Singapore: Free early morning MRT rides extended to June 2017
Reuters

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Thursday said that as many as four new MRT stations on the new Tuas West Extension (TWE) will be open on 18 June. The new stations - Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent, Tuas West Road and Tuas Link - will be aboveground stations and are expected to serve around 100,000 commuters daily.

LTA said with the opening of these new stations, commuters working in the Jurong and Tuas industrial estates can expect significant time savings, reported Channel News Asia. For instance, a journey from Ang Mo Kio to Tuas West can be cut from about 1 hour and 40 minutes to slightly more than an hour.

What is new:

The statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of Government of Singapore also said that it is planning to enhance the existing bus service network to further help travellers. The details of the improvements to the bus network will be announced in the coming weeks, it said, as reported.

New signalling system

The TWE will operate on the new signalling system. Moreover, the TWE project also includes the construction of the Tuas viaduct, which was inaugurated on 18 February this year. It also has a 26-hectare integrated depot, which provides maintenance facilities for up to 60 trains, including all the new NSEWL trains purchased for the TWE.

Channel News Asia also reported that all four stations will be opened from 12pm to 8pm during an open house, which will be held on 16 June. Moreover, the trains will be opened for public and they can ride along the TWE for free. There will also be games and activities for the public.

New awareness methods

LTA is planning to hold several exhibitions in the coming weeks to spread awareness about the TWE. The exhibitions will be held for 10 days at four stations on the East-West Line. At Jurong East, Boon Lay, Pioneer and Joo Koon, the exhibition will be held between 7am and 9am and at Boon Lay and Joo Koon between 11am and 1pm, respectively.