BREAKING /
CIRCLE LINE STARTS ROLLING LEANNE LIM |
14.10.2011
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The Circle Line opened on Oct. 8, 2011 after a decade of planning and construction works, giving students from the National University of Singapore one more way to come to school with the Kent Ridge station situated at the edge of campus.
There was little bustle at the Kent Ridge station during the opening day, which was on a Saturday. Students spotted at the station include third year computer science students Qing Wei and Chin Teck. Both were giving the new train line a try to see if it was a faster route for them to travel to school.
The opening of the Cirle Line gives both Qing and Chin the option of travelling from Kent Ridge to Paya Lebar station, before hopping onto the East-West line towards Tampines where they both live. Qing was however, doubtful on the amount of time saved.
“I don’t think there will be much of a difference in terms of travel time,” he said. “But I will save in terms of costs”. Qing was referring to the fact that his entire journey can now be covered by a monthly train concession pass, which allows him unlimited train rides. Previously, he had to travel on the East-West line to Buona Vista before transiting to bus 95 to NUS, an estimated journey of 65 minutes.
The Circle Line has long been touted to increase accessibility for Singaporeans. In a 2006 Straits Times report, then Transport Minister Raymond Lim said that the Circle Line would reduce travelling time “quite sharply”.
Traffic at Kent Ridge station picked up in the following Monday, with more undergraduates trying out the new train route. 21-year-old Rebecca Xavier, a third-year sociology major, estimated that the Circle Line had helped her save “at least 20 to 30 minutes” in travelling time from her home in Toa Payoh to the NUS campus.
However, she lamented about the long wait for the internal shuttle bus A2 which brings her to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences from the Kent Ridge train station. “The shuttle buses are really crowded, and it takes about 20 minutes to get from Kent Ridge to FASS,” Xavier said. “In the end I don’t save time at all.”
The lengthy time the Circle Line train spends at its stations is another cause for complaint. Year four FASS student Aneesa Fazal, 23, has been taking the Circle Line to school every day and constantly experiences train delays. “The train will stop at every single station for at least one minute, even if there is no one boarding,” she said. “So what would be a 20 minute journey from my house in Marymount stretches to a half an hour one.”
A Straits Times article on Oct. 12, 2011 has since reported that since all Circle Line trains are driverless, more time must be allocated for passengers to board and alight.
There was little bustle at the Kent Ridge station during the opening day, which was on a Saturday. Students spotted at the station include third year computer science students Qing Wei and Chin Teck. Both were giving the new train line a try to see if it was a faster route for them to travel to school.
The opening of the Cirle Line gives both Qing and Chin the option of travelling from Kent Ridge to Paya Lebar station, before hopping onto the East-West line towards Tampines where they both live. Qing was however, doubtful on the amount of time saved.
“I don’t think there will be much of a difference in terms of travel time,” he said. “But I will save in terms of costs”. Qing was referring to the fact that his entire journey can now be covered by a monthly train concession pass, which allows him unlimited train rides. Previously, he had to travel on the East-West line to Buona Vista before transiting to bus 95 to NUS, an estimated journey of 65 minutes.
The Circle Line has long been touted to increase accessibility for Singaporeans. In a 2006 Straits Times report, then Transport Minister Raymond Lim said that the Circle Line would reduce travelling time “quite sharply”.
Traffic at Kent Ridge station picked up in the following Monday, with more undergraduates trying out the new train route. 21-year-old Rebecca Xavier, a third-year sociology major, estimated that the Circle Line had helped her save “at least 20 to 30 minutes” in travelling time from her home in Toa Payoh to the NUS campus.
However, she lamented about the long wait for the internal shuttle bus A2 which brings her to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences from the Kent Ridge train station. “The shuttle buses are really crowded, and it takes about 20 minutes to get from Kent Ridge to FASS,” Xavier said. “In the end I don’t save time at all.”
The lengthy time the Circle Line train spends at its stations is another cause for complaint. Year four FASS student Aneesa Fazal, 23, has been taking the Circle Line to school every day and constantly experiences train delays. “The train will stop at every single station for at least one minute, even if there is no one boarding,” she said. “So what would be a 20 minute journey from my house in Marymount stretches to a half an hour one.”
A Straits Times article on Oct. 12, 2011 has since reported that since all Circle Line trains are driverless, more time must be allocated for passengers to board and alight.