MassRailTransits:HUGE plans!

[sabaisabai]

Which track was that? The one you can see near Millenia station? Sure, I can get a pic of that. Let me know if that's what you meant.

[mrtfreak]

i think it would start at dhoby ghaut if it were me. yes, a lot of singaporeans (self NOT included) think the line will interchange at the following stations:
nicoll Highway on circle line
bugis on east west line
little india on north east line
newton on north south line

in addition to LTA-confirmed interchanges of:
adam on circle line
bukit panjang on BPLRT

but i would be against a dhoby ghaut interchangeas the north south line station WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COPE with the added passenger load. the NEL makes it worse and what with the circle line (CCL) entering in 5 years?

my guess is that it will end at woodlands or kranji (even hopefully at woodlands checkpoint). anyway, the alignment should be out soon. predicting earliest official announcement to be in 2005-2006. latest by 2008.

[mrtfreak]

Originally Posted by sabaisabai

Which track was that? The one you can see near Millenia station? Sure, I can get a pic of that. Let me know if that's what you meant.

hey, that would be a good idea too. but what i mean is, you said you'll try to get pics of the punggol station. well, go to the LRT platform, get to the middle of the station, the platform covers the middle track for now. but it runs northeast out of the station towards sam kee station and terminates southwest of the punggol interchange. currently, no guidance tracks, centre rail or electrified 3rd rails have been installed and its just to lines of concrete running slabs.

[ncr]

Excuse me, what exactly is roti prata? I know roti, but what's that prata stuff?

I apologize for my ignorance.

[jpatokal]

Originally Posted by ncr

Excuse me, what exactly is roti prata? I know roti, but what's that prata stuff?

The Singaporean spelling of paratha, the Indian flat bread. They call it roti canai in Malaysia.

[mrtfreak]

its dough which they make flat and "fry" with oil on a large hot plate. variations include adding cheese, garlic or egg. usually served hot with sugar or curry. hope it gives you a better understanding.

[sabaisabai]

Ah, now I understand. I haven't as yet taken the Punggol LRT.. I usually cycle up to Punggol rather than taking public transport. Is it built like that to accomodate the other Punggol loop that's under construction? I think I'll have to see for myself to get a better picture

[mrtfreak]

i have no idea what its intended use is for. there are 3 tracks going towards the west loop north of punggol station.

[poi]

SINGAPORE : The 23-year-old Sentosa Monorail is going to make its last journey next Tuesday. In its place will be a S$140 million express train project, which will connect Sentosa to the Harbour Front MRT station within 6 minutes. ... The Sentosa Express will start running in November next year and will be able to carry up to 8,000 passengers an hour.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...136921/1/.html
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/39621.asp

[GWR]

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bang...16&postcount=1

[MRT Buff]

Does anyone know the alignment of the Eastern Region Line? Please help me! Thanks!

[mrtfreak]

serves marine parade, kaki bukit, tampines, bdeok areas. alignment yet to be finalised.

[jpatokal]

And the LTA has once again announced a new chunk o' MRT, this time as a spur of sorts from the Circle Line:

http://app.lta.gov.sg/corp_press_content.asp?start=1268

Scheduled to start construction in 2007 and finish by 2012, at a cost of S$1.4 billion for 3.4km with five stations spaced just 300m away from each other on average (Sing's most expensive line per km ever), this basically connects Millenia (Circle Line) with Chinatown (North-East Line), running through the up-and-coming Marina Bay district, built on reclaimed land just south of Singapore. (At an exorbitant cost and lying empty and fallow ever since the 1997 economic bubble burst, but for some strange reason MediaCorp doesn't seem to dwell on this very much...) But growth in the area is picking up and one of the casinos, excuse me, Integrated Resorts will be popping up there soon. The mode of operation is unclear though: will it be operated by shuttle to Millenia, as a spur line with alternate trains terminating in Dhoby Ghaut and Chinatown, or what? According to the Millenia station plans there will be a tunnel for going from Chinatown towards Dhoby Ghaut as well, but it's one-way and thus unlikely to be used for passenger service, just train realignments.

One interesting feature is the plan to continue the ends of both lines as the Bukit Timah Line and the Eastern Region Line, both of which have been the subject of much speculation. Neither seems likely to start construction before 2010 though, and even this extension comes as a surprise as the LTA was generally assumed to have its hands full with the Circle Line behemoth and the Jurong extension already.

A few MediaCorp puff pieces:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...152646/1/.html
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...152926/1/.html

[mrtfreak]

well, this will definitely improve connections i'd say, though i wish they needn't have to dig up at chinatown again (moans). guess i won't go there once work starts again...

yes, interesting ways of linking to both the BTL and ERL eh? well, this makes the subway map even more complicated now.

speaking of placing structural provisions, i've always wondered why the passageway at the northern end of the platfrom was always barricaded. appears to be provisions for connections to the DTE. i think the DTE was long planned as there are structural provisions at the chinatown NEL station to minimise revonvations to accomodate transfer linkways.

besdies, the original marina line (now circle line stage 1) was an E-shaped alignment, linking Chinatown, Dhoby Ghaut and Kallang stations. I guess they went back to the drawing board and adapted it to today's needs.

[mrtfreak]

it will run along jalan besar and cut through kolam ayer and run towards MacPherson station which is an interchange. From there, it will serve parts of bedok and tampines that don't yet have metro services. I'm assuming from Tampines, it makes a U-turn and loops back to marine parade. assumed terminal is at chinatown.