Friday, May 29, 2009
BREAKING NEWS
The all new Circle MRT Line has opened!The 5km five station segment(Stage 3)began operations on 28 May 2009.On the day of the opening,some VIPs boarded a train just to try and experience the system.The interior of a train looked almost the same as the train on the North East Line except the fact that the train do not feature LCD displays(TV).The exterior of the train featured a black background and a red stripe that runs at the bottom of the train.There are actually 31 stations on the Circle Line but only 5 stations opened thanks to incidents like the Nicoll Highway collapse which took place on 20 April 2004 and such incidents like these caused the construction progress to slow down.The remaining 26 stations are to open in stages from 2010 onwards.
Friday, May 15, 2009
MID YEAR EXAMINATION III
I had my Geography and Literature MYE today.For Geography,the first 30 MCQ was very easy.I could answer them very easily.For the open ended section,it was a bit tough.The last 10 MCQ was on map reading and they asked question for 4-figure grid reference and the length of the telephone line on the map.For Literature,it had 3 sections:set-text passage based questions,essay writing and an unseen prose.I have high hopes that I can pass Geography and Literature.The next MYE is Mathematics and Design and Technology.I'm quite prepared for Maths and D and T so good luck to everyone.
INITIAL OPENING
SMRT offical opening souvenir ticket(A BIT UNCLEAR)Date:12 March 1988 On 7 November 1987,the first 6 kilometres of the North South Line from Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh went into operation.The novelty resulted in thousands flocking to the 5 station segment of the line just to experience and try out the system.At the launching of Toa Payoh Station,Mr Ong was quoted as saying that"this is like a 20-year affair from conception to delivery.Now the baby is born,to say that I am happy and pleased is an understatement."Nine more stations from Novena to Outram Park were officially opened 12 December 1987 by then Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.These trains ran as a through service from one end to the other even though Tanjong Pagar and Outram Park on the East West Line(EWL).On 12 March 1988,with the opening of six more stations from Tiong Bahru to Clementi on the East West Line,City Hall and Raffles Place became interchange stations between the two lines.On the same day,the system was officially launched by Mr Lee Kuan Yew,then Prime Minister of Singapore.CONSTRUCTION BEGINS
The permission to begin the construction of Singapore's then-largest public works project was given in May 1982.A ground-breaking ceremony commenced the construction on 22 October 1983 at Shan Road.The majority of the work was expected to be completed in 1992.This included 67km of track to be constructed,with 42 stations,of which 26 would be elevated,1 at grade and 15 underground.The network was constructed in stages,with the North South Line given priority as the line passed through the Orchard Road corridor as well as the Central Area,both of which faced a high demand for public transport.Also,it was near the more densely populated housing estates such as Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio.The MRT Corporation,now Land Transport Authority,was established on 14 October 1983,taking over the roles and responsibilities of the former provisional Mass Rapid Transit Authority.On 6 August 1987,it set up SMRT Corporation.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
BUS VERSUS RAIL DEBATE
It took 10 years since 1972 to design the MRT system,which continued all the way until the government gave permission to build the MRT.Between 1972 and 1980,the participants of the study was the late President Ong Teng Cheong.He was then a member of the Ministry of National Development's Planning Department,after returning from overseas studies that same year.He became a fervent supporter and advocate of a rail based system;being an architect and an urban planner placed him in good stead.During the study,other countries were visited to study the technology and efforts needed to build the MRT system.When he became the then-Minister for Communications(now the Ministry of Transport),he had to convince the cabinet in a debate in early 1980,that the S$5 billion needed for the system would be beneficial for the long-term development of Singapore.He argued that ''this is going to be the most expensive single project to be undertaken in Singapore.The last thing that we want to do is to squander away our hard-earned reserves and leave behind enormous debt for our children and our grandchildren.Now since we are sure that this is not going to be the case,we'll proceed with the MRT,and the MRT will usher in a new phase in Singapore's development and bring about a better life for all of us.''Therfore,a provisional Mass Rapid Transit Authority was established in July 1980,after the debate.However,Mr Ong faced strong opposition from other members of the cabinet,by Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee,due especially to the heavy investments involved.A team of specialists from Harvard University,recommended that an all-bus system would be sufficient into the 1990s,and would cost 50% less than a rail-based system.Later on,two independent American transport and urban planning specialist teams were then appointed by the government to conduct their own independent reviews as part of the Comprehensive Traffic Study in 1981.This debate was also brought to national television in September 1980,which was rare at that time.The study came to a conclusion that an all-bus system would be inadequate as it would have to compete for road space which would have been increasingly overcrowded by then.The problem would be solved by building a rail system.Mr Ong hence declared in triumph on 28 March 1982,that''the Government has now taken a firm decision to build the MRT.The MRT is much more than a transport investment,and must be viewed in its wider economic perspective.The boost it'll provide to long term investors' confidence,the multiplier effect and how MRT will lead to the enhancement of the intrinsic value of Singapore's real estate are spin-offs that cannot be ignored.''
CONCEPTUALISATION
The idea of constructing a rapid transit line in the country was initiated in 1967,when a four year State and City Planning study conducted by the Singapore government and the United Nations Development Programme.It was part of an urban renewal and development project which aimed to formulate a long-term comprehensive concept plan for guiding the country's future physical development.It was concluded that physical land constraints faced by the island nation,was not able to accommodate more roads to meet the rise in transportation demands.It was noted that the city state needed a rail transit system by 1992.
HISTORY OF THE MASS RAPID TRANSIT(SINGAPORE)
The history of the Mass Rapid Transit(MRT)system of Singapore commences with its planning in the 1960's,leading to its opening in 1987 with the launch of the 6km section of the North South Line(NSL)from Yio Chu Kang station to Toa Payoh station.It now has three lines in operation with a total combined route length of 109km and 64 stations.Another MRT line, the Circle Line(CCL),is also currently under construction.The Light Rail Transit(LRT)which opened in 1999 acts as a feeder service to the MRT network.
MID YEAR EXAMINATION II
I had my Mother Tongue(MT) examination today.I would say it was of AVERAGE difficulty.I wrote exactly 150 words for my compo writng.150 words was the minimum number of words for the compo writing while 80 words for the letter writing.The exam lasted for 1 1/2 hours.Paper 2 was okay but there were some tricky questions especially on the sentence construction and the comprehension sections.Paper 2 lasted for another 1 1/2 hours and ended at 12 noon.I pray that I will pass this exam.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
MID YEAR EXAMINATION
MAN O MAN! I have just finished my English MYE and my Tamil(TL)oral exam.I chose question 2 which asks you to describe about an incident which you could not forget.I think I wrote well but I'm nervous about my marks as I was always passing my English.For my letter writing,I did well but the WORST part is that when I was writing my friend's address,time RAN OUT!I wrote a bit of my friend's address but the markers(people who mark exam papers)are NOT GOING TO ACCEPT THAT and I have LOST 2 MARKS!For my Tamil oral,I have done well.The oral's main topic is about water.There are two parts:reading and conversation.For reading,my Tamil teacher said that I have read the passage well.For my conversation,I used the knowledge which came from Geography lessons.My teacher asked questions about water conservation and our water sources.Thanks to Geography,I managed to do well for my coversation.The next MYE is Geography and Literature.SO,BE PREPARED!http://onetwooo-2008.blogspot.com/
PHOTOS OF TRAINS IN SINGAPORE
A Siemens C651 approaching Jurong East(EW24/NS1)MRT station.(19)
A refurbished Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151 train.(66)
A Kawasaki Heavy Industries-Nippon Sharyo C751B at Eunos(EW7)MRT station.(21)
An Alstom Metropolis C751A train at Sengkang depot.(25)
An Alstom Metropolis C830 train parked at Bartley(CC12)MRT station. (40)
An Alstom Metropolis C830 train parked at Bartley(CC12)MRT station. (40)Monday, May 11, 2009
MEMORY OF SCANIA N113CRB
THIS IS THE PHOTO OF A SCANIA N113CRB.THERE ARE 200 OF THEM WHICH CAME IN 1989.THESE BUSES CAN RARELY BE FOUND OR NO LONGER BE SEEN IN SINGAPORE.THESE BUSES WILL REMIND YOU OF BUSES USED IN THE OLDEN DAYS.THE LAST TIME I SAW THESE BUSES WAS IN END 2008.I WILL MISS THESE BUSES AS THESE BUSES ARE GOING TO BE PART OF SBS TRANSIT'S HISTORY.
INTRODUCTION
Take a look at these buses! I'm pretty sure you all never saw some of these buses.I also did not know that some of the buses existed until I looked them up in the Internet.Please do take your time looking at these buses.
Bus fleet and pictures(continued)
THESE TWO BUSES ARE ALSO VOLVO B10TLs BUT THEY COME WITH ELECTRONIC DESTINATION SIGNAGE(EDS).THE ONE ABOVE WAS INTRODUCED IN 2005 AND IS BODIED BY COMFORTDELGRO ENGINEERING.THE OTHER 51 INCLUDING THE ONE BELOW WERE BODIED BY VOLGREN.
VOLVO SUPER OLYMPIAN AKA VOLVO B10TL(VOLGREN) UNITS INTRODUCED:52 YEAR INTRODUCED:1999,2002-2003
VOLVO OLYMPIAN 3-AXLE AIRCON(WALTER ALEXANDER) UNITS INTRODUCED:471 YEAR INTRODUCED:1996-1999
VOLVO OLYMPIAN 2-AXLE NON-AIRCON(WALTER ALEXANDER) UNITS INTRODUCED:100 YEAR INTRODUCED:1994
SCANIA K230UB DEMONSTRATOR (SBS 8033D,GEMILANG) EURO 4
VOLVO B10BLE(VOLGREN,CNG) UNITS INTRODUCED:12 YEAR INTRDUCED:2001-2002 (ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY)
VOLVO B10BLE(VOLGREN,DIESEL) UNITS INTRODUCED:1 YEAR INTRODUCED:1997
VOLVO B9TL(COMFORTDELGRO ENGINEERING) UNITS INTRODUCED:200 YEAR INTRODUCED:2006 (WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE)
VOLVO B7RLE(SOON CHOW) UNITS INTRODUCED:1 YEAR INTRODUCED:2007 (WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE)
Bus fleet and pictures
MAN 18.240 HOCL-NL(GEMILANG) UNITS INTRODUCED:1 YEAR INTRODUCED:2008
LEYLAND OLYMPIAN 3-AXLE(WALTER ALEXANDER) UNITS INTRODUCED:200 YEAR INTRODUCED:1993
SCANIA L94UB(VOLGREN) UNITS INRODUCED:1 YEAR INTRODUCED:1998
SCANIA K230UB(GEMILANG) EURO 5 UNITS INTRODUCED:400 YEAR INTRODUCED:2008-2009
SCANIA K230UB(GEMILANG) EURO 4 UNITS INRODUCED:500 YEAR INTRODUCED:2007-2008
VOLVO B10M MK4(WALTER ALEXANDER) UNITS INTRODUCED:150 YEAR INTRODUCED:2001
VOLVO B10M MK4(WALTER ALEXANDER) UNITS INTRODUCED:200 YEAR INTRODUCED:1996-1997
VOLVO B10M MK4(DUPLE METSEC) UNITS INTRODUCED:115 YEAR INTRODUCED:1995-1997
VOLVO B10M MK3 (DUPLE METSEC) UNITS INTRODUCED:300 YEAR INTRODUCED:1992-1993 STATUS:DEREGISTERING
MERCEDES BENZ O405(WALTER ALEXANDER) UNITS INRODUCED:200 YEAR INTRODUCED:1989-1991 STATUS: DEREGISTERING
MERCEDES BENZ O405(DUPLE METSEC) UNITS INTRODUCED:500 YEAR INTRODUCED:1989-1991 STATUS:DEREGISTERING
DENNIS TRIDENT 3 UNITS INRODUCED:20 YEAR INTRODUCED:1999-2000
DENNIS DART UNITS INRODUCED:10 YEAR INTRODUCED:1993-1994
DENNIS DART UNITS INRODUCED:10 YEAR INTRODUCED:1993-1994HISTORY OF SBS TRANSIT
SBS Transit (then known as Singapore Bus Service) was formed in 1973 with the merging of three private bus companies namely the Amalgamated Bus Company Limited,Associated Bus Services(Private)Limited and the United Bus Limited.Singapore Bus Service changed its name to SBS Transit Limited in 1 November 2001 when the company formally became a multi-modal transport operator.SBS Transit started to operate the North East Line(NEL)in 2003.The North East Line is the world's first fully automated and completely underground line.The line is 20km long and consist of 16 stations.The only completed and unopened station in the entire Mass Rapid Transit(MRT)system is Woodleigh(NE11)MRT station.When the Circle Line(CCL)opens later,Bukit Brown(CC18)will join Woodleigh MRT station.Stage 3 of the Circle Line will commence passenger service on 28 May 2009.Stage 3 is a 5km five segment that consist of stations between Bartley and Marymount MRT stations.The rolling stock for the NEL and CCL is the Alstom Metropolis C751A and the C830 respectively.
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