PUNGGOL WARD OF CHENG SAN GRC (Building of bus interchange)

Dr Michael Lim Chun Leng asked the Minister for Communications whether there were plans to build a bus interchange, and to increase the bus services in the Punggol ward of Cheng San GRC and, if so, what was the current status of these plans.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Mr Speaker, Sir, there are plans to build a bus interchange at Hougang North to serve the north-eastern sector of the island which includes the Punggol ward of the Cheng San GRC.

The bus interchange will be built in two phases. Phase I will be built starting in financial year 1992, ie, this year. When it is completed in 1993, there will be a total of eight trunk and two feeder bus services operating from there. The trunk services will link residents to major destinations like Orchard Road, Shenton Way and Chinatown and also to nearby HDB towns like Serangoon, Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh.

Phase II of the interchange will be built later when the plan for the MRT is finalised, and for which I have given an answer just now.

Dr Michael Lim Chun Leng: Sir, arising from the detailed analysis of the bus services by the grassroots leaders in my constituency and, in the interim, while awaiting for a new bus interchange, can the Minister kindly improve the seven trunk services and four feeder services in my area? I will give the detailed proposals to him later.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, I will be happy to receive those proposals and refer them to the relevant authorities.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, as the construction of the MRT line and a new bus interchange will take some time, will the Minister for Communications consider an interim measure to have a direct bus service from Upper Serangoon Road (on the Punggol side) to link to the town area in Bras Basah Road? There was a bus service before (Service No. 82) but it is now redirected to Hougang Avenue 10 and as a result, residents living in Hougang Avenue 7 -

Mr Speaker: Mr Low, just ask your question.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: All right, Sir. I would like to know from the Minister whether or not he will consider having this bus service as an interim measure.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, the question of specific bus services that the Member for Hougang has raised, I would rather leave to the operators to answer. But, in general, there has been a conscious effort on the part of the bus operators to provide an adequate level of service, a minimum standard of service, from each of the new towns in Singapore. You have to recognise that there are limits to the resources that are available to them and within these limits, they do try and make adequate provision for all bus services. If the Member wishes to put his request in writing to me, I will refer it, like all other requests, to the relevant authorities.