(Defunct) Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange

Not to be confused with Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub and Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park.

The old Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange , which has since been demolished, formerly occupied the plot of land at the junction of Jelebu Road and Petir Road.

Operating since 1999, the interchange was closed since 16th December 2012 to make way for the Hillion Mall and Residences, which was built with a bus interchange on the ground floor. The new bus interchange was expected to be completed in 2015, but its opening was delayed to 2017 due to canal diversion works and to tie in with the opening of the Downtown Line.

Details

The Interchange:

Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange is a bus interchange (or bus station) located in the residential town of Bukit Panjang. Connecting with Bukit Panjang LRT station along the Bukit Panjang LRT Line, the interchange is a transport node for commuters heading in and out of town, allowing for convenient transfers between the rail network and the many bus services at the interchange.

The interchange has a single vehicular concourse area with a bus park in the middle. Vehicles enter the interchange via a combined entrance and exit along both Petir Road and Jelebu Road. The vehicular exit leads to Jelebu Road, next to Block 181A multi-storey car park.

The passenger concourse features three sawtooth boarding berths and an alighting berth with space for 2 buses. Pedestrian entrance/exits are located within the interchange, leading to retail portions of Hillion Mall.

Historical Background

• 1986: Zhenghua Ter established
• 1987: Bukit Panjang Ter established at Petir Road
• 26 Dec 1999: Bukit Panjang Int opens
• 17 Dec 2012: Bukit Panjang Int closes, relocated to Bukit Panjang Temp Bus Park

The first bus terminal established in Bukit Panjang was in 1971 along Upper Bukit Timah Road, which hosted a handful of bus services such as Service 181, 193 and 200. To support the development of Zhenghua New Town, the roadside Zhenghua Bus Terminal was a set up in 1986 for Service 5. The following year, in 1987, the terminal was moved to Petir Road (outside present-day Block 118) where it would be known as Bukit Panjang Bus Terminal and supported the New Town for years to come.

A permanent facility would later be built at the junction of Petir Road and Jebulu Road, with an open house held on 19 December 1999. Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange opened on 26 December 1999, a month after the Bukit Panjang LRT opened, and provided convenient transfers to the new light rail line. That same day, a bus rationalization and handover exercise was conducted to reduce duplication with the LRT network, as well as the transfer of areas of responsibility from SBS to TIBS.

To make way for an Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) over the existing site, the Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange was closed on 16 December 2012, having operated for just 13 years. Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park was constructed further north along Woodlands Road (at the junction with Senja Way), used as a layover point for buses and did not allow for passenger boarding/alighting. Affected services were amended to start and end their service at various bus stops along Bukit Panajng Road, Jelebu Road, Petir Road or Upper Bukit Timah Road, accumulating significant amounts of dead mileage. Additionally, existing services 177 and 180 were amended to loop around the former bus interchange.

Route Amendments

To accommodate the closure of Bukit Panjang Interchange, several route amendments were made

• Service 75, 184, 700, 700A, 920 and 922 begin and end their trips at a pair of bus stops along Bukit Panjang Road (Blk 604 and Blk 183). The two bus stops were expanded to accommodate the additional bus traffic. In addition, Service 75 was enhanced to call at Bukit Panjang Plaza in both directions before heading to Petir Road.
• Service 176, 975 and 971E begin and end at a new pair of bus stops along Jelebu Road, constructed outside the old interchange (Blk 180 and Opp Blk 180)
• Service 970 starts at a new bus stop at Bukit Panjang LRT and terminates opposite Bukit Panjang Plaza.
• Service 177 converted into a loop service, and does a clockwise loop around Bukit Panjang Road and Jebulu Road while calling at two new bus stops, one at Jebulu Road (Bukit Panjang Plaza) and the other at Petir Road (Mayspring Condo)
• Service 180 converted into a loop service, and does an anti-clockwise loop around Petir Road and Jebulu Road while calling at two new bus stops, one at Petir Road (Bukit Panjang Station) and the other at Jebulu Road (Opp Bukit Panjang Plaza)

In addition, shortworking trips 177A and 180A were introduced that terminated at Bukit Panjang, facilitating the off-service of buses.

Feeder bus services:

A brief history:

Bukit Panjang was formerly under Singapore Bus Service (SBS) control, served by the 34x series of Feeder bus routes. They were:

• Service 343: Bt Panjang Ter – Petir Rd End (Loop)
• Service 344: Bt Panjang Ter – Bt Panjang Ring Rd (Loop)

These two services were handed to Trans-Island Bus Service (TIBS) on 6th Aug 1995. TIBS later introduced its own Service 345 as Bt Panjang – Saujana Rd (Loop) on 15 Feb 1998. However, on 26th Dec 1999, 344 and 345 were withdrawn following the Bukit Panjang LRT Rationalization.

TIBS later introduced a new Bukit Panjang feeder route, Service 920 on Sunday, 26 March 2000. On the same day, Service 343 was renumbered to Feeder 921 and converted to partial air-con service. This marked the transition to TIBS’ 92x series of Bukit Panjang feeder routes:

• Service 920: Loops at Bangkit Road. Amended to Senja Rd and Senja Link in May 2005.
• Service 921: Loops at Petir Road End, integrated with 700/700A in June 2006 and withdrawn.
• Service 922: Loops at Bangkit Road. Introduced in Apr 2006.

Service 920 and 922 frequently experienced poor frequencies due to low demand, which were subsequently beefed up during the Bus Services Enhancement Programme (BSEP).

Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange facilities:

• N/A

Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park does not allow for boarding and alighting of passengers. The entrance of the Bus Park is located at the junction of Senja Way and Woodlands Road.

Bus Services (As at 15 Dec 2012):

Gallery:

External Links & References:

• http://remembersingapore.wordpress.com/2012/10/28/singapore-old-bus-interchanges-terminals/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_bus_stations_in_Singapore
• http://sgforums.com/forums/1279/topics/458583?page=1
• http://www.smrt.com.sg/Buses/BukitPanjangBusInterchangeClosure.aspx
• SMRT Bukit Panjang Town Map

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