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4D/Toto/Score

  Sengkang LRT's opening will be delayed to January 2003. Operator SBS Transit said it is still tweaking the LRT communication and radio system. Transport Minister YEO Cheow Tong yesterday said that the driverless train system for the North-East MRT line was handed over to SBS Transit on Monday 16 Dec 2002. The new line is to open for public use in April 2003. (Straits Times 21 Dec 2002) (4)

  A man was killed when he was hit by an MRT train near Marsiling station at about 11.40pm on Saturday night. Mr TAN Ngak Yam, 70, a Malaysian, was walking along the MRT tracks when he was hit by a northbound train about 500 m from the station. (Straits Times 2 Dec 2002) (H5)

  A 10-year-old boy was taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital yesterday evening, after being dragged by an MRT train along the platform at Bishan MRT station. Moses TAN had a fractured right leg, a fractured right shoulder, bruises on his limbs and chest, and lacerations on his head after the incident. It is not known how the incident happened. (Straits Times 8 Nov 2002) (3)

  The entire Bukit Panjang LRT service was shut down at 6.40am yesterday after a disruption caused by a dislodged train wheel, which led to the power system being crippled between Bukit Panjang and Senja stations. Resumption of service is likely this evening. (Straits Times 22 Oct 2002) (H7)

  The SMRT yesterday started dispensing single-trip contactless smart cards - which replace the existing magnetic farecards - at its stations here. Those buying a single-trip ticket must now pay a S$1 deposit. To get it back, they have to return the used card to a ticketing machine within 30 days. According to SMRT, single-trip tickets account for about 74,000 out of the 1.1 million daily train trips made on weekdays and about 20,000 more on weekends, About 70 per cent of these journeys are done during off-peak hours. (Straits Times 15 Oct 2002) (H6)

  From Tuesday, students and national servicemen can go to any TransitLink ticket office and pay to get their ex-link cards encoded with a train concession pass. Holders of such cards then need carry only one card for travel on the MRT or LRT. (Straits Times 28 Sep 2002) (H9)

  Transport Minister YEO Cheow Tong indicated yesterday that there was a "very high" possibility that the three transport executives in the Public Transport Council (PTC) will lose their seats on the panel which, among other things, approves bus fares. He said, "We need not really have them as members. They can still be there as resource people." Currently, three out of the 14-member PTC are top executives of Singapore Mass rapid Transport, SBS Transit and Trans-Island Bus Services. (Straits Times 15 Jul 2002) (3) 

  There will be no U-turn on the bus and train fare hikes. Transport Minister YEO Cheow Tong said in Parliament yesterday his ministry was satisfied that the fare rises were "reasonable and certainly not excessive". (Straits Times 11 Jul 2002) (1)

  Senior citizens can purchase an Interim Senior Citizen ez-link card for use on buses and train from Monday 1 Jul 2002, when fares go up. The interim card, costing S$13 (including a S$3 refundable deposit), can be bought at all all ticket offices in MRT stations and bus interchanges, said TransitLink on Thursday. With the card, they will pay up to two cents less for a journey during non-peak hours, compared to those using the existing magnetic cards. (Straits Times 29 Jun 2002) (H6) 

  Bus and MRT fares will go up by between three cents and 10 cents from July 2002. Public Transport Council (PTC) chairman Eric GWEE said that the council had satisfied itself that operating costs have increased significantly due to inflation and investments in service improvements, despite efforts by the operators to contain costs and improve productivity. For bus rides, adults will pay three cents more using EZ-Link card, five cents more using magnetic card and 10 cents more using cash. For MRT/LRT rides, they pay four cents more using Ez-Link card and five cents more using magnetic card. Monthly concessions for students and NSmen will go up by 50 cents for primary and secondary students, S$2 for tertiary students and S$3 for NSmen. (Straits Times 12 Jun 2002) (1)

  Engineers from Japan and Germany are here to repair 21 MRT trains, all less than two years old, which were taken out of service because of faulty gear boxes. Until the problem is fixed, commuters will face some delays. (Straits Times 25 Apr 2002) (H2)

  Ez-Link card for bus & MRT travel debuts on 13 Apr 2002

  The ez-link fare card system has been given the go ahead to start on Saturday. The cards will be available at all TransitLink counters in MRT stations and bus interchanges from this weekend. For the first six months, the cards will cost S$13 each (S$10 fares, S$3 deposit). After that, they will cost S$15 (S$5 deposit). The existing magnetic fare cards can be used for at least six months after the new card's launch. (Straits Times 9 Apr 2002) (4)

  The public launch of a smart card for buses and the MRT, originally set for this week, has been put off after a computer bug forced the shutdown last week of a trial run on the system. Australian newspapers have also reported that ERG Systems, the firm charged with setting up the system, might go bust but the firm has denied this and pledged that it will be able to deliver as promised. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said yesterday it had pushed back the launch of the ez-link card service to Singapore's more than two million commuters to sometime next month. (Straits Times 28 Mar 2002) (1)

  It's "tap and go" again for commuters who use the ez-link card to pay their fares on buses and MRT trains. This is because the software problem affecting bus-card readers has been solved, said the Land Transport Authority yesterday. LTA said it is targeting to operate both the contactless smart card and magnetic farecard systems in tandem next month. (Straits Times 24 Mar 2002) (24)

  A mysterious computer glitch yesterday caused the new ex-link smart-card system to break down yesterday, affecting some 4,900 bus commuters. The ez-link card, which is for commuters to pay their fares on buses and MRT trains, is now on trial and is due to be launched for general use by the end of next week. (Straits Times 23 Mar 2002) (H8)

  From Saturday, the stretch of Nicoll Highway between Merdeka Bridge and Ophir Road will be closed for two years as construction work on the first phase of the S$6.7 billion Circle MRT Line gets underway. By year-end, the last stretch of the underground City Link shopping mall, from City Hall to Suntec City, will be closed temporarily. Retail outlets will not be affected, but pedestrians will have to get out into the open from the underpass near Raffles Boulevard. Close to 2.2 million people visit Suntec City every month, said a Suntec City spokesman, adding that the construction works would cause great inconvenience to conference participants, shoppers and office tenants. (Straits Times 14 Mar 2002) (3)

  Commuters can start using the new ez-link smart cards for MRT and bus rides from the end of this month. A six-week trial in January involving 45,000 commuters went well. (Straits Times 6 Mar 2002) (H5) 

  Work has started on the S$6.7 billion 34-km Circle Line which will loop round the city so that MRT commuters can bypass city stations when heading to outer areas like Bishan, Paya Lebar and Buona Vista. When completed in 2010, the underground line will cut travelling time and ease congestion at major interchanges like Raffles Place and City Hall. (Straits Times 6 Mar 2002) (3)

  The MRT is coming to opposition ward Potong Pasir after all - and the station will be called Potong Pasir, not Sennett. Trains will stop there instead of by-passing it when the North-East line opens by early December because the projected number of passengers warrants it, said Transport Minister YEO Cheow Tong last night. (Straits Times 28 Feb 2002) (1)

  By the end of next year, every MRT station will have one fare gate that is wide enough for commuters with luggage to pass through easily. This will make it convenient for travellers to ride the train to Changi Airport MRT station which opened yesterday. At the new underground station between Terminal  2 and the future Terminal 3, all the fare gates are 90cm wide, instead of the normal 50cm wide. Those who have trouble getting through the gates of other MRT stations with their bags can approach the station staff for help, said SMRT. (Straits Times 9 Feb 2002)(3)

  From Friday 8 Feb 2002, the MRT will take you all the way to Changi Airport. The new MRT station is located between Terminal 2 and the future terminal 3. Commuters can use the MRT station's lifts and escalators to get to the arrival and departure halls in Terminal 2. To get to Terminal 1, they will need to ride the skytrain too. The first train will leave the airport station at 5.59am on Sundays and public holidays and 5.31am on other days. Everyday, the last train will depart from the airport at 11.18pm. (Straits Times 7 Feb 2002)(H3)

  Commuters will soon be able to ride the MRT train all the way to the airport on the new 6-km long extension. The Straits Times understands that the new airport station, located between Terminal 2 and the future Terminal 3, could open in the next few days. The airport line extends from the Tanah Merah MRT station on the East-West line. (Straits Times 6 Feb 2002) (H1)