A week after he announced a doubling of Singapore's MRT network to 360km by 2030, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew on Thursday morning revealed plans to better connect communities to train stations.

Mr Lui said the Government will spend $330 million to build a comprehensive network of covered walkways to link MRT stations to surrounding developments. Some 200km of such walkways will be built within a 400m radius of stations, up from the 46km already linking buildings within a 200m currently.

The project, which will start next year and be completed by 2018, will cover all MRT stations. It is expected to benefit commuters islandwide by making the so-called "last mile" between train stations and their destinations more walkable.

The Land Transport Authority said many commuters who currently take feeder buses to a train station are likely to walk in the future when the new walkways are completed. Another $60 million will be spent on installing lifts at about 40 pedestrian overhead bridges near train stations and major bus stops by 2018. Today, only six overhead bridges have or are being fitted with lifts.

Separately, Mr Lui announced a $300 million plan to erect noise barriers along 20km of MRT tracks. This will lower the noise level along stretches which are exposed to higher decibels that stipulated by the National Environment Agency.