Selected MRT stations along the North-South Line (NSL) and East-West Line (EWL) will close earlier on Fridays and Saturdays from 30 November 2018 to 12 January 2019 to continue with the power supply system renewal as well as other maintenance and renewal works.
Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) announced earlier last week that the following MRT stations on the NSL and EWL will close earlier at around 11.00pm:
The company stated that during the planned closures from 30 November to 15 December 2018, train services on the EWL between Queenstown and Buona Vista MRT stations will operate as a bi-directional shuttle with longer service intervals of up to 12 minutes.
“This arrangement allows train services to continue between these stations using a single track, while facilitating the turn-around of trains for the rest of the EWL,” it said.
To maintain connectivity for commuters during these early closures, SMRT said that Shuttle Bus Services 2 and 4 will ply along the affected sectors, stopping at designated bus stops near the MRT stations to pick-up and drop-off passengers. In addition, Express 17, a bi-directional point-to-point bus service between Woodlands and Bukit Panjang MRT Stations, will be provided to connect commuters to the Downtown Line.
In January 2019, the company said that the maintenance works will be carried out in the EWL’s railway tunnels near City Hall MRT station. As such, for the first two Fridays and Saturdays in January 2019, train services on the EWL at City Hall MRT station will end earlier at 11.30pm, while the NSL will continue to operate as per normal.
During this time, SMRT said that the train services on the EWL between Outram Park and Raffles Place MRT stations will operate as a bi-directional shuttle with longer service intervals of up to 12 minutes, which allows train services to continue between these stations using a single track, while facilitating the turn-around of trains for the rest of the EWL.
As there will be no train services on the EWL between Raffles Place and Bugis MRT stations from 11.30pm on the affected dates, Shuttle Bus Service 6 will be available for commuters to travel between these stations:
As the timing of the last trains departing each station during the planned closures will vary, the company advised commuters to check for station-specific timings at affected MRT stations, or on SMRT Trains’ website and social media platforms for commuters to plan their journeys ahead. Commuters are advised to cater for additional travelling time when travelling between MRT stations using the shuttle bus services. Please refer to the following appendices for more information.
SMRT pledged to keep commuters updated on changes in timing to train operations and alternative transport arrangements on SMRT’s Trains’ website, as well as through SMRT’s Facebook, Twitter feed and the SMRTConnect app but do take with pinch of salt based on its history of updating service disruption on TOC’s reports.