FREQUENCY AND CAPACITY OF MRT TRAINS

FREQUENCY AND CAPACITY OF MRT TRAINS

57.

Mr Calvin Cheng asked the Minister for Transport whether there is evidence of overcrowding on SMRT trains and, if so, whether SMRT can be directed to increase the frequency of trains especially during peak hours.

**

**

58.

Mr Baey Yam Keng asked the Minister for Transport what is the stipulated number of passengers each MRT cabin can safely transport and what measures are in place to ensure that this capacity is not exceeded.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: We have seen significant growth in train ridership in the last few years and share commuters' concern that our trains are getting more crowded today, particularly during the peak hours. For this year, the average daily ridership on the North-South East-West Lines (NSEWL) has gone up by about 9% compared to the same period last year[6].

As a result, the maximum train passenger loading on the most congested stretches of the NSEWL during the morning peak-of-peak has also crept up from about 1,400 per train in 2008 to about 1,450 to 1,500 currently. These loadings levels are within the regulatory limits of 1,600 passengers per train, or the equivalent standing space of about 5pax/sqm, as stipulated under the LTA's Operating Performance Standards (OPS), and are below the safety limit of the trains, which are designed to carry well in excess of 1,900 passengers[7].

Addressing the issue of train crowding has been one of our top priorities. The LTA has been working with SMRT to implement various measures to enhance capacity and manage crowding. What SMRT has done has been to put all the available trains into service during the peak periods and constantly monitor and adjust the train operating and deployment patterns to meet the constantly-changing loading patterns on its network. This has ensured that our MRT system does not breach the regulatory limits. And wherever possible, SMRT has added more train trips so that loading levels can be brought down further, without compromising the need for safety and maintenance. In total, SMRT has

Column: 809

injected over 1,100 train trips. Other initiatives to manage train crowding include the introduction of in-train and station platform announcements and deployment of service ambassadors to facilitate the boarding and alighting of commuters.

However, we fully recognise that more needs to be done and a longer-term approach is needed to improve the overall system capacity significantly. We have already put in place various initiatives which will start coming on-stream next year. Firstly, the LTA has embarked on the Jurong East Modification Project (JEMP) to relieve the existing infrastructural constraints that limit our ability to run more frequent train trips during the peak periods. Together with the purchase of 22 additional trains, this will mean an enhancement in the capacity of NSEWL by about 15% when the project is completed in 2011. With this, trains can run more frequently during the peak periods and commuters can look forward to a more comfortable train ride and shorter waiting times.

Besides the JEMP, the opening of the remaining Circle Line in 2011 will also help to relieve crowding levels on existing lines. Beyond these, work on the Downtown Line has begun, and the Government is also making significant investments to improve the density of the MRT network to cater to future travel demand. Where necessary, even more trains for the NSEWL as well as for the North East Line (NEL) would be purchased to cater to the anticipated ridership increase.

Let me assure the House that we are fully committed to ensuring that our MRT network, which is the backbone of our public transport system, would have the capacity to meet the needs of the commuting public. We will do what we can to ensure that the train crowding situation is dealt with appropriately and expeditiously.

[6] Average January - May ridership for 2009 and 2010 were 1,393,013 and 1,518,624 respectively.
[7] The maximum safety loads of a six-car train and three-car train are 1,920 and 931 passengers respectively.

Column: 809