Explore options to improve future capacity of train system

People who take the North-South and East-West lines into the city in the morning can share that trains are packed, and the commute is lengthened by stops between stations because there is another train at the next station.

The authorities and train operators are thankfully investing in upgrading, maintaining and expanding the rail network. (“29 new trains for North-South, East-West lines”; Oct 1)

The signalling system will be upgraded in a few years’ time, allowing trains on the two lines to run at intervals of 100 seconds instead of 120 seconds. This translates to 36 train trips an hour, up from 30 — a 20 per cent increase.

I certainly hope for a less crowded and faster commute in the coming years, although there are factors to suggest that this may be difficult.

Singapore’s population continues to grow. If the MRT becomes more convenient and comfortable, more people are likely to switch from taking buses, taxis and cars, all of which face their own capacity issues.

Future developments, such as the high-speed rail station, the Singapore-Johor Bahru Rapid Transit System, Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 and the East-West Line extension, will also stimulate demand.

One wonders what additional measures we can explore to ensure that the MRT lines are able to meet demand in the coming decades.

From other countries’ experiences, two possible options are: Increasing the number of train cars; running skip-stop, limited stop or express trains. Both options require significant infrastructure investments. (“Well-planned skip-stop rail scheme could be successful”; Oct 1)

In the case of existing lines, lengthening train platforms or adding tracks for limited stop services is doubly difficult. The track alignment or gradient may be unsuitable for even stop-gap measures such as running seven-carriage trains to six-carriage platforms.

Yet, recent and upcoming lines are stopping at three- or four-car trains. While some buffer has surely been included in the planning, we can see from the past decade that demand can increase rapidly within a short period in unforeseen ways.

I hope the authorities have explored or are exploring additional ways to improve the train system and can share why certain options are not pursued. The public can then have a better understanding of the challenges we are facing and the trade-offs we are making.