Singapore: General Bus Discussion

[Adrius]

Today, the Land Transport Authority announced the location of the Jurong East Integrated Transport Hub and the design drawing of the Jurong East Integrated Transport Hub.

The following is the web address of the announcement:
https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en...t_ITH.html

Unlike the existing Integrated Transport Hubs, where private developer builds the buildings and the government only constructs the bus interchange, the Jurong East Integrated Transport Hub is fully funded by the government, so the cost of constructing the Jurong East Integrated Transport Hub (477.4 million dollars) is 79.8 times the cost of constructing a general bus interchange (for example, the current Jurong East bus interchange costs 5.98 million dollars to build).

This huge construction cost is the same as the cost of building "Our Tampines Hub" (500 million dollars). I hope that by then the Jurong East Integrated Transport Hub will also have the facilities provided by "Our Tampines Hub", such as a regional library and a performance area.

Seeing the design drawing of the Jurong East Integrated Transport Hub reminds me of the integrated transport hub project at Nangang Station of Taipei MRT. That integrated transport hub will also have a bus interchange (南港轉運站東站), and the completion date is expected to be in 2025, two years earlier than the expected completion date of the Jurong East integrated transport hub in 2027, with an investment of 190.9 million Singapore dollars.

The following is a video introducing the Nangang Station integrated transport hub project:



The figures about the Nangang Station integrated transport hub project can be found in the following article:
https://tw.appledaily.com/life/20201214/...IJG5ZIREM/

Judging from the amount of investment, it can be inferred that the scale of the integrated transport hub of Singapore MRT Jurong East Station will be 2.5 times the scale of the integrated transport hub of Taipei MRT Nangang Station. (477.4 million ÷ 190.9 million = 2.5)

Nonetheless, it can be seen from the design drawing that by Singapore standards, the final Jurong East bus interchange seems to be a small bus interchange. Like the Joo Koon Bus Interchange and Eunos Bus Interchange, it probably can only accommodate 8 bus routes.



There are currently 18 bus routes at Jurong East Bus Interchange. Including bus routes 78 and 79, there are 20 bus routes. If the final Jurong East Bus Interchange can only accommodate 8 bus routes, there must be another permanent bus interchange nearby to accommodate the remaining 12 bus routes.

My guess is that it is very likely that the current Jurong East Bus Interchange will be a permanent bus interchange, and only those three feeder routes (333, 334, 335) and those five trunk routes that function as feeder routes from Jurong East Bus Interchange (49, 98, 66, 143, 160) will be relocated to the new bus interchange, while the remaining bus routes will remain at the current bus interchange. By then, bus routes 78 and 79 will be able to park at the current Jurong East Bus Interchange.

In other words, the future integrated transport hub of Jurong East would probably have two bus interchanges, and the current bus interchange will have space to accommodate six more bus routes to meet future passenger demand when the new bus interchange opens. (18 + 8 - 20 = 6)

Remembered they still got Venture Drive Bus Interchange. Also they might have another bus Interchange at Jurong Lake area, which connected to CRL station.

You mean on the site of the former golf club? That area seems quite isolated at the moment...

Anyway it's serious news if JE ITH can only accomodate 8 services. Hopefully the bus stops nearest to the MRT station get further expansions and more services.