Expansion of Hougang New Town & Relocation of Town Centre:
To cater to Singapore’s increasing population, the government proposed a further expansion of Hougang New Town eastwards in the late 1980s, with the development of 6 additional neighbourhoods in Hougang. With the increased size of the residential estate, the existing town centre became less sufficient in meeting the needs of residents in the housing estate after the expansion of the town.
Thus, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) proposed the development of a new town centre for the new town at Hougang Central, which would comprise of Hougang Mall, as well as an additional bus interchange. The new Hougang Central Bus Interchange would absorb the bus services from the existing Upper Serangoon Bus Terminal at Upper Serangoon Road End and operate alongside the existing bus interchange, which was subsequently renamed as Hougang South Bus Interchange.
Hougang Central Bus Interchange eventually opened on 18th December 1994, after an open house was conducted by SBS the day before, allowing Hougang residents to familiarise themselves with the new interchange. In addition to the 7 bus services from Upper Serangoon Bus Terminal, Bus Services 97 & 111 from Hougang South Bus Interchange also extended their routes to the new interchange, providing greater accessibility to the City areas of Little India, City Hall / Raffles Place/Shenton Way (Bus Service 97) & Orchard Road (Bus Service 111).
Summary of Post-Amendment Bus Routes in Hougang (as of 18 Dec 1994):
- 51: Hougang South – Eunos – North Bridge Road – West Coast Road – Jurong East
- 62: Hougang South – Upper Paya Lebar Road – Aljunied Road – New Bridge Road
- 74: Hougang Central – Ang Mo Kio – Bukit Timah Road – Buona Vista
- 81: Tampines – Pasir Ris – Upper Serangoon Road – New Bridge Road
- 82: Punggol Road – Upper Serangoon Road – Shenton Way
- 84: Hougang Central – Paya Lebar Road – North Bridge Road – World Trade Centre
- 97: Hougang Central – Little India – Shenton Way – World Trade Centre – Jurong East
- 111: Hougang Central – Little India – Orchard Road – Ghim Moh
- 132: Hougang South – Ang Mo Kio – Orchard Road – Bukit Merah
- 136: Hougang Central – Serangoon Gardens – Ang Mo Kio
- 147: Hougang Central – Serangoon – Little India – Chinatown – Jalan Bukit Merah – Clementi
- 151: Hougang South – Jalan Toa Payoh – Bukit Timah Road – Kent Ridge
- 153: Hougang Central – Toa Payoh – Farrer Road – Bukit Merah
- 321: Hougang South – Hougang Avenue 1 – Upper Paya Lebar Road (Loop)
- 322: Hougang South – Hougang Avenue 2 – Hougang Street 61 (Loop)
- 323: Hougang South – Defu Industrial Estate (Loop)
- 326: Hougang South – Hougang Avenue 10 – Hougang Avenue 6 (Loop)
- 327: Hougang South – Hougang Avenue 7 – Upper Serangoon Road (Loop)
- 328: Hougang South – Hougang Avenue 8 – Buangkok Green Medical Park (Loop)
More detailed information for operational bus services can be found in the Historical Routes of Bus Services article.