Circle Line cable replacement to be wrapped up by December

Travel time will be extended 10-12 minutes.

According to a release, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT have commenced works to replace the Circle Line (CCL) power cables since mid-January 2013. The programme is intended to ensure greater reliability of the CCL.

The LTA-SMRT cable replacement programme will take place in phases. To facilitate the acceleration of cable replacement along the Mountbatten to Dakota stretch of the CCL, train services between Mountbatten and Paya Lebar stations will run as a shuttle service on 17 March 2013 (Sunday), from start of train service at 5.30am to 10am so that engineers will be able to continue working on the non-operational track. Commuters can expect an additional 10 to 12 minutes of travel time if their journey passes through this stretch. Train service at other CCL stations will not be affected.

Works are currently ongoing for the first phase covering CCL stations from Dhoby Ghaut to Esplanade. This will be followed by stations from Mountbatten to Tai Seng, Promenade to Stadium, Bartley to Marymount, Caldecott to one-north and Kent Ridge to HarbourFront. The last phase will involve cables along Marina Bay and Bayfront.

To shorten the duration of the cable replacement programme, LTA and SMRT have worked closely with the contractors to carry out certain works concurrently. The cable replacement at all 30 CCL stations is expected to complete by December 2013. This is about half a year earlier than the 18-month timeline previously announced. Nevertheless, some service degradation at scheduled off-peak hours for certain stretches may be needed to provide for extended engineering hours for the replacement works.

The second phase will begin in March 2013, to replace the cables from Mountbatten to Tai Seng stations. Similar service arrangements like that on 17 March will be considered for the other phases of the cable replacement programme should this be necessary. In that event, we will provide advance notice to affected commuters.

LTA’s Deputy Chief Executive, Mr Chua Chong Kheng said, “While we are mindful that the degraded service will inconvenience commuters, the extra hours are necessary to help expedite works. This will give our engineers and contractors more time to complete the replacement works. We have explored various ways to ensure minimal inconvenience to commuters while works are carried out and will also deploy more manpower to carry out the replacement works."

SMRT’s Executive Vice President for Trains, Mr Khoo Hean Siang, said this accelerated programme will reduce the possibility of disruptions to train services on the CCL, in turn bringing less inconvenience to commuters. "This is in line with our commitment to provide a safe, efficient and reliable public transport service to Singapore. The planned disruptions are a necessary inconvenience that will serve to improve the CCL and the commuters' travelling experiences. I want to thank all of them for their patience and understanding; and assure them that we will keep members of the public informed in advance at all times," he added.

During the shuttle train service, normal service trains will stop at either Mountbatten or Paya Lebar station. Commuters continuing their journey on the CCL will need to alight at one of these two stations and board the shuttle train at the opposite platform. Commuters can then get off at the other station and continue their journey on the normal service train. For example:

A commuter travelling from Serangoon station to Nicoll Highway station should get off at Paya Lebar station and cross the platform to board the shuttle train to Mountbatten station where he can get off and continue his journey to Nicoll Highway station.

A commuter travelling from Promenade station to Bishan station should get off at Mountbatten station and cross the platform to board the shuttle train to Paya Lebar station where he can get off and continue his journey to Bishan station.

On 17 March, ambassadors will be at the affected CCL stations to assist commuters with their travel. SMRT will also put up notices in and around train stations to remind commuters of the degraded service. In addition, there will be announcements at train stations, as well as on the websites and Twitter pages of SMRT and LTA. Flyers will also be placed at affected stations advising commuters on how they can make transfers.