SINGAPORE - A new bus interchange will be opening in Tampines on Dec 18, offering residents more bus services and improved connectivity. It will also have features that are elderly- and disabled-friendly.

Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange will complement the operations at the current Tampines Bus Interchange, the Land Transport Authority said in a statement on Monday (Nov 28).

The two bus interchanges will be connected by a 250m barrier-free sheltered walkway.

The Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange will be equipped with barrier-free facilities. It will also have a dedicated boarding point and graduated kerb edges to help passengers in wheelchairs board buses more easily.

The interchange's concourse area will also feature priority queues with seats for the elderly and disabled.

LTA said that the new interchange is part of the authority's efforts to create a more inclusive and family-friendly public transport system.

In line with the Government's move to improve first-and-last-mile connectivity for public transport, Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange will also have 40 bicycle lots for commuters who cycle there.

Three bus services will serve the new interchange: existing services 18 and 39, which will be moved from Tampines Bus Interchange to the new one; and a new service, 129, which will ply between Tampines and Whampoa via Toa Payoh.

Meanwhile, Tampines Bus Interchange will get a new service, 127, which will ply between Tampines Central and Tampines Industrial Avenue 5. An existing bus service, 969, will also be changed to ply Tampines Concourse en route to Tampines Bus Interchange.

LTA said these bus route changes are aimed at improving the overall connectivity of Tampines Town.