SINGAPORE - Early train commuters at Western Singapore will on Sundays have to use a parallel bus service instead as SMRT begings its later operating times for 13 stations .

From now till Dec 18, train services from Joo Koon to Queenstown and Jurong East to Bukit Gombak will start at 7am on Sundays.

The later starting times will give SMRT engineers an additional 90 minutes for renewal and maintenance work. This translates to 29 additional work nights over the six months, said SMRT.

Commuters who need to travel before 7am can take a parallel bus service that goes from Joo Koon MRT station to Bukit Gombak MRT station in both directions. This bus service operates every 10 minutes between 5.30am and 7am on Sundays.

Factory worker Tan Geok Keng, 74, was one of the first passengers on the parallel bus service from Jurong East to Bukit Gombak on Sunday.

Madam Tan was on her way to Woodlands for work, a trip she makes every Tuesday to Sunday at 5.30am.

"It is not that inconvenient since the trains only start later on one day," she said in Mandarin.