Transport Woes...

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Forum: Make MRT stations more wheelchair-friendly​

DEC 22, 2022

I refer to the report, “New SBS Transit programme helps wheelchair users navigate routes with travel buddies as guides” (Dec 19).
I applaud SBS Transit for helping wheelchair users navigate travel routes.
As our society ages, more seniors may have walking difficulties and require a wheelchair. Private-hire transport is expensive for wheelchair users.
We should make Singapore a more wheelchair-friendly society.
We can start with some of the MRT stations that the elderly frequent such as Chinatown MRT station. The station’s exit D leading to People’s Park Centre does not have a lift or wheelchair ramp.
Small changes in our environment can make a big difference in the life of the elderly. Let’s make Singapore a more accessible country.

Emily Yap Yong An

 

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Two drivers taken to hospital after road accident in Upper Serangoon​

The accident involved a bus and a taxi at the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Bartley Road. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM SG ROAD VIGILANTE/FACEBOOK
Fatimah Mujibah

Jan 8, 2023

SINGAPORE - Two people were taken to hospital after a double-decker bus was involved into a collision with a taxi at a road junction in Upper Serangoon.
In a video posted on Facebook by SG Road Vigilante on Saturday, a yellow taxi can be seen driving on a road with the traffic lights beaming green. A double-decker bus from the left junction is then seen heading towards the taxi and crashing into it.
The police said they were alerted to the accident on Jan 5 at around 11pm. The accident involved a bus and a taxi at the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Bartley Road.
A 58-year-old male bus driver and a 67-year-old male taxi driver were taken conscious to hospital, the police said. The bus driver is assisting with investigations, which are ongoing.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force, which was also alerted to the accident, said two people were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
SBS Transit said on Saturday that passengers on board the bus were unhurt, and it was investigating the incident.
Its vice-president (special grade), customer experience and communications, Mrs Grace Wu, said the bus collided with a taxi that had right of way at the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Bartley Road.

“We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to our passengers and affected motorists. Meanwhile, we are investigating the incident,” she added.

 

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North-South Corridor: 3 key gripes from residents and how LTA is dealing with them​

The North-South Corridor construction along Ang Mo Kio Ave 6. ST PHOTO: THADDEUS ANG

Kok Yufeng
Transport Correspondent

Jan 25, 2023

SINGAPORE - Noise, vibrations and traffic diversions. These are the three major bugbears that residents and businesses near the upcoming North-South Corridor (NSC) have about the construction work that has been going on right at their doorsteps.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that efforts are being made where possible to minimise these inconveniences.

Noise and vibrations​

Currently, the NSC works are largely centred on building diaphragm walls for the 12.3km of underground road tunnels that will be part of the integrated transport corridor.
The construction of these reinforced concrete walls – which form the foundation and permanent walls for the tunnels – is the main source of noise and vibrations that the residents have complained about.
These works are critical to safety, as the diaphragm walls protect existing structures and ensure the stability of the construction site. Hence, they must be completed in a continuous manner without stopping, said LTA.
This is why, even though the plan is for other noisy work to end by 10pm, diaphragm wall construction is often carried out late into the night.
LTA said the diaphragm walls are typically built in 6m segments, and it takes about a week to complete each panel, depending on the ground conditions.

The process involves excavating a trench, filling it with a stabilising fluid, inserting a steel cage, and then pouring in concrete to form the wall panel.
For the NSC, the diaphragm walls are being built to a depth of 20m to 50m, equivalent to seven to 16 storeys underground.
If there are hard rock layers to be excavated, more time and energy are needed, which in turn lead to more noise.

Vibrations may also be induced when the trench excavation for the diaphragm walls reaches the underground rock layer, the authority said.

Mitigation​

LTA said that it carries out daily real-time vibration and noise monitoring, and that pre-condition surveys are conducted by specialists before works begin so that these disturbances can be managed before and during construction.
Meanwhile, the physical measures put in place to reduce construction noise include the erection of temporary noise barriers near surrounding buildings.
Noise enclosures and mufflers are also fitted onto construction machinery to tackle the noise issue at the source.
Inflatable noise barriers are added where feasible.
However, these preventive measures have their limits.
For instance, the noise barriers cannot be built too high as taller barriers require larger foundations, and the machines cannot be completely enclosed as this poses a risk of overheating.

Traffic diversions​

The NSC is being built in densely built-up areas, which means there is limited space for LTA and its contractors to manoeuvre. Road traffic has to be diverted as a result, to make room for the construction works.
For instance, traffic junctions in Novena have been reconfigured twice already – in October 2020, and again in October 2022.
LTA said such traffic diversions are implemented during off-peak hours to minimise disruptions. They are planned such that traffic is passable in all directions throughout the duration of the construction works.
The impact of the diversions is also monitored continuously, and adjustments are made to the traffic scheme and traffic light timings, if necessary, LTA added.
“We constantly have to compete for space to do our work safely but, at the same time, not disrupt traffic too much. So, it is a delicate balance,” Mr Ang Mau Koon, an LTA deputy director for the NSC project, said.

The North-South corridor construction along Thomson Road on Dec 23, 2022. The physical measures put in place to reduce construction noise include the erection of temporary noise barriers near surrounding buildings. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Engagement​

For Mr Ang and the NSC project team, talking to affected residents, businesses and other stakeholders has also been a major aspect of their work.
He said LTA collects feedback through engagement with stakeholders and makes improvements where possible.
For instance, if there are new products that can better shield against the construction noise, LTA will encourage NSC contractors to use them.
LTA said it also works closely with residents to inform them of upcoming works.
This is done through circulars, regular project updates to grassroots advisers and community leaders, as well as LTA’s social media platforms.
Other engagement efforts include door-to-door visits, town-hall meetings and roadshows.
Mr Ang said: “Stakeholder management is very important. Thankfully, most people are quite understanding.”

 

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‘The noise is terrible’: Residents say quality of life affected by North-South Corridor construction​

Mr Jack Patel looking at the traffic and construction from the second-storey apartment he rented along Thomson Road. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Yong Li Xuan and Aqil Hamzah

Jan 25, 2023


SINGAPORE - Every day from about 1pm to 3pm, the floor of Mr Min Thit Saing’s rental unit shakes due to the construction work going on metres away from his home at Block 10D Braddell View.
The operations executive works primarily from home, so he also has to deal with the pounding and whirring of machines used to construct the North-South Corridor (NSC), a 21.5km transport route that will run right next to the 24-year-old’s apartment block.
“The noise is terrible,” he told The Straits Times in late 2022. “The best I can do is close the windows and curtains, and after a while, it just becomes a part of the background.”
In Thomson Road, Mr Jack Patel and his wife have taken more drastic measures – spending $2,000 to soundproof their 19-month-old baby’s room because the noise was affecting the child’s sleep.
According to the couple, who are both educators, construction work outside their apartment can start early in the morning and end past midnight. “There’s no peace and quiet, and you can’t relax,” Mr Patel, 42, said, adding that the construction has gravely affected the family of five’s quality of life.
He said the oldest of his three sons, who is six, has a sensory processing disorder, which makes the noise feel even louder.
Residents in Ang Mo Kio and Yio Chu Kang also said the construction of the upcoming transport corridor, which is slated to be completed from 2027, has disrupted their daily lives.

Joel Felix Raj, 15, who lives at Block 649 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, said it is difficult to concentrate on his schoolwork with the construction happening right outside his home.
But the secondary school student said he has learnt to live with it.
Meanwhile, businesses near the NSC have also lamented its impact on sales.

At Balestier Hill Shopping Centre in Thomson Road, the facade of the building is almost entirely covered by noise barriers put up by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as part of its mitigation measures.
Because of this, shops there are not visible from the street and many businesses have shuttered, said Mr Kent Tham, business manager for paint shop Hiap Soon Heng.
Mr Tham, 30, said sales at his shop, which has been at the shopping centre for more than 40 years, have also taken a hit, falling by at least 30 per cent since work on the NSC started in 2018. He said the business relies on its regular customers to survive.

According to Mr Jack Patel and his wife, who are both educators, construction work outside their apartment can start early in the morning and end past midnight. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Ms Cheryl Lim, 24, a sales associate at bicycle store Elite Custom, was more positive.
“We were told that construction would take about eight years, so we were kind of ready for it,” she said, adding that the cycling paths that will be built in front of the shopping centre as part of the NSC may help boost business in future.
Another source of frustration for residents has been the traffic diversions along the planned NSC route.

Mr Yap Keng Soon, 60, who lives in Castle Green condominium in Yio Chu Kang, said the diversions and road closures cause traffic jams during rush hour. Because of this, the traffic in the area can also be quite chaotic, said the senior program manager at Marvell Semiconductor.
GrabFood delivery walker Grace Phua, who lives near Newton Road, said the changes to the walkways and traffic junctions in the Novena area can be confusing. “Suddenly, the walkways change and pedestrians don’t even know where to go. Even the traffic lights keep changing,” the 44-year-old said, adding that she had stopped cycling to deliver food given the bad traffic.

View of the construction works and road diversion along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 9. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Residents said they hope LTA can do more to help them with the inconveniences, especially in the area of communications, notifying them more consistently about when noisier works will be conducted and for how long.
Mr Solomon Fang, 76, who lives at Block 10D Braddell View, said LTA and its contractors should give out earplugs to help residents cope with the noise.
“Every now and then, we’ll get an e-mail or a note, sometimes a WhatsApp message, saying that the construction work will take place at night as it involves the movement of earth material or concrete. But there’s no reprieve from the noise, you just have to bear with it,” the retiree said.
“Personally, I think the decision to proceed with the construction of the North-South Corridor is necessary, but the minimising of disruptions to residents is not good enough,” he added.

 

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Farrer Road sinkhole: Tunnelling machine under maintenance when ground destabilised​

Roadworks along Farrer Road on Nov 16, 2022, a day after a sinkhole formed on a slip road leading from Holland Road to Farrer Road. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Christopher Tan
Senior Transport Correspondent

Jan 25, 2023

SINGAPORE - In an update more than two months after tunnelling works caused part of Farrer Road to collapse, the Building and Construction Authority said a tunnel boring machine (TBM) was undergoing maintenance when the ground in front of it destabilised.
The TBM was excavating a tunnel for national water agency PUB’s Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) Phase 2 in the vicinity. The project was undertaken by Japanese construction firm Nishimatsu. A TBM works by cutting the earth in front of it, and conveying it to the back of the machine, where it is transported to the surface. It can also install concrete rings at each excavated section. These rings form the tunnel walls.
In response to queries filed by The Straits Times a week ago, a BCA spokesman said: “Our preliminary findings revealed that the tunnel boring machine was undergoing maintenance when the ground in front of the tunnel face destabilised.”
This in turn caused a sinkhole to form on a slip road leading from Holland Road to Farrer Road on Nov 15. No one was injured, but the road was closed to traffic for about a week. While the slip road has since been reopened, the left-most lane of the Farrer Road underpass as well as a short section of Farrer Road from the slip road have remained closed.
The BCA said this was to facilitate grouting and strengthening works. In grouting, a mixture of materials such as sand, water and cement is pumped into the ground or structures to stabilise them.
It added on Wednesday that its Stop Work Order for DTSS Phase 2 was still in force. “Tunnelling works will be allowed to resume after strengthening works are completed, and measures have been put in place to ensure stability of the remaining tunnelling works.” It is investigating the cause of the incident to see if there were “any contraventions of the Building Control Act and Regulations”.
“BCA will consider the appropriate enforcement action after the investigations have been completed,” a spokesman added.

In its response, PUB said it is aiming to complete the rectification works and fully reopen the closed sections by March.
Meanwhile, civil engineering circles are puzzled by the nature of the incident. A veteran engineer who has been involved in major public and private projects said it is common to change a TBM’s cutter teeth, which become worn as tunnelling progresses. Other forms of maintenance works may also be called for.
“But this sort of intervention is done in good stable soil,” he said. “If the soil is weak, it is pre-treated by grouting to harden it.”
Another civil engineer with tunnelling expertise said it was unusual for such an incident to occur while the TBM was stationary undergoing maintenance. “The ground would be more unstable if the TBM was pushing forward,” he said.
“I’m also baffled at how long the recovery works are taking. It has been two months.”
A third engineer posited that such incidents happen when the distance travelled by a tunnel boring machine “is less than the amount of earth excavated, thereby creating a void in front of the machine”. “It’s carelessness,” he added.
Industry watchers expect the incident to delay the completion of DTSS Phase 2.
This is not the first time tunnelling work had caused such an incident in the area. In 2008, tunnelling for the MRT Circle Line caused a cave-in in the same vicinity. An 8m by 7m stretch of Cornwall Gardens in Holland Village – barely 200m from the damaged Farrer Road – sank into a 3m-deep crater.

 

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Private bus company to operate two late night services from Jan 27​

Private bus charter company A&S Transit is launching its new night bus services to cater to the recovering nightlife scene. PHOTO: A&S TRANSIT

Kok Yufeng
Transport Correspondent

Jan 25, 2023

SINGAPORE - Commuters heading home late at night will have more transport options from Friday, as two new private bus services are set to ply one-way routes from the city to the heartland during the wee hours on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays.
Private bus charter company A&S Transit’s new night bus services will help to fill a void that was left after the discontinuation of the NightRider and Nite Owl bus routes, which were run by public transport operators SMRT and SBS Transit before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
The public night bus services were initially suspended in April 2020 due to the spread of the coronavirus here. They were later discontinued in June 2022, with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) citing low ridership, the availability of alternative transport modes and financial prudence as factors.
A&S Transit said it is launching its new night bus services - named NS-1 and NS-2 - to cater to the recovering nightlife scene. The new bus services also provide a low-cost transport alternative to commuters, who would otherwise have to travel via taxi or private-hire car after the MRT and regular bus services stop operating, the company added.
The new night bus services will both start plying from the bus stop opposite the MAS Building in Shenton Way.
NS-1 will pass through the Central Business District, Clarke Quay, River Valley, Orchard Road and Little India, stopping at public bus stops along the way.
It will then pass through Ang Mo Kio and Sengkang before ending in Punggol at the bus stop near Samudera LRT station.

NS-2 will similarly pass through the CBD, Clarke Quay and Orchard Road, before hitting bus stops in Newton, Yishun and Sembawang. The service will end in Woodlands, at the bus stop outside Woodlands Train Checkpoint.
Buses for the two new services will operate at 45-minute intervals, with the first bus leaving Shenton Way at 11.30pm and the last bus leaving at 2.30am in the morning.
More bus trips may be scheduled on the eve of public holidays.

In comparison, SMRT’s six NightRider services previously operated at 20 to 30-minute intervals, while SBST’s six Nite Owl services operated at 40-minute intervals.
A&S Transit said it will charge a flat fee of $4.50 for passengers who pay using their ez-link cards. Those who pay by cash will be charged $5, and they will need to provide the exact amount to the bus driver.
These fares are similar to SMRT’s now-defunct NightRider services, which used to cost $4.50 regardless of payment method.
SBST’s Nite Owl services were slightly cheaper at $4.40 for bus rides from the city, and $1.70 for trips between public housing estates.
A&S Transit told The Straits Times that its NS-1 and NS-2 services will each be served by three MAN A22 diesel buses that the firm had acquired from SMRT in 2021. Each bus has a seating capacity of 43 passengers, with no standing passengers allowed.
A total of 10 bus drivers will be deployed to operate the two new night bus services. A&S Transit said. “We do hope to hire more young bus captains to come on board specifically for these two routes,” the company added.

A&S Transit’s NS-1 and NS-2 services will each be served by three MAN A22 diesel buses that the firm had acquired from SMRT in 2021. PHOTO: A&S TRANSIT
LTA previously said that the decision to discontinue SMRT and SBST’s NightRider and Nite Owl bus services came after careful evaluation of various factors, including ridership.
Demand for the public night bus services was low even before the Covid-19 pandemic, LTA had said, and the withdrawal of the services would free up finite resources that could then be reallocated to meet new demand.
When asked by ST, LTA did not provide specific ridership figures for the NightRider and Nite Owl services, nor did it say how much the public night bus services had cost to operate.
ST also asked A&S Transit about the financial viability of its new night bus routes, given the previously low ridership for similar services.
In response, the firm said it expects to break even within six months. This is despite fuel and manpower costs rising by 70 per cent due to recent inflation, the company added.
An A&S Transit spokesman said the firm had done some research before deciding on the two new bus routes, which are targeted at newer estates with potentially higher demand while still serving less accessible areas.
“We still have much to learn and improve upon, as this is our first foray into night bus services,” the spokesman added. “We hope to gather more insights on what the public is looking for in night bus services, and to introduce more routes in future,” he said.
LTA told ST that it is open to proposals from commercial transport operators which wish to provide after-hours bus services for certain locations and routes.
Companies that wish to operate a bus service that charges fares and runs on a fixed timetable and route with two or more stops within Singapore are required to apply for a Class 2 Bus Service Licence.
LTA said it has approved A&S Transit’s application for two of these licences, as well as its use of selected public bus stops for immediate pickups and drop-offs.

 

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Forum: Unenforced rules on illegal parking may embolden others​

Jan 27, 2023

I am concerned with the general state of enforcement of road regulations (Illegally parked trailer still there despite repeated feedback, Jan 25).
I have made many reports of illegal parking along Taman Sireh on the OneService app, and received the same standard reply each time. I have not observed any physical ticket being issued to the errant vehicle so far, and the same vehicle has remained illegally parked for the past seven days.
I was also advised by the Land Transport Authority’s helpdesk to use the OneMotoring website to make the report. But I have used it since Jan 1 to report offenders, and have yet to see any action being taken against them.
What concerns me the most is that illegal parking, like littering, may seem like a trivial offence, but once such simple rules fail to be enforced effectively, it can signal the start of a decline in general law and order.
Unenforced rules will embolden other potential offenders.
Singapore cannot afford to go down this path.

Ong Eng Hua

 

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Forum: Delivery drivers deprived of spaces at unloading bays due to illegal parking​

Jan 28, 2023

I agree with Forum writer Ong Eng Hua’s points in his letter, “Unenforced rules may embolden others” (Jan 27).
I am a delivery driver and am often forced to search for an unoccupied parking space at the HDB loading and unloading bays. Many spaces are occupied illegally by non-commercial vehicles.
I am often forced to park along roads with double yellow lines, with my hazard lights on while doing my deliveries. As a result, I am often ticketed by parking wardens.
I try to plead that the delivery spaces are illegally occupied by others, but in vain.
On other days, I call the HDB enforcement hotline but no one arrives, sometimes even after an hour, despite my repeated calls.
Delivery drivers who are rushed for time cannot wait for those who park illegally to give way to us. Through no fault of ours, we are penalised and our appeals go unheard.
It is time the HDB reviewed its enforcement policies, otherwise ordinary delivery workers will bear the brunt of consequences arising from inconsiderate parking.

Richard Cheng

 

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Illegal carpooling chat groups on Telegram grow in popularity; LTA monitoring, will take action​

The largest carpooling chat group here, SG Hitch, has over 199,000 members as at Saturday, up from about 56,000 members in April 2020. PHOTO: UNSPLASH

Nadine Chua

Feb 6, 2023

SINGAPORE – On a Friday night, a trip from Bedok to Orchard Road cost $32 on ride-hailing apps such as Grab and Gojek, while the same trip cost $16 on an illegal carpooling chat group on Telegram.
To save on the trip, a 26-year-old teacher, who wanted to be known only as Ms Gen, opted for the carpooling service from SG Hitch to get from her home to Wisma Atria. Her ride in November 2022 put her off such illegal services for good.
“The driver drove dangerously. He was tailgating and speeding the entire time. He later admitted that he rarely drives,” Ms Gen told The Straits Times last week.
“I was really afraid when I was in his car, but because Telehitch is unregulated, there was no way for me to report him,” she said.
Chat groups such as SG Hitch on Telegram that connect drivers and passengers have grown in popularity over the years. These chat groups, known as Telehitch groups, started appearing around 2019 and are illegal and unregulated.
In Singapore, drivers offering private-hire ride services need to get a Private Hire Car Driver’s Vocational Licence (PDVL), but this is not required on Telehitch groups.
The largest carpooling chat group here, SG Hitch, has more than 199,000 members as at Saturday, up from about 56,000 members in April 2020.

A check by ST found that there are at least five such chat groups on Telegram, with the smallest having more than 18,000 members. One of these is a group for only female drivers and passengers, and it has more than 32,000 members.
The administrators of the chat groups did not respond to requests for comments.
In response to ST’s queries, a spokesman for the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said carpooling matched through informal non-business mediums, such as SG Hitch, is not allowed.

Carpooling arrangements facilitated by licensed business platforms such as GrabHitch and RydePool, as well as other licence-exempt business platforms which have fleets of fewer than 800 vehicles, are permitted, said the spokesman.
There are no restrictions on social carpooling among friends and colleagues, she added.
When asked what measures LTA has taken against illegal carpooling services on Telegram, the spokesman said the authority “will continue to monitor and take enforcement action against those providing illegal carpooling and carpooling matching services”.

In 2019, a man used carpooling chat groups on Telegram to dupe women into believing that he would drive them to their destinations. Instead, he drove them to secluded places and molested them. He was sentenced to five years and 10 months’ jail and given six strokes of the cane for molestation.
In the same year, a Nanyang Technological University student was reportedly molested by another driver on a Telegram carpooling chat group.
If found guilty of providing carpooling matching services, an individual may be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $10,000, or both.
Those convicted of providing illegal carpooling services without a vocational licence, or using an unlicensed vehicle, may be jailed for up to six months, fined up to $3,000, or both.
Passengers who opt for carpooling services offered by Telegram said they do so to save money, especially when fares spike on ride-hailing apps during peak periods.
They said they are aware of the risks involved. These include sexual harassment and other safety risks.
Ms Lim Zheng Yi, who works in IT and uses Telehitch about once a week, said she received nude photos from men on three occasions - once in 2021 and twice in 2022 - when using the platform to get rides.
The 23-year old said: “My friends who use Telehitch have also received unsolicited nude photos.
“But it hasn’t really deterred me from using these chats because the people who send such photos are the minority. I’ll just block them and usually these people will have their accounts banned from the chat group after a while.”
Another passenger, who wanted to be known only as Mr Wong, said he usually uses Telehitch at night when prices are high and it is tougher to get a ride.
The product manager, 26, said: “I’m aware of the safety concerns because the drivers are not screened and the service is illegal, so I’m slightly more alert during the ride.”
Most drivers using Telehitch whom ST spoke to said they use the platform to make a quick buck, even though they are aware that it is illegal.
A 27-year-old financial adviser, who declined to be named, said he picks passengers up on Telehitch about once or twice a month when he rents a car for the day.
“When I’m on my way home, I’ll just send a message on the chat and see if there is anyone I can pick up along the way. It’s just to cover petrol costs, so why not?”

Another Telehitch driver, a university student who wanted to be known only as Mr Tan, 25, said: “To be a driver on legitimate apps such as Grab and Gojek, a PDVL is required and I’m too young to apply for that.”
In September 2020, LTA announced that all new PDVL applicants must be at least 30 years old. Prior to that, there was no minimum age, although applicants had to have held a driver’s licence for at least two years to qualify.
Despite the dangers of using illegal carpooling services, many passengers looking to save on travelling cost are willing to take the risks.
A 20-year-old undergraduate, who wanted to be known only as Ms QX, said: “If the driver decides to take you to some place secluded and something bad happens to you, you cannot hold anyone accountable.
“But as someone who is trying to save money, I’m willing to sacrifice a bit of safety to get a better deal.”

 

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Track fault causes delay in morning commute on North-South MRT line​

File picture of an MRT along the Admiralty track. SMRT said that the track fault has been cleared and train services are progressively being restored. ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG

Amanda Lee
Correspondent

Feb 6, 2023

SINGAPORE - A track fault caused delays of up to 25 minutes for early morning commuters on the North-South MRT line between Choa Chu Kang and Yishun stations on Monday.
Transport operator SMRT first announced the delay in a tweet at 5.50am, when it told commuters to expect an additional travel time of 10 minutes from Marsiling to Admiralty stations towards the direction of Marina South Pier.
In subsequent updates, commuters were advised to add 15 minutes and later 25 minutes to their travel time between Yishun and Choa Chu Kang stations. Free regular bus and free bridging services were available between the stations. Commuters were also advised to take alternative lines or the Thomson-East Coast Line to the city area.
At 7.51am, SMRT said train services were fully resumed.
“We apologise to all commuters who were affected this morning,” it said in a tweet.
In a Facebook post at 7.22am, SMRT said a track fault had occurred near Woodlands station on the NSL just before the start of service.
“Train services are available, with trains moving at a slower speed between Choa Chu Kang and Yishun stations,” said SMRT, adding that free regular bus services are also available between those stations in both directions.


“Our engineers have been activated and are working to rectify the fault,” it added.

 

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Train fault causes delay during peak-hour travel on Thomson-East Coast Line​

Commuters waiting for a train at the Caldecott station along the Thomson-East Coast line at 6.45pm on Feb 6, 2023. PHOTO: MATTHEW TOH

Wong Shiying

Feb 6, 2023

SINGAPORE - A train fault caused delays of around 20 minutes on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) during the evening peak period on Monday.
In a tweet at 6.43pm, transport operator SMRT said trains were moving slower along the 22-station stretch from Woodlands North to Gardens by the Bay.
In a subsequent update, it said regular bus services were available free between Springleaf and Caldecott stations, a stretch of six stations.
Normal train service resumed at around 7.30pm.
Commuter Matthew Toh, 29, who boarded a train at Stevens station, said train services towards Woodlands were also affected.
He said: “We alighted at Caldecott at 6.40pm after the train captain announced there was an ‘incident’. The train remained stationary for about 10 minutes before moving off in the opposite direction it came from.”
“The platform was pretty crowded at this point and a station staff member was telling commuters not to enter the TEL platform because it was crowded.”

Mr Toh added that at around 7.05pm, station staff announced that those heading to Woodlands should continue their journey on the Circle Line instead.
This is the second train fault along the TEL in the past four days, and the second train disruption of the day.
Last Thursday, a train encountered a fault at Upper Thomson station at around 5.40am. This caused delays of about 10 minutes between Woodlands North and Caldecott stations. Normal train service resumed at around 6.30am.
A track fault caused delays of up to 25 minutes for early-morning commuters on Monday, on the North-South Line between Choa Chu Kang and Yishun stations.

 

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S'pore Grab user: Drivers refuse to cancel, don't show up, waste time & wait for higher surge pricing, as they're likely on multiple apps​

It is a drivers' market these days.
Belmont Lay | Nixon Tan | February 07, 2023

There is a dearth of taxis and private hire vehicles in Singapore now that the pandemic is about done and dusted, with many commuters here experiencing longer waiting times to get a ride.


The latest Public Transport Council's 2022 point-to-point transport services customer satisfaction survey out on Feb. 6 found that passengers' satisfaction with taxi and private hire car services dropped in 2022, with the score for waiting time falling the most.
And this is due to a shortage of drivers for taxis and private hire vehicles, with many not returning to the industry just yet.
A Grab spokesperson told CNA: "Our current supply of driver-partners is at about 70 per cent to 80 per cent of pre-Covid days while demand has increased with the opening of borders and economies."

Drivers get to pick and choose​

One Grab app user has written in to Mothership to highlight the extent of the problem of getting a ride these days.
With commuters competing with one another to board a vehicle and with drivers using multiple platforms to pick passengers, it has since become a drivers' market.
According to the commuter, he reckoned that drivers are taking advantage of the situation by using multiple apps to match with the highest surge pricing fare at the moment.
This comes at the expense of the commuter as some drivers do not even have the basic courtesy of informing passengers they have no intention of picking them up as they are going to another location to pick another higher-paying commuter.
Mothership has reached out to Grab for comment on this issue and will update this article when we get a response.

Surge pricing antics​

This is the Grab user's experience:
I am writing to you to highlight a certain practice by Grab drivers: They receive a booking and accept it, but realise that there is a price surge.
They then refuse to cancel the job and wait for the passenger -- who is waiting for them -- to cancel the booking instead.
This results in time wasted for the passenger, while the driver has probably switched to another app and accepted a booking with a fare that has surged.
I presume this practice of using multiple apps at the same time and picking and choosing jobs is due to the algorithm favouring drivers who do not cancel bookings, which allows them to keep passengers waiting with no intention of picking them up eventually.
From a lay person's understanding, Grab apparently operates on a "strike system", whereby drivers get "one strike" after showing behaviour like this.
However, I do not believe this is working given that this has happened to me twice in the space of two months, both between 9pm and 10pm on a weeknight -- peak period for people going home.
This was what happened to me.

First incident​

The first instance occurred on Dec. 1, 2022.
I booked a Grab ride home from work.
The booking was accepted at 8:53pm with the waiting time listed as 8 minutes.
I then realised that the driver was driving away from my location, and the waiting time climbed to 14 minutes.
The driver then texted me via the Grab app to say that he is “far away”.
When I attempted to cancel the booking, I was informed by the app that fares were S$10 higher than my original booking.
I’ve attached screenshots from this incident:

Second incident​

Most recently, this happened again.
I booked a grab at 8:51pm, with the car 6 minutes away.
The driver did not move, and cancelled on me at 9:14pm, 23 minutes after the booking was made.
Fare had surged from S$16.80 to S$22.80 when I next checked.

Offered S$3 discount once​

Of course, when I wrote in to Grab on both occasions, the driver was “given one strike” based on company policy.
In the first instance, I was provided S$3 off my next ride as a form of apology, while in the second instance, no compensation was offered.

Why do drivers get away with this?​

My reasoning: If Grab imposes a late fee on passengers who make drivers wait, shouldn’t Grab then impose a late fee on drivers who make passengers wait as well?
I can understand that drivers want to make as much money as they possibly can.
However, they should then not accept the booking in the first place, or at least take it on the chin and cancel on their end, if they would like the surge fare profit.
I am bringing this up to see how widespread this practice is and hopefully induce some change at some meaningful level.
Otherwise, Grab will continue to get away with taking advantage of Singaporeans' time and money.
Grab User

 

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Fault on North-South MRT line causes delay in morning commute, second disruption in 3 days​

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This is the second disruption on the line during the morning peak hour in three days. On Monday, the NSL was hit by a track fault. ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG

Ang Qing

Feb 7, 2023

SINGAPORE - MRT commuters on the North-South Line (NSL) are experiencing delays of up to 25 minutes during rush hour on Wednesday morning due to a fault in a track point.
This is the second disruption on the line during the morning peak hour in three days. On Monday, the NSL was hit by a track fault.
A track point fault – a glitch affecting a switch that allows trains to change tracks – had occurred between Sembawang and Admiralty MRT stations at 6.45am, transport operator SMRT said on Facebook.
It added that engineers are on-site to recover service, while trains are moving at a slower speed between Woodlands and Yishun stations in both directions.
Commuters are advised to add up to 20 minutes of train travel time and to take alternative routes, such as the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), to get to the city, the operator said.
SMRT first announced the delay in a tweet at 6.58am, when it told commuters to expect to add 10 minutes to their travel time between Yishun and Woodlands, adding that free regular and bridging bus services were available between those stations.
The delay was extended to 20 minutes at 7.52am and increased to 25 minutes at 8.59am.


Wednesday’s incident comes after commuters on the NSL and TEL were held up by glitches on Monday.
It is the fourth disruption in slightly over a week, with the TEL also plagued by delays on Feb 2 due to a train fault.

 

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Fault on North-South MRT line that disrupted morning rush hour resolved after 5 hours​

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This is the second disruption on the line during the morning peak hour in three days. On Monday, the NSL was hit by a track fault. ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG

Ang Qing

Feb 8, 2023

SINGAPORE - A track point fault on the North-South Line (NSL) that triggered delays of up to 25 minutes on Wednesday morning during rush hour was resolved more than five hours after it was flagged.
This is the second disruption on the line during the morning peak hour in three days. On Monday, the NSL was hit by a track fault.
A track point fault – a glitch affecting a switch that allows trains to change tracks – occurred between Sembawang and Admiralty MRT stations at 6.45am, transport operator SMRT said on Facebook.
SMRT said in a Facebook post that remedying the track point fault required staff to go to the track and check the faulty point machine, which is used to control train movements at rail junctions when trains move from one track to another.
“For safety, once the fault was detected, trains moved at a slow speed of 5kmh, resulting in commuters being advised to add 25 minutes (of) train travel time,” it said.
Wednesday’s incident was unrelated to the NSL track fault incident on Monday, the operator added.
Giving an update on Twitter at about 12.40pm, SMRT said staff had cleared the fault. Regular train service resumed shortly after.

SMRT first announced the delay in a tweet at 6.58am, when it told commuters to expect to add 10 minutes to their travel time between Yishun and Woodlands, adding that free bus services were available between those stations.
The delay was extended to 20 minutes at 7.52am and increased to 25 minutes at 8.59am.
At around 8am, SMRT said on Facebook that engineers were on-site to recover service, while trains were moving at a slower speed between Woodlands and Yishun stations in both directions.
Commuters were advised by the transport operator to take alternative routes, such as the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), to get to the city.

Wednesday’s incident comes after commuters on the NSL and TEL were held up by separate glitches on Monday.
It is the fourth disruption in slightly over a week, with the TEL also plagued by delays on Feb 2 due to a train fault.

 

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Forum: Height difference causing road completion delay hard to understand​

Feb 21, 2023

I read with great disappointment the article “Longer wait for direct route to Bartley Rd for Bidadari residents” (Feb 20).
Over the past few years, residents in the Bartley area have had to live with the construction of the Bidadari Build-To-Order (BTO) flats, the related infrastructure works, and also the road-widening works of Mount Vernon Road.
Since it was announced that Bidadari Park Drive was slated for completion in the first half of 2023, I had been waiting eagerly for the direct route to Bartley Road and for better traffic conditions.
It is deeply unsettling to now learn that the completion is postponed indefinitely. I am baffled to learn that the cause for the postponement was a height difference of more than 1m between Bidadari Park Drive and Bartley Road, and that the best-deemed remedy is to raise the already busy Bartley Road to match the height of the new road.
When the new road was being designed, did it not occur to the authorities and the construction team that there would be this height difference? How was this not picked up during the construction plan submission and approval stages?
I hope the authorities will learn from any lapses and mistakes from this situation, and hold the relevant personnel accountable for this waste of taxpayers’ money.

Liew Hwei Cheung

 

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Train service resumes after fault causes 3rd disruption on North-South MRT Line in 3 weeks​

This is the third disruption on the North-South Line in three weeks. ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG
Gabrielle Chan

Feb 22, 2023

SINGAPORE – A train fault caused delays of up to 25 minutes for commuters on the North-South Line (NSL) between Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio MRT stations on Wednesday morning.
This is the third disruption on the NSL in three weeks. On Feb 6 and 8, the NSL was hit by a track fault and track point fault, respectively. A track point fault is a glitch affecting a switch that allows trains to change tracks.
Transport operator SMRT announced the delay in a tweet at 10.10am, telling commuters to add travel time of 15 minutes from Woodlands to Yishun stations towards Marina South Pier.
Later, commuters were advised to add 25 minutes to their travel time between Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio stations.
The operator said in a tweet at 11.10am that train services were “progressively returning to normal” before updating that regular train services had resumed between the two stations at around 11.15am, about an hour after the train fault was announced.

Free bus services between Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio were available during the period of disruption.
In a Facebook post at about 11.30am, SMRT said the train fault occurred near Yishun station.

It added that commuters in the train safely disembarked at the station and the faulty train was taken to the depot for investigations. Commuters were also advised to take alternative routes such as the Thomson-East Coast Line to get to the city area.
“We are sorry to affect your journey this morning,” SMRT said.

 

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Train fault causes delay on Thomson-East Coast MRT line during peak hour​

A train fault delayed commuters by 25 minutes on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) on Tuesday evening. PHOTO: SMRT/FACEBOOK

Fatimah Mujibah

Mar 7, 2023

SINGAPORE – A train fault on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) disrupted peak-hour travel by almost three hours on Tuesday evening.
Transport operator SMRT alerted the public on Twitter about the fault at 5.05pm and said commuters should expect an additional travelling time of 25 minutes. Free bus services were provided between Caldecott and Gardens by the Bay MRT stations.
SMRT later advised commuters to use other MRT lines, adding that free bus transport was available between Caldecott and Orchard stations. After about 40 minutes, it revised the additional travelling time to 15 minutes.
At 6.27pm, SMRT said in an update that train services towards Gardens by the Bay have resumed.
Free bus transport was still available for those affected by the disruption and travelling towards Woodlands North station.
Shedding more light on what caused the train fault, SMRT said in a Facebook post that the problem happened at Orchard station towards Woodlands at 4.40pm. The defective train has been withdrawn for investigations.
“We are sorry to affect your evening commute,” it said.

At 7.21pm, SMRT said train services had resumed and free bus transport had ended.
Despite the train delays, Caldecott station was not crowded when The Straits Times visited around 6.40pm.
Ms Nursurya Ibrahim, who was on her way from Maxwell to Woodlands to pick up her baby, realised the train was moving extremely slowly when she boarded it at about 5.10pm.
The 38-year-old clinical trainer immediately alerted her husband that she might be late to reach the infant care centre.
Her travel time usually takes about 45 minutes but on Tuesday, it lasted almost two hours.
“I am happy that my travelling time to work and back home is reduced with the TEL, but I understand that there may be glitches here and there that can’t be helped,” she said.
In February, two disruptions happened on the TEL four days apart.
A train delay on Feb 2 caused an additional travelling time of 10 minutes, with trains moving slower from Woodlands North towards Caldecott, at around 5.30am.
Another train encountered a fault on Feb 6 during the evening peak period, causing a delay of around 20 minutes for commuters travelling from Woodlands North to Gardens by the Bay.

 

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Power fault causes delay on stretch of Bukit Panjang LRT network​

A traction power fault on the Bukit Panjang LRT line has caused a 10-minute delay in travelling time from the Choa Chu Kang to Bukit Panjang stations on Wednesday evening. PHOTO: ST FILE

Mar 9, 2023

SINGAPORE - A traction power fault on the Bukit Panjang LRT line has caused a delay in travelling time from Choa Chu Kang to Bukit Panjang stations on Wednesday evening.
Transport operator SMRT announced the delay in a post on Twitter at about 8.50pm, some 10 minutes after declaring that train services on the line had resumed after an earlier delay. The delay stands at 10 minutes as at 9pm.
SMRT said that shuttle train services between Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang stations were available earlier due to a power trip between Choa Chu Kang and Keat Hong stations, at about 7.50pm. There are four stations – South View, Keat Hong, Teck Whye and Phoenix – between Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang. The seven-station loop service from Senja to Petir was not affected.
“This (the power trip) caused a train to stall between Choa Chu Kang and South View stations. All commuters were safely transferred to another train to continue their journey to South View station,” said SMRT on Facebook late on Wednesday night.
It added that in-train and station announcements were made to inform commuters of a delay in train services, while SMRT staff were deployed to facilitate service recovery.
“We are sorry to have affected Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang residents’ evening commute,” the statement added.
That disruption lasted for about 20 minutes, according to SMRT’s Twitter posts.

This is the first interruption on the Bukit Panjang LRT line since November 2022. Then, a traction power fault halted train service between Fajar and Bangkit stations for a few minutes at about 5.30am.