Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange

Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange (WTBI) is located at Woodlands Town Centre, serving the residential town of Woodlands, Marsiling, Admiralty and surrounding industrial areas. Amenities around the Interchange include the Causeway Point Shopping Mall, Woodlands Civic Centre and the Woodlands Regional Library.

The interchange commenced operations on 12 March 2016, when it took over all bus services from Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange. Following the opening of Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub on 13 June 2021, most bus services were shifted over to the new interchange, with the exception of Services 925, 950, 961 & 965 and their respective route variants, which remained at the old interchange.

Rail connections are offered via Woodlands station along the North South Line and North South Line (NSL) and Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).

Details
Name Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange | 兀兰临时巴士转换站
Address 3A Woodlands Square, Singapore 737735
BCM Route Package Woodlands Bus Package
Anchor Operator SMRT Buses
Bus Routes 3 (SMRT Buses)
1 (Tower Transit)
Berths 3 Sawtooth Boarding Berths & 2 Sawtooth Alighting Berths
Rail Connection NS9TE2  Woodlands
Former Details (Click to Expand)

Before 13 June 2021:

  • Bus Routes: 29 (27 SMRT Buses; 2 SBS Transit)
  • Berths: 10 sawtooth, 8 alighting

The Interchange:

Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange (WTBI) is large temporary bus interchange in Woodlands. The facility is located adjacent to Woodlands MRT Station along the North South Line (NSL) and Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), allowing for convenient transfers between the rail network and the many bus services at the interchange.

The interchange was built as a temporary replacement for Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange. In tandem with the construction of the TEL, the old interchange would be extensively upgraded, to feature a fully air-conditioned concourse, with an underground linkway to the TEL station, and an expansion of the bus park to accommodate more bus parking.

Like most other temporary interchanges, the bus park is located in the middle, with the passenger concourse wrapping around the perimeter. The parking bay has room for 51 articulated buses (18-metre) and 10 rigid buses (12-metre), but many of these articulated bus lots were converted to double-parking of rigid buses to ease parking congestion and with the gradual decline of the articulated bus fleet. A single combined vehicular entrance and exit leads to Woodlands Square.

A long alighting berth accommodates seven buses, and there are ten sawtooth boarding berths (similar in number to the old interchange).

Two passenger lifts were later added to improve disabled access, one at the main entrance, and one at the East entrance (near the alighting berths). Previously, only wheelchair ramps and staircases were offered.


Post-WITH opening

Following the opening of Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub on 13 June 2021, most bus services were shifted over to the new interchange, with the exception of Services 925, 950, 961 & 965 and their respective route variants, which remained at the old interchange.

As part of scaled-down operations at WTBI, Berths 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 were reclassified as Berths A1, A2, B1, B2 & B3 from 13 June 2021 onwards. The other berths were rendered defunct, and cordoned off. The East and West exits entrances also shut, leaving only the main entrance in the middle of the interchange concourse.

The interchange also continued to be used as an overnight parking area for SMRT Buses.


Temporary Amendment of Services to Woodlands Temp Int

In December 2021, due to road works at the east entrance (from Woodlands Ave 7) to Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub, Bus Services 161, 168, 858/858A, 962, 964 & 969 were temporarily amended to operate from Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange from 12 to 25 December 2021.

Berth arrangements were:

  • Berth B1 – 962 & 964
  • Berth B2 – 858/858A & 969
  • Berth B3 – 161 & 168

 

In December 2022, due to road works at the east exit (towards Woodlands Ave 7) from Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub, Bus Services 161, 168, 858/858A, 962, 964 & 969 were temporarily amended to operate from Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange from 11 to 24 December 2022.

Berth arrangements were:

  • Berth B1 – 858/858A
  • Berth B2 – 964
  • Berth B3 – 969
  • Berth B4 – 161, 168 & 962

 


Former Vaccinated Travel Bus Service

To facilitate operations of the Vaccinated Travel Bus Service (formerly VTL-Land Bus Service) from Nov 2021 to Apr 2022, a section of the Temporary Interchange was used as a holding area and boarding point.


Bus Services List:

Service Berth Destination Remarks
925 B1 Choa Chu Kang Weekdays, Saturdays & Eves of Selected Public Holidays only
925A B1 Kranji Way (Kranji Resvr Pk B) Weekdays & Saturdays Morning Peak hours only
925M B1 ↺ Neo Tiew Crescent Sundays & Public Holidays only
950 B2 ↺ JB Sentral Cross-Border Route
961 B1 Lorong 1 Geylang Weekdays, Saturdays & Eves of Selected Public Holidays only
961M B1 Lorong 1 Geylang Sundays & Public Holidays only
965 B3 ↺ Sengkang
965A B3 Yishun Avenue 2 (Opp Yishun Stn) Short Trip Service
965T B3 Sengkang Square (Sengkang Int) Terminating Trip
Bus Service List (pre-WITH opening)

​Bus Service Arrangements before 13 June 2021 (Click to Expand)

Before 13 June 2021:

Service Berth Destination Remarks
161 1 Hougang Central
168 1 Bedok
169 3 Ang Mo Kio
169A 3 Yishun Avenue 2 (Opp Yishun Stn) Short Trip Service
169B 3 Woodlands Avenue 8 (Bef Admiralty Rd West) Short Trip Service
178 6 Boon Lay
178A 6 Woodlands Road (Kranji Stn) Short Trip Service
187 8 Boon Lay
856 9 Yishun
856A 9 Woodlands Centre Road (W’lands Train Checkpt) Short Trip Service
858 2 ↺ Changi Airport
858A 2 Yishun Avenue 2 (Opp Yishun Stn)
900 3 ↺ Woodlands Drive 14 Does not operate when Service 900A is in operation
900A 3 ↺ Woodlands Drive 17 Selected hours on weekdays
901 4 ↺ Woodlands Avenue 6
901M 4 ↺ Woodlands Avenue 7
902 1 Woodlands Avenue 9 (Republic Poly) Weekday Morning Peak Hours during Republic Polytechnic School Term only
903 2 ↺ Woodlands Centre Road
903M 2 ↺ Marsiling Lane Weekdays Morning & Evening Peak hours only
904 1A ↺ Woodlands Crescent
911 / 911T
5 ↺ Woodlands Avenue 2
7 ↺ Woodlands Centre Road
912 / 912A 4 ↺ Woodlands Avenue 7
912 / 912B 6 ↺ Woodlands Centre Road
912M 6 ↺ Woodlands Street 41 Weekdays Morning & Evening Peak Hours only
913 / 913T 5 ↺ Woodlands Circle
6 ↺ Woodlands Avenue 3
913M 6 ↺ Woodlands Street 13
925 9 Choa Chu Kang Weekdays, Saturdays & Eves of Selected Public Holidays only
925A 9 Kranji Way (Kranji Resvr Pk B) Weekdays & Saturdays Morning Peak hours only
925M 9 ↺ Neo Tiew Crescent Sundays & Public Holidays only
926 5 ↺ Mandai Lake Road Sundays & Public Holidays only
950 9 ↺ JB Sentral Cross-Border Route
960 7 Marina Centre
960e 7 Marina Centre Express Bus Service
961 7 Lorong 1 Geylang Weekdays, Saturdays & Eves of Selected Public Holidays only
961M 7 Lorong 1 Geylang Sundays & Public Holidays only
962 4 ↺ Admiralty Street
963 8 HarbourFront
963e 8 HarbourFront Express Bus Service
Weekday Morning Peak Hours only
963R 8 Resorts World Sentosa Express Bus Service
Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays only
964 5 ↺ Woodlands Loop Weekdays, Saturdays & Eves of Selected Public Holidays only
965 3 ↺ Sengkang
965A 3 Yishun Avenue 2 (Opp Yishun Stn) Short Trip Service
965T 3 Sengkang Square (Sengkang Int) Terminating Trip
966 8 ↺ Marine Parade Road
966A
8 Marine Parade Road (Opp Parkway Parade) Short Trip Service
969 2 Tampines

Berth Allocation:

Berth Services
A1 Alighting
A2 Alighting
B1 925/925A/925M, 961/961M
North South Line Free Bridging Bus towards Marina South Pier
B2 950
B3 965/965A/965T
North South Line Free Bridging Bus towards Jurong East
B4
B5

Berths A1, A2, B1, B2, B3 took over the former Berths 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
The boarding berth for bus service 961/961M was changed from B2 to B1 from 16 Mar 2024.

Berth Allocation (pre-WITH opening)

​Berth allocation before 13 June 2021 (Click to Expand)

Before 13 June 2021:

Berth Services
1A 904
North South Line Free Bridging Bus towards Marina South Pier
1 161, 168, 902
2 858/858A, 903/903M, 969
3 169/169A/169B, 900/900A, 965/965A/965T
4 901/901M, 912 (Towards WDL Ave 7)/912A, 962
5 911 (Towards WDL Ave 2) / 911T, 913 (Towards WDL Circle) / 913T, 926/964
6 178, 912 (Towards WDL Train Checkpoint) / 912B / 912M, 913 (Towards Marsiling MRT) / 913M / 913T
7 911 (Towards WDL Train Checkpoint) / 911T, 960/960e, 961/961M
8 187, 963, 963e/963R, 966/966A
9 856/856A, 925/925A/925M, 950
North South Line Free Bridging Bus towards Jurong East

Berths 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 were reclassified as Berths A1, A2, B1, B2 & B3 from 13 June 2021 onwards. The other berths were rendered defunct.


Interchange facilities:

  • Interchange offices (SMRT Buses + SBS Transit)
  • TransitLink Ticket Office
  • Drivers’ lounge
  • Smart bus parking system
  • Boarding and alighting berths
  • Information panels & Bus departure timing screen
  • Passenger Information System interactive panels (discontinued from 13 Jun 2021)
  • Priority Assistance buggy service (discontinued from 13 Jun 2021)
  • SMRT Guide Rack
  • Retail outlets
  • NTWU Canteen  (Relocated to Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub from 13 Jun 2021)
  • Toilets

Other unique features:

NEC Corporation supplied some of the technologies which helped to streamline interchange operations. For instance, its Passenger Information System interactive panel provides real-time bus and train departure timings, in addition to bus service traffic footages. Other features include bus route, fares and estimated travelling time; map and journey planner; 3-D directory and vicinity location finder; customer feedback and virtual assistance, as well as charging of mobile devices.

A free Priority Assistance Buggy Service was also provided launched for the benefit of commuters who have difficulty moving around. The electric buggy service operates from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, and can be called using the interactive panels stationed around the interchange. The buggies are based in the interchange with their own charging station near Berth B4, and red lanes drawn throughout the interchange encourage commuters to give way to the buggy when they are in operation.

A smart bus parking system was installed to track available spaces at the alighting berths and parking lots. This information is, in turn, relayed to bus drivers via two large screens mounted around the interchange. In addition, a sophisticated camera network tracks bus movements and is able to relay the registration numbers of incoming buses to the interchange control room, as well as tell where each bus is parking in the interchange. According to Nedap, its SENSIT smart parking sensors were installed in individual parking spaces.

Similar to Yishun Temporary Bus Interchange, boarding berths at Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange have dedicated priority seats and a wheelchair waiting area, allowing those of lower mobility to board the bus first. In addition to bus timings shown around the interchange, every berth is equipped with a bus timings board for commuters’ easy reference.

Post-WITH opening:

From 13 June 2021, the following facilities were discontinued:

  • NTWU Canteen — Relocated to Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub
  • Priority Assistance buggy service — Discountinued after downsizing of interchange
  • Passenger Information System interactive panels — Inactive, possibly awaiting software reconfiguration or phased out

Interchange History

History of Bus Interchanges & Terminals in Woodlands (Click to expand)
1970s & 1980s: Growth of Marsiling estate

The history of bus termini in Woodlands started in the 1970s, in tandem with the construction of Woodlands New Town and the first Housing & Development Board (HDB) estates in Marsiling. Roadside bus termini were known to have existed at the time included:

  • Marsiling Avenue (outside Marsiling Sch). The road has since been expunged; site of present-day HDB Marsiling Grove. Served by Bus Service 208.
  • Marsiling Drive (outside Blk 1). Served by Bus Service 180 and 182.
  • Rotherham Gate (H.M. Naval Dockyard). Served by Bus Service 160 in the early 1970s. Present-day Admiralty Road West (near Woodlands Causeway).

A centralised bus terminal was opened sometime around 1976 to serve the new HDB estate. Marsiling Bus Terminal was built off Admiralty Road, next to Block 19 and 20 where neighbourhood shops and the hawker centre were located. This terminal was also referred to as Admiralty Road Terminal and Woodlands Bus Terminal by bus literature at the time.

With the opening of Woodlands Town Centre next to Woodlands Checkpoint, Woodlands Bus Interchange was opened on 29 November 1981 to serve the new regional centre, which contained shops, eateries and a cinema, and was frequented by cross-border workers. The interchange featured 17 berths, and started with five bus services (169, 178, 181, 204, 208).

The bus interchange was planned and built by Singapore Bus Service (SBS), but ownership was taken over by the Government in 1983, and later transferred to the newly-formed Trans-Island Bus Service (TIBS), which gradually took over bus routes in Woodlands in stages between Apr-Oct 1983. Most bus routes were shifted from Marsiling Ter to Woodlands Int, with only a handful remaining at Marsiling, most notably Services 950, 951 and 952, which went to Shenton Way, Jurong and Marina Centre respectively.

1996 onwards: Relocation to Woodlands Regional Centre

When the Government announced plans to extend the North-South Line MRT from Yishun to Choa Chu Kang via Woodlands, there were accelerated plans to relocate and develop a new town centre for Woodlands, 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 4 February 1996, and Woodlands MRT Station opened less than a week later, on 10 February 1996.

The reorganization of bus routes in Woodlands that accompanied the opening of Woodlands Regional Int led to the disuse of Marsiling Ter, with bus services being extended to the new interchange or withdrawn. As for Woodlands Int, Bus Service 901 remained at Woodlands Int for several more months until its withdrawal on 14 July 1996. Woodlands Int also continued to be used by Bus Service 900, 902 & 904 (later renumbered Intratown 911, 912 & 913 in December 1996) as a looping point, referred to as Woodlands Checkpoint Terminal from bus literature, until 23 March 2003 when the three Intratown services were made to loop at Woodlands Centre Road instead, skipping Woodlands Checkpoint Ter.

While Marsiling Ter was fully demolished, Woodlands Int was used as a car and bus park until late 2017, when the entire Woodlands Town Centre was closed and eventually torn down.

2016: Upgrading to Integrated Transport Hub (ITH)

With the construction of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) and a new underground station underneath Woodlands Regional Interchange, the existing interchange had to be closed to facilitate the extensive addition and alteration works, which included a conversion to a fully-air-conditioned concourse, underground linkway to the TEL station, and an expansion of the bus park to accommodate more bus parking.

In 2016, Woodlands Regional Int was closed, with bus operations relocated to a newly-built Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange north of the existing site. Contract T221 for the construction of the temporary interchange was awarded to JS Metal Pte. Ltd. on 17 Mar 2014, at a sum of S$12,650,000.00. The temporary interchange opened on 12 March 2016, with all bus services relocated there.

The upgraded interchange was renamed to Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub and opened on 13 June 2021, with all bus services except Services 925/925M, 950, 961/961M & 965/965A/965T being shifted over.

Construction Contract

Contract T221 for the construction of the Temporary Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange was awarded to JS Metal Pte. Ltd. (now known as JSM Construction Group Pte Ltd) on 17 Mar 2014, at a sum of S$12,650,000.00.


Gallery:

More photos on Page 2.

Post-WITH opening (Jun 2021)


^ SMRT bus services rerouted to Woodlands Temporary Int


^ SBS Transit bus services rerouted to Woodlands Temporary Int

More photos on Page 2.


References

Back to Bus Interchanges and Terminals


Continued on Page 2 – Gallery

  • Gallery:
    • Alighting Berths
    • Boarding Berths
    • TEL Link
    • Passenger Facilities
    • Newly-opened (March 2016)
    • Pre-opening

10 thoughts on “Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange

  • 8 December 2021 at 12:28 PM
    Permalink

    Maybe they will use this as an extension to Woodlands Int like Tampines Concourse and Compassvale. I think all tower transit from the woodlands ith can shift here with the SBS transit while shifting bus 925/M, 950 ad 961/M to the ITH. Then, call this int Woodlands Extension with the following berth arrangements:
    B1: 161, 168
    B2: 858, 966
    B3: 169, 969
    B4: 856, 965
    B5: 963, 963e, 963R, rail bridging services

    Reply
  • 21 November 2021 at 1:01 AM
    Permalink

    LTA should keep and scale down the interchange for future new bus service.

    Reply
  • 17 January 2021 at 1:04 AM
    Permalink

    Once they moved to the Woodlands ITH,This place will become a bus park for majority Woodlands DD service.
    Woodlands Bus Park will become part of BPJ/GB KJDEP control

    Reply
  • 30 September 2020 at 9:23 PM
    Permalink

    Tower Transit will become the tenant operator in Woodlands to operate service 169,856,858,963,963e,963R,965,966 & 969.

    Reply

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