HIGH VOLTAGE!

The MRT Lines in Singapore(except North East Line)run by third rail which is 750 volts.You can get electrocuted if you make contact with the wires that do not have insulation.The North East Line runs by overhead catenary which is 1500V.The NEL's tracks have exposed wires which can kill you.The Punggol and Sengkang LRT Lines have a third rail at also 750V.So my advice to you is do not go down to the tracks to pick your valuables(e.g handphone).Inform the station staff if you need any help.

SMRT ACTIVE ROUTE MAP INFORMATION SYSTEM(STARIS)

The STARIS prototype

Door Side Indicator(DSI[48])

Vacuum Fluorescent Display(24)

Active Route Map(48)

The SMRT Active Route Map Information System is a rail travel information system developed in house by communications engineers from SMRT Corporation for its North South Line and East West Line trains in Singapore.This system was offically announced in 7 November 2008(although SMRT had revealed plans for such a system much earlier)and installed on trainset 053/054 on a 2 month trial.This was later extended to more trains from February 2009.An earlier version of the Active Route Map being tested had the North South Line and East West Line map on a black background and had an additional LED screen capable of displaying text.The text and station symbols were also not in the standard LTA font and design while the light indicating the the side doors would open was a single small light.This has since been modified to the current version based on the LTA font,symbols and based on a white background with a separate VFD for displaying text located aside from the Active Route Map and 6 light emitting diodes(LEDS)now indicate the side train doors open.STARIS is expected to cost S$20,000 per carriage and S$12 million in total.STARIS comprises a system of 4 Vacuum Fluorescent Displays(VFDs)mounted on the ceiling and 8 Active Route Maps mounted above every door in each car.The VFDs indicate the train service's direction of travel,terminal station,side of doors opening,doors closing messages,current station,next station,interchange station and displays multi-language text synchronized with in-train audio announcements.The Active Route Maps indicate the line of travel,direction of travel,side of doors opening,current station,next station,terminal station,interchange station and the corresponding line for interchange.

BLOG UPGRADED

I have recently upgraded my blog with new features like the calendar clock,video bar,news bulletin and more.More features will be added soon so please be patient.

H1N1 ALERT!

H1N1 has already struck Singapore.Singapore has 1003 confirmed cases of H1N1.The alert level is currently at Code Yellow.The virus seems to be spreading at lightning speed.We(Singaporeans)should be prepared and mantain good personal hygiene so as to not infect others with the virus.The tally increases every 2 days.

C830 INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHS

The photographs you see above show the interior of the Circle Line (CCL)train(Alstom Metropolis C830).At last I got a glimpse of the interior of the train.I was waiting all this while to catch a glimpse of the interior of the train.Hope you all enjoy and favour the photographs!By the way,this train does not have LCD displays unlike the North East Line(NEL).

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.

TRANSLATION FROM ENGLISH TO TAMIL

Here are some examples to help those interested to learn Tamil.

சிங்கப்பூர்

SINGAPORE

இயேசு கிறிஸ்துவர்

JESUS CHRIST

முஹம்மது

MUHAMMAD

ஒன்று இரண்டு மூன்று நான்கு ஐந்து ஆறு

1 2 3 4 5 6

என்ன பார்க்குறே?

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

மின்னல் வேகத்தில்

LIGHTNING SPEED

அடுத்து நிலையம் நகர மண்டபம் இண்டேர்ச்சங்கே

NEXT STATION CITY HALL INTERCHANGE

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.

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.