| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
SINGAPORE : Overcrowded trains are a common complaint of many commuters these days.
And transport operator SMRT said it will introduce more bus services to run parallel to some sections of the train lines to alleviate the congestion.
While ridership in trains used to increase 1 to 2 per cent annually, it has risen by as much as 9 per cent in recent years.
So SMRT said it is sparing no expense to find ways to ease the load.
Saw Phaik Hwa, CEO, SMRT, said: "What we have done is every week, and I'm talking about every week, not year, we are adding 1,110 train rides already. As late as March and April, we added another 150 rides."
SMRT will also increase the number of bus services that run parallel to MRT lines to give commuters more alternatives to joining the daily squeeze.
The operator is also looking to ease crowds by end-2011, when 22 more trains will be added.
An extra platform to the Jurong East interchange will also reduce waiting time there during peak hours - from the current 3 to 4 minutes, to the minimum possible two minutes.
Ms Saw also responded to the online uproar over a comment she had made recently. She had said commuters could choose not to enter crowded trains, prompting netizens to argue she did not understand what commuters were going through.
She said: "I am very aware it's crowded. I take the trains all the time. I take the effort to go all the way to the northern towns to see how crowded it is during the morning peaks and I take the train with the people.
"It is crowded, but I push my way in. It is crowded, but when they are already running at 2-3 minutes (intervals), it's the most that I can do. I cannot go faster than that without compromising safety and reliability."
At the peak hours, some four people are packed in one square metre of space.
Commuters agree that things could be much worse.
"In other countries the squeezing situation is much worse. I mean, for example in Japan, where they are squeezed like Sardines," one commuter said.
With trains pushed to the limit, it looks like commuters will have to bear with the squeeze for now - until more lines are opened up to spread out the passenger load.
You can read more on the story in Saturday's edition of the TODAY newspaper.
- CNA/al
|
