30,000 people used shuttle buses during week 1 of planned CCL disruption; tunnel works on track
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Four weekday shuttle bus services began operations on Jan 5 ahead of the disruptions to help travellers familiarise themselves with the arrangements.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
- 30,000 passengers used weekday Circle Line (CCL) shuttle buses in the first week due to scheduled disruptions for tunnel strengthening.
- Travel times increased by 10-20 minutes and some commuters changed routes amid CCL disruptions, with 10% of work complete.
- Tunnel strengthening between Stadium and Paya Lebar, due to "tunnel squatting," is on track for completion by April 2026.
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SINGAPORE - The first week of scheduled disruptions to the Circle Line (CCL)
An average of 480,000 passengers are affected each day by the disruptions, which are necessary to carry out tunnel strengthening works from Jan 18 to April 19. These works affect the CCL’s Mountbatten, Dakota and Paya Lebar stations.
Four weekday shuttle bus services, which run during peak hours, began operations on Jan 5 ahead of the disruptions to help travellers familiarise themselves with the arrangements. These services follow the same fare structure as the trains’.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling said on Jan 28 that travel times have increased by around 10 to 20 minutes. Some commuters have also changed their routes, for instance, by using the North East Line (NEL) instead of the CCL.
Ms Sun, who was speaking to reporters at tentage outside Serangoon MRT station where passengers were waiting to board the shuttle buses, said that as travellers become more familiar with the arrangements, the number of marshals and volunteers deployed to manage crowds will be reduced.
Her comment came after a Forum letter to The Straits Times on Jan 27, which said that the large number of crowd marshals deployed has added to congestion during peak periods. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Jan 13 that about 500 additional ground staff will be working daily to direct commuters during the service adjustment period.
Ms Sun also gave an update on tunnel strengthening works, saying that around 10 per cent of the work is done and the project is on track to be completed by April 2026.
The works, which will take nearly three months to complete, are one of the longest scheduled MRT service disruptions yet.
They affect three sectors of CCL tunnels between the Stadium and Paya Lebar stations, with a total length of around 450m. LTA found that in these parts of the tunnels, which were built in soft marine clay, a phenomenon known as tunnel squatting had occurred. These are deformations that need to be addressed to prevent disruptions in train operations and structural defects in the tunnel.
Strengthening works involve closing each tunnel in turn at the affected sectors to put in steel plates along the circumference of the affected tunnel segments. LTA has said that train operations can continue safely during this period.
Ms Sun also said that some commuters have changed their travel timings to make use of the free morning off-peak train rides on the NEL and the enhanced Travel Smart Journeys initiative where travellers get rebates if they take qualifying bus services.
