September 2012

Thomson Line To Open From 2019

Residents living in areas like Thomson, Sin Ming and Kim Seng have reason to cheer: The MRT will be arriving at their doorsteps.

Details of the upcoming Thomson MRT Line were unveiled by Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew on 29 August. It will bring greater convenience and significant time savings for an estimated 400,000 commuters living along the line, who currently have to change buses or trains to reach certain destinations.

Thomson Line: Better Connections For Residents In The North From 2019The station locations and rail alignment of the upcoming Thomson Line have been set. The estimated 400,000 commuters it will serve can look forward to MRT stations at their doorstep, which will be completed in stages between 2019 and 2021.

For instance, a MRT ride from Sin Ming to Republic Polytechnic in Woodlands, on the Thomson Line, will take 25 minutes instead of 50 minutes now.

And residents from Springleaf Estate in Sembawang will only need 35 minutes to travel to the Great World City shopping mall, instead of the 60 minutes now.

For even greater connectivity, the Thomson Line will also link with the future Eastern Regional Line.

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2 Thomson Line: Better Connections For Residents In The North From 2019

4 LTA’s National Day Bouquets

6 Downtown Line 3: Works Start

8 Change Your MRT Travel Time: It’s Easy And Rewarding

9 International Land Transport “School” In Singapore

10 Top Engineering Students At Singapore Polytechnic Get LTA Awards

12 Play The Facebook Game

CONTENTS

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When fully operational, an estimated 60,000 households will be within 400m, and another 100,000 households between 400m and 800m from one of the Thomson Line Stations, or a comfortable 10-12 minute walk away.

- Mr Lui Tuck YewMinister for Transport

Woodlands North StationWoodlands South StationWoodlands Station

1 Transport Minster Lui Tuck Yew addressing to the invited guests at the announcement event.

2 The full alignment of the Thomson Line.

MoreaboutthethoMsonLine

• It will be 30km long.

• There are a total of 22 stations including six interchange stations which will link to the East West Line, North South Line, North East Line, Circle Line and the future Downtown Line.

• It will be completed in three stages. The first stretch (three stations from Woodlands North to Woodlands South) will be completed in 2019. The second stretch (six stations from Springleaf to Caldecott) will be completed in 2020 and the final stretch (13 stations from Mount Pleasant to Gardens by the Bay) in 2021.

• It is fully underground and driver-less.

• It will use a four-car system to meet greater demand in the long term.

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The former Deputy Chief Executive of the LTA, who was just conferred a Public Administration Medal (Gold), started his career in the 1970s as an engineer at the former Public Works Department.

From bridges to hospitals to the airport, the trained civil engineer had a hand in many of the important buildings and landmarks which are still standing in Singapore today.

In 1995 when the LTA was formed, he happened to be with the Public Works Department’s Roads department and so he naturally joined the LTA.

In his 17 years with the LTA, he has been Project Director for the Kallang Paya Lebar Expressway, Group Director (Planning and Transportation), Group Director (Engineering), Group Director (Vehicle and Transit Licensing) and Group Director (Rail). In short, he has done nearly everything which the LTA does.

Amongst other things, Mr Lim has led teams which completed the Circle Line, worked on the Jurong

LTA’s National Day BouquetsFormer LTA Deputy Chief Executive Lim Bok Ngam and two LTA board members, Philip Lee and Poh Say Teck, have been conferred National Day awards this year.

Mr Poh say teck, whowas boardmember of the Lta from2005 to 2011, is the business news editor at Chinese dailynewspaper Lianhe Zaobao and he was awarded the PublicserviceMedal.

“I am very honoured to receive the National Day Award as a former Board Member. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve on the LTA Board. I have faith in the LTA because I know people in LTA have put in so much effort into improving our land transport infrastructure. I want to share this Award with everyone in the LTA family.”

East Modification Project, the Marina Bayfront Bridge and Helix pedestrian bridge and the launch of distance-based fares.

The LTA veteran, who humbly puts the spotlight on his colleagues, is proud of what has been achieved by the LTA: “Today people don’t even know what a pothole is!”

He attributes the organization’s success to technical capabilities built up over the years, a dedicated and focused senior management team, an organizational structure which allows for quick and efficient decision-making and its staff.

“We have a can-do spirit here. It is what has driven us forward,” said Mr Lim, who just retired in July.

And it is what will drive the organization further, as it increasingly faces present-day challenges of growing expectations from transport users: “Don’t let complaints get you down,” said Mr Lim, when asked if he had a message for his LTA colleagues.

“Whether you like it or not, engage the people and do our best.”

itcanbesaidthatMrLimbokngam,62,isasingaporeengineeringpioneer who has actively participated in building up the country’shardwarefornearly40years.

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MrPhilipLee,whowasboardmemberoftheLtafrom2005to2011, is the Chief executive officer of investment banking forsoutheastasia,forthefinancialservicesfirmJPMorgan(s.e.a.)LtdandhewasawardedthePublicserviceMedal.

“It is a privilege to be given the opportunity to serve on the LTA board. These past six years on the board has been a very enriching experience in terms of knowledge of public transportation needs and challenges, and being associated with what I consider a ‘top-notch’ dedicated senior management team at LTA. I hope that I am able to give back to LTA what I have gained from my association with them. Therefore, getting the Public Service Medal is really an honour and I am humbled by this recognition.”

CongratuLationstoallLtaofficerswhohavebeenawardedthe2012nationalDayawards

PubLiCaDMinistrationMeDaL(bronZe)

Ms Ho Pui MingDeputy Director, Design Development (Road)

Mr Chia Choon PohDeputy Director, Rolling Stock & Depot Equipment

Miss Lim Siew ChengDeputy Director, Government Resource & Investments

Mr Ibrahim Malik Deputy Director, Network Renewal

Ms Goh Hui BoonDeputy Director, Human Resource Management

Mr Tan Lye Seng Deputy Director, Trackwork

Mr Lim Heng TohDeputy Director, Infrastructure Enhancement

CoMMenDationMeDaL

Mr Patrick Sebastian1 Deputy Director (Civil Team 1) Thomson Line

Mr Yeo Wee Kwang Jason Senior Project Manager, CDL(E&M)

Ms Ow Chien TingSenior Manager, Government Collections & Refunds

Mr Yap Kwee SengPrincipal Manager, Systems Assurance & Integration

Mdm Wong Mee Poh Mabel Manager, Quota & Registration Mr Loh Tah Wui Senior Manager, Tender

eFFiCienCYMeDaL

Mr Subandrio Bin SatemanExecutive, Bus Service Development

Mdm Tan Bee Hong Senior Finance Officer

Mr Lee Heng KahDeputy Project Manager, CDL (E&M)

Mrs S Thilagavathi Senior Human Resource Officer

Mrs Aisah Bt KematSenior Principal Executive Service Officer

Miss Sim Siew Joo Executive, IT Planning & Governance

Mdm Ng Poh Kuan Principal Cost Control Officer Mdm How Ing In Rebecca Librarian

Mrs See Siew BuanHigher Principal Engineering Officer

Mdm Lim Kai Senior Principal Engineering Officer

Mdm Tan Lay HongHigher Principal Engineering Officer (CT)

Mr See Toh Heng Fatt Higher Principal Engineering Officer

Mr Lim Swee Heng Higher Principal Engineering Officer

Mr Yeo Kok Siong Head, Vehicle Inspection

LongserViCeMeDaL

Mrs Palaniappa Chettiar Meenal Senior Admin Officer Mdm Goh Ah Hoon Senior Admin Officer

Miss Fang Han XinPrincipal Project Manager, CDL(E&M)

Mr Mohamed Salleh B Mohd Gozali Senior Engineering Officer

Mr Cheng Heng Yew Principal Contracts Officer Mr Zufri Bin Abdul Wahab Principal Engineering Officer

Mdm Loke Sow LengHigher Principal Engineering Officer (CT)

Miss Zainab Binte Mohemed Yusuf Senior Engineering Officer

Mr Suppiah s/o Ganesan Senior Driver Mdm Choo Hui ChengHigher Principal Engineering Officer (CT)

Mr Teo Hoon TatHigher Principal Engineering Officer (CT)

Mdm Ho Kim Huey Principal Engineer, Rolling Stock

Mr Mohamed B Abd Rahim Senior Driver Mr Lee Yin Mun Higher Engineering Officer

Mr Tan Hiok SengDirector, Enforcement & Investigations

Ms Alanna Frances Lean Saw Kin Director, Vehicle Services

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Residents living around the upcoming Downtown Line 3 in areas like Bedok North, MacPherson and Jalan Besar will be happy to hear that works have started, and the line is slated for completion in 2017.

Tunelling works have started for the third and last stage of the Downtown Line.

Downtown Line 3 (DTL3), which runs almost parallel to the East-West Line from Fort Canning to the Expo, consists of 16 underground stations including three interchange stations at MacPherson, Tampines and the Expo.

On 11 July, Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo launched the first two tunnel boring machines which will drill the train tunnels through the earth, from the upcoming Mattar station. The machines will tunnel through a 1.4km stretch to the Geylang Bahru station.

Downtown Line 3: Works Start

The entire tunnelling process along the 21-km third stage is expected to take about 25 months, with 29 tunnel boring machines being launched at different locations along the line.

Some of the anticipated challenges include:

• Tunelling through difficult ground conditions such as very soft ground and marine clay.

• Having to “stack” tunnels on top of each other in order to avoid tunneling under buildings.

Once complete in 2017, the new line will result in significant time savings for commuters. For instance, a train ride from Fort Canning station to the Marina Bay area will take only 15 minutes compared to the current 35 minutes by bus.

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How will the stations along the new Downtown Line 3 look like?

What are some of the construction challenges specific to each station?

What kind of work is going on behind-the-scenes?

For answers to all the above and more, pop into the three Project Information Centres (PIC) which have been set up by the LTA to provide up-to-date information on the progress of the Downtown Line 3.

Each centre will feature detailed artist impressions of the 16 stations, models of the station footprint and miniature Tunnel Boring Machines which drill through the earth.

Located at Kallang Bahru, Tampines Ave 7 and Ubi, the first centre, PIC@Ubi, which can be found at 3A Ubi Avenue 2 was officially opened on 22 June by LTA Senior Group Director (Rail) Mr Sim Wee Meng.

LTA is pleased to launch our very first Project Information Centre for the DTL3 project. Nothing brings people closer to what we are doing than a visit to the Centre. Stakeholders will have a much better understanding of the construction process and developments, as well as the benefits the new DTL3 will bring to them when it is completed in 2017.

- Mr Sim Wee MengLTA Senior Group Director (Rail)

VisittheDtL3ProJeCtinForMationCentres

1 Guest-of-honour Mrs Josephine Teo launches the Tunnel Boring Machine to mark the commencement of tunnelling works of Downtown Line 3.

2 Kalene Chan, a Primary 6 pupil from Canossa Convent Primary, winner of the DTL tunnel boring machine naming contest.

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1 Train loading posters such as this can be found at seven MRT stations and may be implemented island-wide if the trial proves successful.

Change Your MRT Travel Time:It’s Easy And Rewarding

New train posters which have been put up at MRT train stations showing how crowded the trains are at different times, will help commuters to decide when are the best times to travel.

So a commuter travelling to work in the city from Clementi MRT would know that the train is at its most crowded between 8.15am and 8.45am, and could either travel earlier or later to avoid that time period.

The posters which show what is called “train-loading information” from 7am to 10am in different colour gradients, have been put up by the LTA at seven MRT stations as part of a three-month trial starting 19 July.

These stations are Boon Keng, Bukit Batok, Clementi, Eunos, Toa Payoh, Bishan and Serangoon.

The LTA will evaluate the effectiveness of the posters once the trial is completed before deciding on island-wide implementation.

New information now allows commuters to decide when is the best time to travel, and they can even get rewarded for it.

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The LTA is also bumping up the rewards which train commuters can get if they shift their travel times.

Under the “Incentives for Singapore’s Commuters (INSINC)” study, participants earn cash rewards if they travel during the shoulder peak periods from 6.30am to 7.30am and 8.30am to 9.30am on weekdays:

• The scheme is open to participants using NETS Flashpay and EZLink cards. Senior citizens and students from universities, polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), who use concession cards can also participate.

• Participants can transfer the cash rewards won from INSINC directly to their contactless smartcards through the Add Value Machines (AVMs) and TransitLink Ticket Offices (TOs) conveniently located at MRT stations.

• From 1 November 2012, the maximum cash prize will be doubled to $200, up from $100 currently. Participants can also transfer the cash rewards won from INSINC directly to their bank account.

Under the SMRT’s ‘Early Travel’ discount scheme, commuters will get a higher discount of up to 50 cents if they travel on the North-South East-West Lines, Circle Line and Bukit Panjang LRT and end their journey by 7.45am on weekdays at 14 stations located in the city area. These city area stations are Bugis, City Hall, Dhoby Ghaut, Lavender, Orchard, Outram Park, Raffles Place, Somerset, Tanjong Pagar, and the newly added CCL stations: Bayfront, Bras Basah, Esplanade, Marina Bay and Promenade.

getrewarDeD!

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From how to get more people to take public transport to green transport options, there is much to learn from and share with other countries in the world.

The LTA has joined hands with the 127-year-old International Association of Public Transport (UITP), a global organization of 3,400 members from 92 countries, to set up the UITP Centre for Transport Excellence.

Located within the LTA Academy, it officially opened its doors on 3 July and it will provide training and support to land transport administrations and practitioners in the Asia- Pacific region.

It is also gearing up for the first big Centre for Excellence event: The inaugural LTA-UITP Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition in October 2013.

This is the first such centre that UITP is setting up anywhere in the world. The Centre for Transport Excellence and the co-hosting of Singapore International Transport Congress & Exhibition is a testament to the strong friendship and co-operation between LTA and UITP in the pursuit of knowledge sharing and innovations in land transport.

- Mr Chew Hock YongLTA’s Chief Executive

This biennial international congress, jointly organised by LTA, UITP and MSI Global Pte Ltd, will combine the existing World Urban Transport Leaders Summit, World Roads Conference and World Urban Transit Conference, which had been organised by LTA, with the series of the Asia-Pacific Congresses organised by UITP.

International Land Transport “School” In SingaporeThe LTA and a global transport association have joined hands to set up a Centre for Transport Excellence in Singapore, for people involved in land transport around the world to come to learn and share.

Singapore is a natural choice for locating UITP’s Centre for Transport Excellence for the Asia-Pacific Region given that Singapore has the World’s Best-Practices of Public Transport in the last two years.

- Mr Alain Flausch (below)UITP Secretary General

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1 LTA Chief Executive Chew Hock Yong and Alain Flausch, UITP Secretary General at the official opening of the Centre for Excellence.

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For the first time, the LTA is giving out awards to top engineering students at the Singapore Polytechnic.

Six students who had topped their respective faculties in their examinations were awarded $2,000 each, in a 4 July ceremony at the polytechnic.

These students will get to work at the LTA in their final year of study, as part of their student internships, and they can also collaborate with the LTA on their final-year project.

The award was initiated by the LTA to nurture and support the development of engineering talents who may later go on to work in land transport.

Top Engineering StudentsAt Singapore Polytechnic Get LTA Awards

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1 The inaugural LTA Engineering Award was presented to six students from Singapore Polytechnic on 4 July 2012.

MeetthreeoFtheawarDreCiPients

Elaine Tan Yee Li, 20third-yearCivilengineeringstudent

Inspired by a television programme she had watched in her younger days, which featured mega-structures around the world, Elaine decided that her calling lay in civil engineering.

“I was also very interested in physics and geo-technical subjects,” said Elaine.

She loves what she is currently studying at the polytechnic and reckons she will work in structural or transport engineering.

She said: “We did one module on transport engineering on how to design roads. I am also very keen on the city-planning aspect of land transport, and I see a definite role for myself in this area in future, particularly since it is a challenge in Singapore.”

Muhammad Khairul Anwar bin Jamil, 23second-yearMechanicalengineeringstudent

For Muhammad Khairul, winning an academic prize from the LTA was a surprise made more pleasant because the ex-Victoria Junior College student had not done well at his A levels. “I was a bit shocked to get the LTA Engineering Award!” he said.

His A level grades did not qualify for university, but he has since found his calling studying mechanical engineering at the polytechnic. “I have always loved hands-on work and I enjoyed creating machinery parts,” he said.

He has a fondness for things that move, and sees a future career in areas like aviation, shipping or land transport. “I’m still keeping my options open,” he said.

Tan Kah Xuan, 18second-yearelectricalandelectronicengineeringstudent

Kah Xuan is thankful for the LTA. Not only for the engineering award which he won, but also for the Circle Line which was opened progressively in stages from 2009.

“It cuts down my travelling time to the Singapore Polytechnic by about 15 minutes,” said Kah Xuan, who used to have to change trains at the Raffles Place MRT station to reach the Dover MRT from his Toa Payoh home.

The former Guangyang Secondary student loves mathematics, which is why he chose to study electrical and electronic engineering, and is looking forward to studying more about transport in his third year. “I hope to see a public transport system which is more efficient and less crowded,” he said.

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Play The Facebook GameCheck out LTA’s Facebook game, be an engineer for a day, have fun blasting rocks and pick up some interesting nuggets about Singapore’s transport system at the same time.

Find out the answers and have some fun at the same time by logging onto the LTA’s Facebook page, We Keep Your World Moving.

Once you “Like” the page, you can play a five-minute quiz game on land transport called TerraZap where, between questions, you get to blast the boulders with laser beams and other artifacts, slugs and junk buried at different depths in the ground.

Kids, in particular, would enjoy this educational game.

TerraZap was developed by final-year students from the Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Interactive and Digital Media.

Answers: 1. Bishan Station 2. Pan Island Expressway 3. Mass Rapid Transit

1. whichisthebusieststationontheCircleLine?

2.whichissingapore’sfirstexpressway?

3. whatdoes“Mrt”standfor?

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