<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Why Changi Airport must do more to do better
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to Mr Jorg Dietzel's letter last Saturday, 'Changi still king'. Some of his points do not provide a clear picture and require additional clarification.
It is untrue that Incheon International Airport in Seoul has no rail connection. Arex has run since March 2007, connecting the airport in Incheon to Gimpo Airport (the second largest airport in South Korea), the Incheon Subway and Seoul's extensive subway system via Seoul Subway Line 5 at Gimpo Airport. From January next year, Arex will run both express and commuter trains directly to Seoul station, cutting the express service trip to the city to just 45 minutes.
Changi offers a wide range of transfer options to the city - from limousine service, taxis and a shuttle coach service to a rail link and public buses, with even the most expensive option being relatively affordable. However, that does not mean there is no room for improvement or forward-oriented thinking.
Unlike Arex, Hong Kong's Airport Express or the Express Rail Link (ERL) in Kuala Lumpur, SMRT does not offer travellers the option of a dedicated express service to the city. Both Arex and ERL offer a choice between commuter and express services, while the Airport Express is a bespoke express-only line.
Instead, the rail link servicing Changi is a short spur line, providing a shuttle service between Changi Airport station and Tanah Merah interchange, where users transfer to trunk services on the East-West Line. The rolling stock consists of standard rapid transit stock train sets without convenient luggage stowage or a comfortable seat configuration that are found on specialised airport express rail links.
While there may be a sound logic or cost-benefit reasoning behind this decision by transport planners, it means many air travellers choose not to take the MRT. Though this is mitigated by a relatively short taxi commute to the city, an ample supply of taxis and a comparatively affordable taxi pricing system, we should note that Changi's rail link is not really anything to shout about.
Geographic proximity is only one factor. Ease of connectivity is another. Singapore is more compact than many other urban centres, so the overall distance between its airport and the heart of its city works in its favour. While Changi Airport and Singapore's urban transport system have a lot of pluses, it does not mean they are 'world class' in every sense. Far from it. Goh Chee Seng
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to Mr Jorg Dietzel's letter last Saturday, 'Changi still king'. Some of his points do not provide a clear picture and require additional clarification.
It is untrue that Incheon International Airport in Seoul has no rail connection. Arex has run since March 2007, connecting the airport in Incheon to Gimpo Airport (the second largest airport in South Korea), the Incheon Subway and Seoul's extensive subway system via Seoul Subway Line 5 at Gimpo Airport. From January next year, Arex will run both express and commuter trains directly to Seoul station, cutting the express service trip to the city to just 45 minutes.
Changi offers a wide range of transfer options to the city - from limousine service, taxis and a shuttle coach service to a rail link and public buses, with even the most expensive option being relatively affordable. However, that does not mean there is no room for improvement or forward-oriented thinking.
Unlike Arex, Hong Kong's Airport Express or the Express Rail Link (ERL) in Kuala Lumpur, SMRT does not offer travellers the option of a dedicated express service to the city. Both Arex and ERL offer a choice between commuter and express services, while the Airport Express is a bespoke express-only line.
Instead, the rail link servicing Changi is a short spur line, providing a shuttle service between Changi Airport station and Tanah Merah interchange, where users transfer to trunk services on the East-West Line. The rolling stock consists of standard rapid transit stock train sets without convenient luggage stowage or a comfortable seat configuration that are found on specialised airport express rail links.
While there may be a sound logic or cost-benefit reasoning behind this decision by transport planners, it means many air travellers choose not to take the MRT. Though this is mitigated by a relatively short taxi commute to the city, an ample supply of taxis and a comparatively affordable taxi pricing system, we should note that Changi's rail link is not really anything to shout about.
Geographic proximity is only one factor. Ease of connectivity is another. Singapore is more compact than many other urban centres, so the overall distance between its airport and the heart of its city works in its favour. While Changi Airport and Singapore's urban transport system have a lot of pluses, it does not mean they are 'world class' in every sense. Far from it. Goh Chee Seng
