Rail transport in Singapore - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Rail transport
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

exists in three main types, namely an international rail connection operated by Malaysian company Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM)

Keretapi Tanah Melayu

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to transport tin...

, a rapid transit

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

system collectively known as the Mass Rapid Transit

Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang Station and Toa Payoh Station, opened in 1987 establishing itself as the second-oldest metro...

(MRT) system operated by the two biggest public transport operators SMRT Corporation

SMRT Corporation

SMRT Corporation is a public transport operator incorporated on March 6, 2000, as a result of an industry overhaul to form multi-modal public-transport operators in Singapore. It is the second-largest public-transport company in Singapore after ComfortDelGro...

and SBS Transit

SBS Transit

SBS Transit Limited is a public transport operator in Singapore. Its major competitor in Singapore's duopoly transport system is SMRT Corporation, which also operates bus, rail, taxi and other transport services....

, as well as several Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines also operated by both companies. In addition, local specialised light rail lines are in operation in places such as the Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site....

, Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa, which translates to peace and tranquility in Malay , is a popular island resort in Singapore, visited by some five million people a year...

, or within the grounds of the Jurong BirdPark

Jurong BirdPark

Jurong Bird Park , is a tourist attraction in Singapore managed by Wildlife Reserves Singapore. It is a landscaped park, built on the western slope of Jurong Hill. It is located within the Boon Lay Planning Area of the Jurong district and has an area of ....

International rail network

The sole mainline railway line providing direct international connections is operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu

Keretapi Tanah Melayu

or Malayan Railway, with services formerly commencing from the Tanjong Pagar railway station

Tanjong Pagar railway station

Tanjong Pagar railway station , also called Keppel Road railway station or Singapore railway station, was until 30 June 2011 the southern terminus of the network operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu , the main railway operator in Malaysia. The land on which the station and the KTM railway tracks are...

in southern Singapore. The present single track

Single track (rail)

A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....

line is 1 (formerly 36.8) km long, with a gauge of (metre gauge

Metre gauge

Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...

), and had proceeded north through Bukit Timah

Bukit Timah

Bukit Timah is an area in Singapore and a hill in that area. Bukit Timah is located near the centre of the Singapore main island. The hill stands at an altitude of 163.63 metres and is the highest point in the city-state of Singapore...

, before crossing the 1.2 km causeway to Johor Bahru

Johor Bahru

Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland...

on the Malay Peninsula

Malay Peninsula

The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...

, where it then runs along the peninsula's west coast through Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

and onwards to Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

and beyond.

A railway system dating back to the British colonial era, it is now generally considered inadequate in meeting contemporary transport requirements. Both goods and passengers would have originally arrived by ship and hence the railway terminates at Tanjong Pagar

Tanjong Pagar

Tanjong Pagar is a historic district located within the Central Business District in Singapore, straddling the Outram Planning Area and the Downtown Core under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's urban planning zones....

, where port operations are still concentrated. There was similarly a branch line which leads to the Jurong

Jurong

Jurong is the largest town in the western part of Singapore, consisting of 11 residential precincts, 14 industrial districts, 1 military zone and 1 Waterfront district. It resembles Woodlands, the largest town in the northern part of Singapore, which is smaller in size, has smaller industrial area...

industrial area, but which has since been expunged. The development of an efficient transport network in Singapore, and the containerisation of maritime trade globally meant that the existing rail system no longer played a significant part in the ferrying of goods, and is now catered primarily for passenger transport.

Over time, however, the rail service was once again unable to compete effectively with modernising modes of alternative transport. The high frequency of air shuttle

Air shuttle

An air shuttle is a scheduled airline service that operates a frequent, regular service on short routes with a simplified fare and class structure. Although no exact specifications exist, frequency is normally once per hour or more often and travel time is typically an hour or less, although longer...

services between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur presented a much faster and more comfortable means of transport despite the high prices. From February 2008, partial deregulation of air travel between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur was introduced, and with full deregulation from December 2008 air fares are currently (April 2009) relatively low. However, the convenience of air travel should not be overestimated; typical time from Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station to City Centre of Singapore (via the low cost terminals at each airport) is around five hours. Moreover, the opening of the North-South Expressway in Malaysia from the late 1980s drastically cut travel time by private car or coaches to around five to five-and-a-half hours from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.

In the light of this, the Malaysian government is currently undertaking plans to upgrade the railway system to an electrified, double-tracked, express line, although it is unclear if the upgrading works will eventually be extended into Singapore.

As a result of the agreements leading up to the independence of Singapore, the land on which the railway ran on was owned by KTM, and would remain so as long as the rail system was in operation. This arrangement had erupted into several spates of diplomatic disputes between the two countries. Land-scarce Singapore was keen to move the railway station to either Woodlands

Woodlands, Singapore

Woodlands, or the Woodlands New Town , is a suburban town in northern Singapore, part of the North West Community Development Council district...

or Kranji

Kranji

Kranji is a suburb in northwestern Singapore, located about from the city centre.-Etymology:Kranji is named after a local tree, the kranji or keranji . Its abundance has rapidly dwindled since the first half of the nineteenth century.-History:The first Singapore-Kranji railway from Tank Road to...

, thus freeing up large tracts of land for redevelopment. In return, the Singaporean government

Government of Singapore

The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...

was willing to offer a plot of prime land in the Marina Bay

Marina Bay

Marina Bay is a bay near Central Area in the southern part of Singapore, and lies to the east of the Downtown Core. Marina Bay is set to be a 24/7 destination with endless opportunities for people to “explore new living and lifestyle options, exchange new ideas and information for business, and be...

area for development by the Malaysians, although this concession was not required according to the original agreements. The negotiations were stalled, however, when the Malaysians were unimpressed with the compensation amount, and expressed concern over accessibility should the railway station be moved further from the city centre. Resolution was reached in May 2010 with the agreements endorsed on June 2011. From July 1, 2011, the only KTM railway terminal and station in Singapore is the Woodlands Train Checkpoint

Woodlands train Checkpoint

Woodlands Train Checkpoint is a train checkpoint in Woodlands, Singapore co-owned by Keretapi Tanah Melayu, the Malaysian rail operator, and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore...

until Malaysia decides to move KTM's railway operations entirely out of Singapore by 2018.

Plans to build a high-speed rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur have been mooted in recent years, in particular by YTL Corporation Berhad

YTL Corporation Berhad

YTL Corporation Berhad is Malaysia's leading integrated infrastructure conglomerates founded by Tan Sri Dato' Seri Yeoh Tiong Lay, after whom the group is named...

, with the possibility of cutting travel time between the two cities from seven hours currently on existing rail lines, to about 90 minutes. The Singapore government expressed its willingness to discuss the idea.

Heavy urban rail

Singapore's public transport system has been reliant largely on buses

Bus transport in Singapore

Bus transport in Singapore is the most comprehensive and affordable means of public transport for the masses, with over two million rides taken per day on average on the buses of the two main public transport providers SBS Transit and SMRT Corporation...

, until the opening of the first section of the Mass Rapid Transit

Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

in 1987. Although buses still enjoy an average daily ridership exceeding twice the number carried on both the MRT and LRT systems (2.8 million on buses, compared to 1.3 million on the MRT and LRT in the year 2004), the Land Transport Authority

Land Transport Authority

The Land Transport Authority is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Singapore Government.-History:...

plans to expand the rail system such that buses will eventually play only a feeder role to an extensive rail network.

The current MRT

Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

network consists of four main lines, for a total of 138 km in length, and with 88 stations. The North South Line

North South MRT Line

The North South Line was the 1st Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is currently 44 km long with 25 stations, and is operated by SMRT Corporation...

, East West Line

East West MRT Line

The East West Line was the 2nd Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is currently 49.2 km long with 35 stations , making it the longest MRT line in Singapore. It takes about 63 minutes to travel from one end to the other...

and the new Circle Line

Circle MRT Line

The Circle Line is Singapore's fourth Mass Rapid Transit line, operated by SMRT Corporation. This underground line is currently long with 28 stations and is fully automatically operated...

are operated by SMRT Corporation

SMRT Corporation

, while the [North East MRT Line|North East Line]] is run by SBS Transit

SBS Transit

. The Bukit Brown (CC18)

Bukit Brown MRT Station

Bukit Brown MRT Station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the Circle Line in Singapore.As the only structure nearby is the Bukit Brown Cemetery, this will be a shell station, which is to be topped off when further development in the area warrants the operation of the station...

station on the circle line will will only open when the surroundings are more developed. An extension of the Circle Line Marina Bay Extension from Promenade (CC4)

Promenade MRT Station

Promenade MRT Station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station in Singapore, located along Temasek Avenue, near the Millennia Walk shopping mall. It is the fourth station along the counter-clockwise-bound Circle Line track. The station was opened on 17 April 2010 along with the rest of Stage 1...

to Marina Bay (NS27/CE2)

Marina Bay MRT Station

The Marina Bay MRT Station ' is the southern terminal station of the North South Line in Singapore. This station is located on reclaimed land and there are no developments surrounding it, and hence contrary to what the name implies, there exists a slight distance between the station and the actual...

will begin operations in 2012.

Light urban rail

Singapore has had various forms of light urban rail systems, such as the monorail

Monorail

A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...

system on Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa, which translates to peace and tranquility in Malay , is a popular island resort in Singapore, visited by some five million people a year...

island, which opened in February 1982. This 6.4 km, 6-station system was closed in March 2005 and a new Sentosa Express

Sentosa Express

Sentosa Express is a monorail line connecting Sentosa island to HarbourFront on the Singapore mainland across the waters.Built at a cost of S$140 million, development started in June 2003 and was completed in December 2006. The fully elevated 2.1-kilometre two-way line and three out of four...

system was built by December 2006. The Changi Skytrain, a people mover system shuttling passengers between the two terminals at the Singapore Changi Airport

Singapore Changi Airport

, was opened in 1990 along with Terminal 2. This system will be replaced by a new system with the completion of Terminal 3 by 2008. The Jurong BirdPark

Jurong BirdPark

features an air-conditioned panorail

Jurong BirdPark Panorail

Jurong Bird Park Panorail is a monorail system within the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore.The monorail system uses four cars, with a driver in the front car, and seats in each car, with no standing capacity....

, which traverses through the world's largest walk-in aviary

Aviary

An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. Unlike cages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages...

.

Light rail transit functioning as feeders to the main MRT network has been under study for some time, particularly since the existing urban configuration of self-containing new town

New town

A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...

s spread out in the suburbs meant it was feasible to consider having light rail systems connecting each town to the MRT station in the town centre, a role which has traditionally been provided by feeder buses. Thus, the first SMRT Corporation

SMRT Corporation

operated LRT was opened in Bukit Panjang

Bukit Panjang LRT Line

Bukit Panjang LRT Line is a 7.8 km light rail line opened on 6 November 1999 and part of Singapore's LRT system. It is fully automated, and the project was contracted to Adtranz, Keppel Corporation and Gammon Construction...

in 1998 to provide a connection to the Choa Chu Kang MRT Station

Choa Chu Kang MRT/LRT Station

The Choa Chu Kang MRT/LRT Station is an interchange station serving the Choa Chu Kang area of Singapore. It is part of the North South MRT Line and it is also the terminus of the Bukit Panjang LRT Line...

in neighbouring Choa Chu Kang New Town. Although subsequently hit by over 50 incidents, some of which resulted in several days of system suspension, similar systems albeit from a different company were introduced in Sengkang

Sengkang LRT Line

The Sengkang LRT Line is a 10.7 km light rail line which partly opened on 18 January 2003. It is the second LRT system in Singapore and is fully automated and currently operated by SBS Transit. The line uses the Crystal Mover rolling stock supplied by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries...

and Punggol

Punggol LRT Line

The Punggol LRT Line is the third line of the LRT system in Singapore. Its first phase comprises a 10.3km line with 15 stations. Similar to the Sengkang LRT Line, its rolling stock and line operator are the Crystal Movers and SBS Transit respectively....

in 2003 and 2005 respectively, both operated by SBS Transit

SBS Transit

International rail network

Heavy urban rail

Light urban rail

Further reading