference at Suntec City, chief executive Tay Kim Poh said the HDB viewed such investment as being in line with its goal of providing a higher quality of life for residents.

‘As the largest developer in Singapore, we have the responsibility to promote environmental sustainability,’ he said.

He added that in recent years the HDB had been driving a number of initiatives to combat climate change.
It is introducing solar systems at four precincts – Tampines, Bukit Panjang, Tanjong Pagar and Marine Parade – with a combined capacity of 600 kilowatt-peak that will be used to offset the energy consumption of the towns.

Mr Tay underlined the importance of constantly rejuvenating ageing towns, and said HDB intends to extend to all towns its Remaking Our Heartland urban rejuvenation programme for public housing estates.

Over the next 20 to 30 years, this massive programme will revitalise older towns and estates, he said.

Source, Straits Times 29 January 2010

Property agents said the opening of the 11 new stations along the Circle Line is likely to push property prices up.

Agents MediaCorp spoke to estimate home prices will increase by 10 per cent while office rents will go up by 20 per cent.

They said estates like Serangoon, Bishan and Paya Lebar have a lot of market potential while units in industrial estates are also expected to be in high demand.

Eddy Ng, division director, ERA Real Estate, said: “Most of the workers are taking public transport, it can be very accessible for them, if there’s an MRT line that leads them back home after work.”

Source: Channel News Asia, 28 Jan 2010

With this new opening, about half the Circle Line or about 16 stations will connect commuters to places like the new Sports Hub through Stadium Station, to Suntec via Promenade Station and the museums via Bras Basah Station.

Transport Minister Raymond Lim said: “This is a significant thing for us because now you have these direct connections. So if you are on the eastern side, north-eastern side, you have a direct line that connects you instead of having to go to the city centre.”

So a commuter going from, say, interchange station Paya Lebar to Bishan can shave off about 18 minutes or half his travelling time, said the Land Transport Authority. Commuters can bypass the busy City Hall and Raffles Place stations.

Building the Paya Lebar Station was not easy. One of the challenges that engineers faced in building this interchange station was that they had to connect an underground line to an existing above ground station.

For commuters who also had to endure congestion during road diversions, the opening has been welcomed.

Said one man in the street: “The transportation was very bad and there used to have jams all over and time taken from one place to another was very bad. Now of course, there are a lot of changes.”

“It saves time, like when we are rushing to meet friends and family, it will be much more better,” said another commuter.

Transport authorities now expect the Circle Line ridership to spike to about 200,000 daily.

Also operating will be the station that caused a delay to the opening of the Circle Line when the site at Nicoll Highway collapsed.

Sim Wee Meng, group director, Rail, Land Transport Authority, said: “Nicoll Highway, we have built at the new site which is 100 metres away from existing site. It’s now completed and will open as part of Circle Line 1 & 2.”

As for the possibility of bus rationalisation, Mr Lim said: “The LTA will have to work with the operators to see whether they need to streamline any of the services in order to feed into the Circle Line.”

The final phase of the Circle Line, which will link up the western parts of Singapore to the line with stops in places like Botanic Gardens and Holland Village, is expected to be ready next year.

Source: Channel News Asia, 26 Jan 2010

HAVING just completed renovations to his three-room flat in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, Mr Jackson Wee was reluctant to take up a Housing Board offer to make changes to his interior.

But he had a change of heart after seeing the work done in flats in other precincts.

‘I was so surprised – it was done so nicely, the quality was so good. So I changed my mind,’ he said.

That was back in 2003.

Yesterday, the 63-year-old technical engineer was among 600 residents at a dinner to celebrate the completion of the Main Upgrading Programme (MUP) for 10 blocks in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10: Blocks 411 to 419 and 421.

Celebrating with them was Mr Lee Hsien Loong, MP for Teck Ghee ward in Ang Mo Kio GRC.

Pointing to the improvements made, he said it reflects a system that works in Singapore.

‘People support the Government, the Government works for the people. We work together to have (Budget) surpluses, and from the surpluses we give back something to Singaporeans.’

Mr Lee made the promise that more would be done for housing estates in Singapore.

‘We will have new plans to improve our estates, to build up Singapore,’ he said, without elaborating.

‘This is a continuous process because we never finish saying how we can make Singapore a better place to live,’ he added.

The upgrading of Mr Wee’s precinct and the 10 blocks in it cost $55 million. The Government paid the bulk of the bill.

It gave the precinct landscaped seating areas, a shady pedestrian boulevard, and covered linkways, among other amenities. The street soccer court was also upgraded.

Mr Wee said that the new amenities downstairs have changed the entire feel of the estate: ‘In the evenings now, you can see a lot of old residents going downstairs, taking walks.

‘Before, nobody went down.’

Within their homes, owners got new windows and new decorative timber doors. Toilets were upgraded, and many residents also opted to add an extra utility room to their flat.

Mr Wee, a Christian, turned the additional space into his prayer room, which he also uses occasionally as a guest room for relatives and friends.

Earlier in the evening, at a nearby estate, Mr Lee launched the polling and exhibition of a proposed Lift Upgrading Programme for 13 blocks in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10.

The project would upgrade lifts in Blocks 464 to 476. Residents will have to decide whether to go ahead with the project by Monday.

The Lift Upgrading Programme will go ahead if at least 75 per cent of them vote for it.

Up to 85 per cent of the cost will be covered by the Government, and residents have the option to pay their share via monthly instalments over five or 10 years.

Housewife Kamisah Amat was so keen she cast her ‘yes’ vote almost immediately after the polling started yesterday evening.

The 50-year-old, who has lived in Block 471 since 2004, said she ‘has been waiting for the lift upgrading for very long’.

Source, Straits Times 22 January 2010