UPPER BUKIT TIMAH ROAD (Building of bus interchange)

Dr Wang Kai Yuen asked the Minister for Communications and Information when will the proposed bus interchange beside the Bukit Timah Plaza/Sherwood Tower complex at Upper Bukit Timah Road be built.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications and Information (Mr Ho Kah Leong) (for the Minister for Communications and Information): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am answering on behalf of my Minister.

Sir, the proposed Bukit Timah Bus Interchange was intended to replace the former Upper Bukit Timah road side bus terminal near Ewart Circus to serve as a regional bus interchange for services from less populated or rural areas in the northern and western sectors of Singapore and services to the CBD.

Sir, in recent years, HDB new towns in the vicinity such as Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang, Jurong East and Bukit Batok have undergone rapid developments. To better serve residents, instead of a single regional interchange, an interchange or bus terminal was built in each of these new towns with trunk routes, taking residents directly to the CBD and to other parts of Singapore. There is therefore no need for the proposed regional bus interchange at Upper Bukit Timah.