Priority queues for seniors, mums-to-be at MRT stations

SINGAPORE — Needy commuters, such as the elderly and pregnant women, will be able to enter trains and lifts first under priority queues that will be introduced at platform screen doors and passenger lifts of all MRT stations.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA), working with transport operators SMRT and SBS Transit, has already implemented the priority queue stickers at six MRT stations.

The six — Novena (North-South Line), Outram Park (East-West Line and North-East Line), Chinatown (North-East Line), Sengkang (North-East Line) and Kent Ridge (Circle Line) — were chosen for their close proximity to hospitals and high usage by seniors, the LTA said on Thursday (March 31).

The priority queues, which will also benefit parents travelling with strollers, will complement the current queue lines provided for commuters. The locations of these new queues at the platform screen doors will correspond to the wheelchair parking space allocated in the train car. They are also generally closer to the lifts and away from the escalators where traffic is the heaviest.  

The LTA said a survey would be conducted over two months to gather public feedback on its latest move.

Based on the feedback received, it may modify the design of the priority queue before calling a tender to roll out the markings at all MRT and LRT stations. 

LTA chief executive Chew Men Leong said: “As Singapore becomes more car-lite, it is important that we have initiatives in place to make public transportation user-friendly for commuters with various needs. 

“We hope to see more commuters graciously giving way to those in need so that we work together to encourage good travel etiquette and a better ride for everyone.”

The latest initiative builds on an earlier one by SMRT, which introduced priority queuing at station-lift entrances at its MRT stations in 2014.