After six days of delays, train services finally resumed between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT stations along the East-West Line on the morning of October 1. The disruption, caused by extensive track damage, had left many commuters scrambling for alternative routes and dealing with longer travel times.
This return to normalcy brings a sigh of relief for many. However, westbound trains along the four-station stretch (i.e., between Dover and Clementi) are currently running slower at a temporary speed limit of 40km/h until October 3. This slower pace is part of a standard safety process following rail replacements, as trains typically travel at speeds of 60-80km/h.
COMMUTERS’ EXPERIENCE
During the disruption, the daily lives of more than 2.1 million passengers were affected with long waits and crowded platforms becoming the norm from September 25 to 29. The delays created challenges for those heading to work or school, requiring them to leave home earlier than usual.
Many commuters switched to alternative transport like buses, ride-hailing services, or taxis, which are typically more expensive than the MRT. You see, ride-hailing services also implemented surge pricing due to higher demand. These increased travel costs added up, especially for long-distance commuters.
ALTERNATIVE ROUTES
For six days, commuters took alternative routes, with many switching to the North-South Line or opting for the Thomson-East Coast and Downtown Lines. As a result, stations were packed, and transfer points became congested with passengers seeking faster routes to their destinations.
A common strategy involved transferring at Queenstown station to take the shuttle train to Buona Vista, or using Boon Lay station to transfer to Jurong East. While necessary, these options still extended travel times and complicated otherwise straightforward journeys.
REPAIR WORK
The damage affected the stretch between Clementi and Ulu Pandan Depot, requiring a full replacement of rail segments. On September 30, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that the rail repairs been completed and the third rail had also been reinstated.
Before fully reopening the line, the LTA carried out a series of rigorous tests to ensure the tracks were safe. This included load tests using a locomotive to verify the rails were securely welded, followed by an endurance test involving a fully loaded train packed with sandbags to mimic real commuter conditions. Only after passing these assessments were trains allowed back on the line.
THE IMPACT
Commuters faced higher travel costs, missed appointments, and lost valuable time that could have been spent with family or at work. Many shared their frustrations of waking up earlier, enduring crowded buses, and dealing with extended travel times.
Image Credits: unsplash.com
For the millions affected, the six-day disruption felt like a marathon of endurance. With services now restored, they can finally return to their routines, though with a lingering sense of caution until the repairs are fully stabilized.
Singapore’s Public Transportation aids in the nation’s economic and environmental challenges. Most locals prefer to travel via train or bus just because it is safe, fast, and efficient. On that note, here are the background, tips, and benefits of traveling thru Public Transportation…
BACKGROUND
1. TRAIN OR MASS RAPID TRANSIT (MRT)
As most parts of Singapore are accessible by the MRT, it proves to be an affordable and convenient option. Get cheaper rates by traveling with a concession card (i.e., Child Concession Card, Student Concession Card, NSF Concession Card, and Senior Citizen Concession Card). In fact, Senior Citizen Concession Card get 25% off adult fares all day.
If you are a tourist, you are in luck! The MRT stations are made to be merely walking distance from the notable attractions such as the museums.
2. BUS
The buses provide the most picturesque view of the Lion City at budget-friendly fares ranging from S$1-3. All the children below 7 years old get to enjoy free travel. It is important to know that all commuters are charged based on their total distance traveled (i.e., no transfer costs) whether it is by bus or by train. So, the fares depend on your location and destination.
TIPS
1. MOVE TO THE CENTER OF THE TRAIN
Moving to the center of the MRT does not only help passengers to smoothly go in and out but it will also help you to get a seat.
2. CHECK YOUR BELONGINGS
Always take care of your valuables. Although your lost item can be retrieved, there is a slim chance that the finder may choose to keep it.
3. GET AN ESTIMATE OF YOUR DISTANCE FARE
Use the standard online calculator available here to estimate your travel costs. Find alternative routes to get the cheapest fare.
BENEFITS
1. SAVE CASH
It is no surprise that Public Transportation saves you more money as the price of owning a car here is overwhelming. Adding to that, going by bus or by train can help you beat the petrol price hike and the cost for maintaining a vehicle.
2. SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT
Public Transportation saves our environment as it reduces carbon emissions, petrol consumption, and congestion. Imagine if every family owns a car, given the scarcity of land, congestion will unfold.
Aside from preventing congestion, it is more energy efficient that private cars. According to the Land Transport Authority, the average carbon footprint per 10 km released by bus is 0.19kg while the by train is 0.13kg. This is smaller compared to the carbon footprint released by a private car (1.87kg)!
3. IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH
Access to Public Transportation enables you to walk to and from the bus or MRT station. That is a no-cost way to exercise! Also, it avoids the stress you may get from driving especially during rush hours.
How will a 2 to 5 cents increase per journey affects an average commuter? Credits to the Ministry of Transport, they have done up a table to illustrate the impact on monthly transport expenditure of an average family.
(Image credit: Ministry of Transport)
As illustrated above, a working adult would expect their monthly transport expenditure to increase between $2 to $3 a month. That would probably cost you a cup of Starbucks’ latte a month or a decent meal for two in a restaurant if you add up the expenses for a year.
Although it may not be sizeable, a dollar saved is still a dollar earned. Here are 5 ways to cushion the impact of a fare hike:
*Updated 14 Apr 2015 to include a chance to win a $10 EZ-Link top up with the LINE app
1. Claim $10 travel credits with TransitLink Service Audit
You may or may not know of that you can claim a $10 travel credit from TransitLink every month by just participating in a short survey. This survey is aimed at improving the service level of TransitLink’s staff and your feedback is important for them to evaluate their level of customer service.
Once verified, you will receive a SMS notification informing you of the $5 credit that you can redeem from any Add Value Machine Plus (AVM+)
How much can you save or earn a month?
You can do a maximum of one survey for two different Customer Service Officers per month. Each survey will earn you a $5 credit so you can get $10 credit in total a month.
With increasing population comes increased public transport ridership and there is that much that you can achieve by increasing train frequency. The Land Transport Authority is conducting a research to find out if incentivising commuters through gamification can help change the behaviour of commuters. Previously known as Insinc, Travel Smart Rewards is a scheme that rewards commuters for their travel on public transport.
Each commuter can earn points when they take the MRT on Monday to Friday with a CEPAS registered card at a rate of 1 points for every 1 kilometre travelled. To encourage commuters to take train during off peak hours, there will be more points for taking designated decongesting hours from 6.15 am to 7.15am and 8.45am to 9:45am. You can also qualify for different badges such as Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum with every travel during the decongesting hours.
Every 10 points allow you to spin and play a “Snake and Ladder” game to win travel credits. There are different amount to be won and the highest being a $200 travel credit which you can use to top up your fare card. You can let the system auto-play the game for you and you would be surprised to see that you can actually win money (in the form of travel credits) after some time. Just go to another Add Value Machine (AVM) and select “TSR Rewards” to load the credits into your card.
Verify your email address and it will take another 8 days for them to verify the card after you take at least 2 train trips
Start accumulating points with your train trips (Try to travel during the decongesting period to earn more points)
Spin the wheel or set it on auto-pilot
Check how much you win after some time
Load these credits you won onto your travel card at any AVM.
How much can you save or earn a month?
It depends. If Lady Luck is shining on you, you can earn a few hundred travel credits in the game. Otherwise, you should also be glad with a few extra dollars added to your account.
3.Travel free during pre-peak hours
In an effort to reduce congestion and packed trains in the morning peak hours, the LTA has extended the one year free pre-peak travel until 23 June 2015. That is to say early birds who make the effort to shift their daily travel routine and tap out of the 18 designated MRT stations will travel for free. Don’t fret if overslept by 5 to 10 minutes because you will still get a 50 cents off if you exit the stations between 7.45am to 8am. Like the saying goes: the early bird catches the worm.
What you need to do:
Reschedule your routine earlier
Have your breakfast near your workplace
How much can you save or earn?
The cost of an entire trip or 50 cents a day.
4. Make use of rebates
Rebate is one of the most straightforward way to offset your travel expenses. Whether you are using NETS FlashPay or EZ-Link to take the trains or buses, there are different rebate schemes out there for the savvy commuters to make full use of.
If you are using the EZ-Link card, you can earn up to 7% cash rebate with the Imagine American Express Prepaid Card. This card acts as a two-in-one and you can use it either for shopping with merchants that accepts AMEX card or using it simply as a Ez-Link card to commute. You will earn a 2% rebates by taking the buses or trains with the Ez-Link purse and 5% rebates on all other spends with the AMEX purse. (Tip: You can set up EZ-Reload where your Ez-Link purse will be topped up by the AMEX purse) You can also earn further rebates and rewards by topping up your Imagine Card with another credit card of your choice. For example, you can use the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card or the DBS Woman’s Card for 10X points.
What you need to do:
Decide if you want to use Ez-Link or NETS FlashPay as your primary card for public transport
NET FlashPay: go sign up for a OCBC Frank Card and register for auto top-ups on Nets FlashPay’s website here: http://bit.ly/1y8LSJe
Ez-Link: Sign up for a AMEX Imagine Card, then activate, register and reload it on the Imaginecard’s website here: http://www.imaginecard.com.sg
How much can you save or earn?
6% rebates for NETS FlashPay or 7% rebates + X* for Ez-Link (where X* is arbitrary – can be miles, rebates or points)
5. Use Off Peak Monthly Concession Pass
To further reduce bottlenecks during peak hours, the government will roll out a new Off-Peak Monthly Travel Pass (OMTP) on 5 July 2015 which will allow unlimited travel outside the weekday morning peak period (6.30am – 9am), evening peak period (5 – 7.30pm) and all days on weekends and public holidays. Instead of costing $120 for the current Adult Monthly Travel Pass, the OMTP will cost just $80 for adults and $40 for senior citizens and person with disabilities.
If you work out the maths, there are about 22 weekdays in a month so assuming a one way trip cost $1.80, if would have cost you close to $80 a month. (which is about the cost of an OMTP) The difference is you can now make additional trip on weekdays (say, a lunch break that is a few stations away) and weekends without paying the extra dollar.
What you need to do:
Work out your monthly travel expenses and see if it exceeds the cost of an OMTP of $80.
If it does, check if you can reschedule your daily routine
Make sure you tap IN outside the peak period timing (before 6.30am or after 9am for morning) and (before 5pm or after 7.30pm for evening)
How much can you save or earn?
If you travel twice a day with an average trip cost of $2, it would have cost you $120. Purchasing the card will allow you to save $40.
Now that you have learnt how to reduce your travel expenses, start to implement these tips so that you can better manage your travel expenses. You might even reduce your overall expenses on transport!
6. Get a free EZ-Link $10 top up with LINE (Updated 14 Apr 2015)
EZ-Link has just collaborated with LINE in a recent news release on 13 Apr 2015, commuters can now stand a chance to win a $10 free top-up and other attractive prizes when they use LINE.
What you need to do:
Download the LINE App from your Google Play or your Apple’s app store
Add “EZ-Link” as your friend
Send a message “EZ-Link EZ-Reload” daily from now till 31st May 2015.
Stand a chance to win EZ-Link $10 top-up values, LINE merchandises, electronic gadgets, jewelries and many more
How much can you save or earn?
If you are lucky, you can win a $10 top up to your EZ-Link or other attractive prizes such as a ASUS phone, Swarovski jewellery, Krispy Kreme treats, Mi Powerbank, etc
Do not be disappointed if you do not win as you can attempt this daily until 31st May 2015 and i’m sure you could win something!
