CCL stations crowded but calm on first workday of service changes as scores urged to take buses

SINGAPORE – Public servant Rebecca Li, 44, took shuttle bus service 38 from Paya Lebar MRT station to the Mountbatten station on Jan 19, joining scores of passengers diverted to shuttle buses as

MRT services along a stretch of the Circle Line (CCL) were adjusted for tunnel works.

Ms Li said the deviation from her usual route on the CCL was manageable, adding that she did not have to wake up earlier.

She said she felt comfortable with the arrangement after trying the shuttle service the week before.

Shuttle buses have been operating at weekday peak hours

since Jan 5

to allow members of the public time to familiarise themselves with the changes.

The

three-month planned disruption

affects travel between Paya Lebar, Dakota and Mountbatten stations, though trains are still running across the line, albeit at longer intervals.

Jan 19 was the first workday after the CCL service changes began on Jan 17. The adjustments are scheduled to run till April 19.

Other passengers found the arrangements confusing. Mr Zehan Ang, 45, who lives in Sengkang, was trying to reach Dakota to visit his mother. He first travelled to Serangoon to take the CCL, but found the escalator at the platform stopped as part of crowd controls.

Mr Ang then took a shuttle bus to Paya Lebar, and was queueing for another shuttle bus to Dakota when The Straits Times spoke to him. He said it was “a bit confusing” and that some passengers were still “trying their luck” to board trains despite being encouraged to use shuttle buses.

To help passengers plan their journeys, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has rolled out shuttle bus services during weekday peak hours and introduced a new crowd status tool for Serangoon MRT station, where the CCL intersects the North East Line.

The tool updates images of crowd conditions every 10 to 15 minutes, giving the public an indication of how busy the station is.

The tool is available on weekdays from 7am to 9am at Serangoon station from Jan 19. LTA encouraged passengers to check crowd conditions before heading to the station on weekday mornings.

These measures are part of broader efforts to ease peak-hour congestion at interchange stations that expect to see heavier crowds during the service changes.

Under the adjustments, train frequencies across the entire CCL have been reduced, leading to delays of up to 30 minutes during peak hours. Shuttle trains now run at 10-minute intervals on a single platform between Mountbatten, Dakota and Paya Lebar, compared with the usual three-minute intervals for regular trains.

Passengers travelling from Mountbatten towards Dhoby Ghaut or Marina Bay station also face longer waits of up to 10 minutes, up from about six minutes previously.

The changes are needed to allow tunnel strengthening works along a 450m stretch between the three stations, where signs of deterioration such as water leaks were detected.

Most passengers interviewed by ST said they were aware of the changes and had planned their journeys, though some were caught off guard.

Ms Intan Siti, 24, a Malaysian who lives in Johor Bahru, said she left home at 6am to travel to Mountbatten for work, only to learn at Paya Lebar station that the scheduled disruption would last three months. Her commute now takes about three hours, up from two.

Ms Sheila Yeo, 35, a human resources professional living in Tampines, said she was also unaware of the planned disruption. She travels to the Nicoll Highway station for work via the Downtown and Circle lines, and said the changes added about 20 minutes to her journey. She plans to wake up earlier and explore other routes.

Others were more accepting of the changes. Ms Amy Quek, 54, who works in administration, said she had known about the changes from the news. Her commute from Paya Lebar to Bayfront is now 15 to 20 minutes longer, but she described the adjustments as “well planned”.

“The disruption was communicated well and people were given time to prepare,” she said, adding that the works were necessary for long-term public benefit.

Ms Chong Ai Kim, 63, a director at Great Eastern Life, said her commute from Beauty World to Paya Lebar is now about 10 minutes longer. Aware of the changes, she said there were also many signs around stations.

“If there is a problem, we must fix it,” she said, adding that she plans to wake up 30 minutes earlier moving forward.

When ST visited the Paya Lebar station at about 8am, the queue for the shuttle buses was smooth, with staff from LTA and rail operator SMRT on the ground directing passengers. Inside the station, around 8.35am, crowds were heavy but orderly. Barriers guided passenger flow and staff were stationed every few metres, giving directions to commuters.

At the platform towards Dakota and Mountbatten, there were about 15 to 20 people at each door at the busiest point, but all passengers were able to board.

Ms Diana Pang, an MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, was spotted at a bus stop close to Paya Lebar station observing the situation. She said she had taken the train from Paya Lebar to Tai Seng and back, describing her journey as smooth.

Urging commuters to be patient, she said the tunnel works were necessary and that most passengers appeared to be aware of the changes.