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SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the upgrading of the train signalling system will result in shorter waiting times for commuters and a 20 per cent improvement to its existing capacity.
It said the upgrading, which will start next year, applies to the North-South and East-West lines.
Plans to further enhance the rail network were first revealed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last Sunday during his National Day Rally speech.
Among the plans announced was the Jurong East Modification project, which is targeted for completion in May 2011.
LTA said by 2012, the North-South/East-West line capacity is expected to increase by about 15 per cent and with the modification, commuters would be able to enjoy a shorter waiting time of between two and three minutes.
The current waiting time during peak periods is 2.5 to 4.5 minutes.
Singapore's rail network will be expanded and upgraded over the next 10 years to cater to the increased demand in commuter travel.
The current train signalling system on the North-South and East-West train lines have been operational since 1987. LTA said it is time to improve its performance.
"Due to obsolesce of components and parts as well as need for improvements in performance, we have to do the upgrading," Land Transport Authority group director (rail) Chua Chong Kheng said.
As part of the upgrading programme, LTA also wants to improve the trains' operational headway, which is the time between two trains arriving at a station.
Trains now run at intervals of 120 seconds at peak periods. LTA's target is to bring this down to 100 seconds in order to cater to increasing passenger load.
Mr Chua said: "We are going to take advantage of this upgrading exercise to further improve on the headways we currently have."
"Train loadings are increasing as we saw the trend and so we will need to take proactive steps and measures and this is one of the things, we are looking ahead. (The) current system may be bearable, but certainly we don't want to wait for things to happen before we start to do anything," he added.
So the upgrading process will involve replacing equipment on nearly 120 existing trains, along the trackside, at the stations and operations control room.
Upgrading the signalling system on a line which is already operational is a complex process, the LTA said. So work on the North-South Line and East-West Line will be carried out in stages.
Work on the North-South line will be completed in six years' time and the East-West line two years later.
LTA also assured the public that all safety precautions will be taken when the works are being done.
Mr Chua said: "Obviously we want to do this work without any disruptions to the operations. In this instance, we will work within the existing railway and do our best not to affect the operational railway."
This means upgrading works can only take place after the trains have stopped running for the day.
LTA said more trains would also be ordered for the North-South and East-West Lines.
Meanwhile, the Circle Line from Marymount Station to Harbourfront is scheduled to open next year. It will provide an alternative route for commuters to the city and will reduce loading along the Toa Payoh to Novena sector by 10 to 15 per cent.
- CNA/wk/al
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