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Don’t cut MRT operating hours on weekdays. Do it on weekends instead, say commuters

SINGAPORE — Instead of reducing MRT operating hours on weekdays to allow for maintenance and asset renewal work to be carried out, most commuters whom TODAY spoke to preferred that this be done on weekends, even if it means shutting down the services on Saturdays or Sundays for extended periods.

SINGAPORE — Instead of reducing MRT operating hours on weekdays to allow for maintenance and asset renewal work to be carried out, most commuters whom TODAY spoke to preferred that this be done on weekends, even if it means shutting down the services on Saturdays or Sundays for extended periods.

They also want sufficient advance notice, should the Government decide to shorten weekday operating hours on the North-South and East-West Lines as proposed by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan in Parliament earlier this week.

Ms Fiona Toh, 32, noted the inconvenience for many commuters, especially shift workers, if the service hours on weekdays are affected. “It makes more sense to stop services on weekends, since not everyone goes out then. Half an hour more is not enough for (the rail workers) to do anything substantial. If they rush, it will make things worse,” the saleswoman added.

Marketing executive Lee Ming Wei, 26, suggested ending train services an hour earlier on Saturdays, and starting operations an hour later on Sundays. “Most people don’t need to work... and don’t get up so early on Sundays,” he said.

In fact, he felt that the two lines - which are Singapore’s oldest - could even be closed for a full day during weekends, with free bus bridging services provided for commuters.

On Tuesday (Nov 7), Mr Khaw said it was “likely” that the two lines will see shortened operating hours on weekdays to give rail workers more time to carry out maintenance and asset renewal work.

Experts had told TODAY that the hours have to be cut by at least 30 minutes, and it would need to entail later starting times and earlier termination of services in order to be fair to all. Several readers chimed in on TODAY’s Facebook page, including user Darren Lee Chee Keong who called for employers to be understanding if workers are affected by changes in the operating hours.

Another Facebook user CheeHao Lee added: “You can start later or end earlier, but make sure you provide feeder bus services along the MRT tracks.... And ensure that the multiple buses come at an interval of five minutes since buses have lower capacity than trains.” SMRT should also give commuters free rides, without any conditions, for all the inconvenience caused, said Facebook user Simon Cheng.

Some readers suggested closing either parts of the North-South and East-West Lines, or the entire lines on Sundays. “This is what London Tube is doing. Of course, there must be (bus) bridging services. Alternatives are harder to find for the people who use the MRT very early or very late. A full shutdown in sections on weekends may be less disruptive,” said Facebook user Zhi Ming Ng.

However, Ms Elaine Tee, who works in a travel media start-up, disagreed that it would be less disruptive to commuters to shorten operating hours on weekends, given that people would be out till late at night on those days. Speaking to TODAY, she said she hoped the proposal to give more time for maintenance work would finally make a difference. “We’ve been hearing a lot about the sleeper replacements and maintenance works being carried out, but... trains are still slow and the duration it takes to come during off-peak hours is ridiculous,” the 27-year-old said.

Facebook user Kei Ng, for one, was not convinced by the idea. “... so might as well work with the current constraints they have. Hire more staff, etc to fix everything,” he said.

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