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Decade in Review (2010 – 2019)

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This article summarises changes to Singapore’s public transport system throughout the decade from 2010 to 2019 and should not be confused with the 2019 Year in Review released earlier. Click the attached link for the 2019 Year in Review.

In the decade spanning from 2010 to 2019, Singapore’s Public Transport Industry had underwent significant changes, including the expansion of the existing bus and rail networks, the procurement of additional buses and trains to cater to additional passenger demand, as well as the upgrading and development of public transport facilities to improve the comfort and experience of travelling on the public transport system in Singapore.

In this article, Land Transport Guru provides a brief summary of the major milestones of the public transport industry within the decade. More detailed information are available in the linked individual articles of the services, facilities and schemes discussed in this article.

Information on other major public transport events that occurred during the decade such as public bus displays and conventions, as well as upcoming public transport developments announced this decade, will not be covered in this article to avoid overstretching the length of this article. However, they are available in the Year in Review articles linked below.

Bus Developments

New Bus Services

In the last decade, 54 new basic (trunk and feeder) – Bus Services 4*, 20*, 41*, 46*, 47*, 49*, 50*, 68, 71*, 84, 102*, 110, 116*, 117*, 118*, 120*, 121*, 122*, 127*, 129*, 134*, 137*, 140*, 141*, 150*, 201*, 247*, 248*, 253, 256, 258*, 298*, 301*, 308*, 324*, 329*, 371*, 374*, 381*, 382G/382W*, 386*, 803*, 805*, 807*, 860*, 883*, 904*, 944*, 972*, 973, 974, 976, 979*, 983*, 990* and 991 – were introduced to cater to new developments, replace deleted sectors of existing services due to route amendments, or complement the high passenger demands of existing bus services and MRT lines.

8 new peak hour one-directional Express bus services – Bus Services 513*, 850E*, 868E, 951E*, 971E and 982E* – were also introduced in the decade to provide faster journeys for commuters between residential estates and the city centre, complementing the heavy passenger demands of the rail network during peak hours. Meanwhile, 8 limited stops Express route variants – Bus Services 12e, 43e, 147e, 167e, 188R, 851e, 960e and 963R – were rolled out to provide faster travel alternatives for commuters of their parent trunk services.

4 non-basic bus services – Bus Services RWS8, RWS88, Premium Bus Service 761 and Bus Service BPS1 – were also introduced by SBS Transit and SMRT Buses prior to BCM. Premium Bus Service 761 and Bus Service RWS8 have since been transferred to private bus operators in 2016, while Bus Service BPS1 was converted to Bus Service 976 in 2019. Bus Service RWS88 was withdrawn within its first year of operations by the end of 2010.

Under the BSEP, 22 City Direct bus services (651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 657, 658, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 669, 670, 671 and 672) were introduced under the BSEP to provide direct connections between neighbourhoods and the Central Business District (CBD) during weekday peak hours. 5 of the City Direct services (658, 659, 662, 664 and 669) were discontinued between 2018 and 2019 with the opening of the Downtown Line.

Of the 92 new bus services introduced within the decade, 75 of them were launched under BSEP between 2012 and 2017.

13 Peak Period Short Services (PPSS) – Bus Services 222P, 240P, 265P, 268P, 285P, 291P, 293P, 307P, 358P, 359P, 811P, 812P, 903P and 912P – were operated under the BSEP between 2014 and 2017 to supplement the passenger demands of popular feeder bus services. 7 of the PPSS were converted to short trip services after the BCM, while the remaining services were reorganised into additional trips on their parent feeder services.

In addition, Supplementary Bus Services 17A*, 43M*, 53M*, 63M*, 123M*, 131M, 139M*, 143M*, 240M^, 859A/859B*, 901M, 903M^, 912M^, and 913M were introduced or extended their operating hours and routes to complement the high passenger demands of their parent bus services along selected stretches of their routes.

Lastly, 2 alternate route variants – Bus Services 35M* and 92M – were introduced due to the route extension of Bus Service 35 to the Airport Logistics Park of Singapore (ALPS) and the extension of operating hours for Bus Service 92 respectively.

*Launched under BSEP

Changes to Existing Bus Services

The routes of Bus Services 5, 11, 14, 18, 24, 25, 26, 34, 35, 36, 39, 48, 52, 55, 66, 74, 76, 93, 97, 97e, 99, 101, 103, 106, 119, 123, 123M, 124, 133, 139, 155, 173, 182/182M, 189, 191, 192, 193, 194, 231, 235, 251, 254, 255, 257, 265, 293, 300, 307, 315, 354, 400, 410G, 410W, 502, 502A, 518, 518A, 852, 853, 853M, 855, 858, 922, 941 and 969 were amended within the decade to enhance connectivity around their service areas or extend their routes to other service areas. Other services were either amended due to temporary or permanent road closures or the relocation of bus interchanges and terminals during the decade.

Short Trip Bus Services 2A, 7A, 7B, 13A, 21A, 29A, 33B, 34A, 34B, 43A, 45A, 53A (2012 – 2015), 53A, 53B, 55B, 58A, 58B, 68A, 68B, 70B, 72A, 72B, 75A, 78A, 85A, 88A, 88B, 89A, 98A, 98B, 106A, 109A, 116A, 117A, 117B, 118A, 118B, 125A, 137A, 138A, 138B, 139A, 142A, 145A, 154A, 154B, 159B, 160A, 169B, 170A, 178A, 180A, 188A, 195B, 198A, 200A, 222A, 222B^, 240A, 241A, 265A^, 268B^, 268C^, 269A, 302A, 307A^, 382A, 386A, 807A, 811A, 857A, 858B, 860A, 882A, 883B, 912A, 912B, 962B, 962C, 969A, 975A and 975B were introduced to supplement the demands of their parent bus services at selected times of the day.

Short Trip Bus Services 79A, 127A, 177A, 180A, 200A, 883A, 972A, 973A, 974A, 983A, 991A and 991B operate as terminating trips of their parent bus services after the departures of their last buses.

^Converted from PPSS 222P, 265P, 268P & 307P

New Bus Fleets

In the last decade, a total of 4,637 buses were registered and introduced by SBS Transit and SMRT Buses (before BCM) / the LTA (after BCM). Some of the new buses were demonstrator units, which have either been transferred to private bus operators or relegated to training duties only.

In order of registration/introduction:

Retiring Bus Fleets

In the last decade, the following bus models were retired by incumbent bus operators SBS Transit and SMRT Buses as they reached the end of their statutory lifespans and to achieve LTA’s goal of a 100% WAB fleet by 2020.

In order of retirement:

Changes to Fleet Deployments

During this decade, more public bus services have been certified wheelchair-accessible with the influx of new WABs and the retirement of older buses that reached the end of their statutory lifespans.

Excluding new bus services introduced in this decade, the WAB services introduced this year are Bus Services 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 10e, 11, 14e, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 30e, 31, 32, 33, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 45, 48, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70, 73, 74, 74e, 75, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 89e, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 97e, 98, 99, 100, 101, 103, 105, 106, 107, 109, 111, 112, 113, 115, 119, 124, 125, 128, 131, 132, 133, 135, 136, 138, 139, 145, 151, 151e, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 173, 174e, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 184, 186, 187, 188, 188e, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196e, 197, 200, 222, 225G, 225W, 228, 229, 231, 235, 238, 240, 241, 242, 243G, 243W, 246, 249, 251, 252, 254, 255, 257, 261, 262, 265, 269, 272, 273, 275, 282, 284, 285, 292, 300, 302, 315, 317, 325, 334, 335, 354, 359, 372, 400, 401, 402, 403, 405, 408, 502, 506, 518, 533, 534, 535, 536, 538, 539, 544, 545, 549, 552, 553, 554, 555, 560, 561, 563, 564, 565, 585, 700, 800, 804, 806, 812, 825, 852, 853, 854, 854e, 855, 856, 857, 858, 859, 882, 900, 901, 902, 903, 911, 912, 913, 920, 922, 925, 926, 927, 941, 947, 950, 960, 961, 962, 963, 963e, 964, 965, 966, 969, 970, 975, 980, 981, 985, CT8, CT18, CT28, 1N, 2N, 3N, 4N, 5N, 6N, NR1, NR2, NR3, NR5, NR6, NR7 and NR8.

To cater to increasing passenger demands of public bus services, double-deck buses were introduced to more bus services during the decade. In particular, SMRT Buses started the operation of double-deck buses in 2014 to better cater to the passenger demands of its bus services.

Excluding new bus services introduced in this decade, Bus Services 3, 35, 39, 43, 45, 48, 52, 54, 61, 66, 67, 83, 85, 90, 94, 95, 96, 101, 103, 106, 109, 119, 123, 125, 130, 139, 145, 163, 167, 169, 171, 172, 176, 178, 180, 181, 183, 184, 187, 188, 188e, 189, 190, 240, 243G, 291, 293, 300, 302, 334, 400, 410W, 506, 518, 700, 800, 804, 806, 811, 812, 851, 854, 854e, 855, 856, 857, 859, 900, 901, 903, 911, 912, 913, 920, 922, 941, 960, 961, 962, 963, 963e, 964, 965, 966, 969, 975, 980, 981 and 985 started operating double-deck buses within the decade.

Bus Services 4, 12e, 20, 41, 46, 47, 49, 50, 68, 71, 102, 117, 118, 121, 127, 129, 134, 147e, 201, 301, 324, 382W, 513, 807, 850E, 851e, 868E, 883, 951E, 960e, 971E, 972, 974, 979, 983, 990 and 991 also started their operation of double-deck buses during the decade, even from their first day of operations or some time afterwards.

Under BCM, 4 bus packages (Bulim, Loyang, Seletar and Bukit Merah) were tendered and awarded to Tower Transit Singapore, Go-Ahead Singapore and SBS Transit. As a result, Bus Services 2, 3, 6, 12, 15, 17, 34, 36, 41, 43/43M, 62, 66, 77, 78, 79, 82, 83, 84, 85, 96, 97, 97e, 98/98M, 106, 118, 119, 136, 143/143M, 173, 177, 183, 189, 282, 284, 285, 333, 334, 335, 354, 358, 359, 382G/382W, 386, 403, 518/518A, 800, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 811, 812, 850E, 851, 852, 860, 941, 945, 947 and 990 are transferred to a different bus operator between 2016 and 2018. Bus Services 5, 16, 24, 57, 70/70M, 71, 76, 93, 120, 121, 122, 123/123M, 130, 131/131M, 133, 135, 138, 145, 160, 162/162M, 170/170X, 195, 198, 261, 262, 265, 268, 269, 272, 273, 400 and 402 remained under their incumbent bus operators, but operate under more stringent service standards under BCM.

New Bus Interchanges & Terminals

In the last decade, 6 new Integrated Transport Hubs (ITHs) were opened in Serangoon (2011), Clementi (2011), Bedok (2014), Joo Koon (2015), Bukit Panjang (2017) and Yishun (2019). The bus interchanges in Jurong East, Woodlands and Choa Chu Kang were relocated in 2011, 2016 and 2018 respectively.

2 new bus terminals and 2 new bus interchanges were built in Taman Jurong (closed in 2015), Changi Business Park, Tampines Concourse and Compassvale respectively. 3 existing bus terminals in Shenton Way, Tuas and New Bridge Road were relocated between 2017 and 2018.

New Bus Depots

In the last decade, 4 new bus depots – Bulim, Loyang, Seletar and Ulu Pandan Bus Depots – commenced operations in conjunction with the BCM. 2 bus parks were also built in Changi and Woodlands in 2013 under BSEP. However, Changi Bus Park was closed in 2016 to make way for the upcoming East Coast Integrated Depot.

Rail Developments

New MRT Lines

Following the opening of Circle Line (CCL) Stage 3 in 2009, the remaining 4 stages of CCL were opened during the decade. CCL Stages 1 & 2 opened on 17 April 2010 between Dhoby Ghaut and Bartley, while CCL Stages 4 & 5 opened on 8 October 2011 between Marymount and HarbourFront. An additional Circle Line Extension (CCLe) opened on 14 January 2012, linking Promenade MRT station with Marina Bay.

Singapore’s fifth MRT line – the Downtown Line (DTL) – was opened in 3 stages throughout the decade. DTL Stage 1 commenced service on 22 December 2013 between Bugis and Chinatown. Thereafter, DTL Stage 2 opened from Bukit Panjang to Bugis on 27 December 2015. DTL Stage 3 between Chinatown and Expo started service on 21 October 2017.

 

New MRT/LRT Stations on Existing MRT/LRT Lines

During the decade, several new MRT stations were also opened on the existing MRT lines.

On the East West Line (EWL), 4 new MRT stations – Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent, Tuas West Road and Tuas Link – were opened on 18 June 2017 as part of the Tuas West Extension (TWE).

On the North South Line (NSL), Marina South Pier MRT station started service on 23 November 2014, providing enhanced accessibility to Marina South Pier and Marina Bay Cruise Centre. Canberra MRT station also recently opened on 2 November 2019, serving residents of the developing Canberra estate.

On the North East Line (NEL), Woodleigh MRT station was finally opened on 20 June 2011, 8 years after the station was first constructed on the NEL. The station was not opened along with the other stations on the NEL due to a lack of developments around the station. Following the ongoing development of several residential projects such as the upcoming Bidadari estate, the station was subsequently cleared to be opened by the LTA.

On the Sengkang LRT (SKLRT), the remaining 2 unopened LRT stations on the West Loop – Cheng Lim and Kupang – opened in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Meanwhile, on the Punggol LRT (PGLRT), Damai LRT station commenced service on the East Loop in 2011. The West Loop also started its operations in 2014, with 6 of the 7 stations opened. Nibong, Sumang and Soo Teck stations opened first in 2014, followed by Sam Kee and Punggol Point in 2016 and Samudera in 2017.

New Train Fleets

During the decade, the LTA purchased more trains for both existing and newly opened MRT lines to cope with the increasing passenger demands of the rail network. A total of trains were procured and put into service during the decade in review. They include the following:

In addition, as part of efforts to enhance the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT), 13 new Bombardier INNOVIA C801A trains were procured to cater to the increasing passenger demands of BPLRT between 2014 and 2015. 16 new Mitsubishi Heavy Industries C810A trains were also procured for SKLRT/PGLRT since 2016 to cater to additional capacity.

New Train Depots

With the opening of DTL Stage 2 in 2015, the Gali Batu Depot commenced operations simultaneously, taking over Kim Chuan Depot as the main train depot for DTL trains. In conjunction with the opening of the TWE in 2017, Tuas Depot started service along the EWL, providing additional maintenance and stabling facilities for trains along the NSL/EWL.

Other Reviews:

4 thoughts on “Decade in Review (2010 – 2019)”

  • Aravindhan Ravikumar
    11 July 2020 at 7:33 AM
    Permalink

    The last Strider bodied L113CRL was retired in December 2014, the Superlong B10M was retired in October 2012 while the last Volgren bodied O405 was retired in February 2017.

    Reply
  • AZ Situ
    27 December 2019 at 12:18 AM
    Permalink

    I prefer Sembawang and Bulim retained by SMRT and TTS and Loyang and Hougang won by GAS.

    Reply
  • Pubg
    25 December 2019 at 3:55 AM
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    Honestly,LTA has been favouring SBST all the while..Bulim & Loyang i can understand to attract foreign operators as well as to create jobs but Seletar should have given to SMRT.I am not siding SMRT or what but Bukit Merah is confirmed SBST because of the cross border services.
    Sembawang-Yishun should goes to TTS or new operator while Bulim should goes to GAS.

    Reply
  • AZ Situ
    24 December 2019 at 7:00 AM
    Permalink

    You forgot about the Hino HS3K buses that entered service in 1999.

    Reply

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