Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange

Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange was a former bus interchange at Woodlands Town Centre, serving the residential town of Woodlands, Marsiling, Admiralty and surrounding industrial areas. Completed and opened along with the Woodlands extension of the North-South Line in 1996, it was the first underground bus interchange in Singapore, as well as one of the largest.

Operations at Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange ceased on 12 March 2016. The interchange then underwent extensive addition and alteration work in tandem with the construction of the Thomson-East Coast Line, which saw the overhaul of the interchange concourse, an expanded bus park, and underground pedestrian links to the new TEL underground station.

On 13 June 2021, the interchange reopened as Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub. This article serves to document the bus interchange up to March 2016.

Details

The Interchange:

Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange is a bus station located in the residential town of Woodlands. Connecting with Woodlands MRT Station along the North-South MRT Line and Thomson-East Coast 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 two exit ramps; the West exit leads to Woodlands Avenue 3 and 5, while the East exit leads to Woodlands Avenue 2 and 7. Although the interchange berths are enclosed underneath the North South Line MRT station, the parking area near the west exit is open-air.

As of March 2016, the berth allocation is such that Berths 1 to 8 will depart towards the East exit, and berths 9 to 16 depart towards the West exit, which means that buses do not have to turn back after picking up passengers. The only exceptions are Service 161 and 168 which depart at the east exit, but are located in Berths 15 and 16 due to space constraints.

The space-saving design was intended to leave more space around Woodlands Regional Centre for future development. Plans to develop the surrounding area were announced together with the upcoming Thomson-East Coast Line.

Amenities around the Interchange include the Causeway Point Shopping Mall, Woodlands Civic Centre and the Woodlands Regional Library.

History:

Before the interchange came into operation, bus services in Woodlands were served by Woodlands Bus Interchange located at Woodlands Centre Road. In existence since the 1970s, the interchange served the former Woodlands Town Centre, which was located very near to the Causeway. Another bus terminal, Marsiling Bus Terminal, was situated not too far away at Marsiling Town, beside Block 201 along Admiralty Road. Introduced in the 1980s, this bus terminal was home to TIBS services 950, 951 and 952, which went to Shenton Way, Jurong and Marina Centre respectively.

When the Government announced to extend the North-South Line MRT between Yishun and Choa Chu Kang via Woodlands, there were accelerated plans to relocate and develop a new town centre for Woodlands New Town, to be located at Woodlands Square. Built at a cost of $34 million, the Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange was built underneath the elevated Woodlands MRT Station, with station facilities occupying the ground floor. This space-maximizing design was the first of its kind in Singapore and could accommodate both articulated and double-deck buses. It opened on 10 February 1996 with Prime Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong gracing the occasion, the very same day Woodlands MRT Station opened for service.

In 1996, both bus terminals were rendered obsolete. Services were either diverted to Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange or withdrawn.

Temporary Bus Interchange & Upgrading Works:

With the construction of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) entrance and exit for Woodlands MRT Station underneath Woodlands Regional Interchange, addition & alteration works were required to be carried out to the existing bus interchange. As such, a temporary bus interchange was constructed nearby to facilitate these works.

Construction of Woodlands Regional Temporary Bus Interchange (Contract T211 – Proposed Temporary Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange) was awarded to JS Metal Pte. Ltd. on 17 Mar 2014, at a sum of S$12,650,000.00.

The temporary bus interchange opened on 12 March 2016, with existing bus services amended to serve it.

Interchange Facilities

(As of 12 March 2016)

• Interchange offices (SMRT)
• Transitlink Office
• Drivers lounge
• Boarding and alighting berths
• Information boards & Bus arrival displays
• Retail outlets
• Toilets

Bus Services

(As of 12 March 2016)

Berth Allocation:

(As of 12 March 2016)
Berths 1 to 8 are located to the South, with traffic flow in the direction of Woodlands Avenue 2 and 7. Berths 9 to 16 are located to the North, with traffic flow in the direction of Woodlands Avenue 3 and 5.

Gallery (Pre-Upgrading):

Woodlands Feeder Map

External Links & References:

• Bus Interchanges – SMRT

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