The MRT is the oldest, busiest, and most comprehensive metro system in Southeast Asia.[note 12] Capital expenditure on its rail infrastructure reached a cumulative S$150 billion[note 13] in 2021, making the network one of the world's costliest on both a per-kilometre and absolute basis.[9][10][11][12][note 14] The system is managed in conformity with a semi-nationalised hybrid regulatory framework; construction and procurement fall under the purview of the Land Transport Authority (LTA), a statutory board of the government that allocates operating concessions to the for-profit private corporations SMRT and SBS Transit. These operators are responsible for asset maintenance on their respective lines, and also run bus services, facilitating operational synchronicity and the horizontal integration of the broader public transportation network.
The MRT is fully automated and has an extensive driverless rapid transit system.[13][14] Asset renewal works are periodically carried out to modernise the network and ensure its continued reliability; all stations feature platform screen doors, Wi-Fi connectivity, lifts, climate control, and accessibility provisions, among others. Much of the early network is elevated above ground on concrete viaducts, with a small portion running at-grade; newer lines are largely subterranean, incorporating several of the lengthiest continuous subway tunnel sections in the world. A number of underground stations double as purpose-built air raid shelters under the operational authority of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF); these stations incorporate deep-level station boxes cast with hardened concrete and blast doors fashioned out of reinforced steel to withstand conventional aerial and chemical ordnance.
Download Singapore Metro Map
Download 🔥 https://bytlly.com/2yGAVU 🔥
The origins of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) were derived from a forecast by the country's planners back in 1967 which stated the need for a rail-based urban transport system by 1992.[15][16][17] However, opposition from the government on the feasibility of the MRT from prominent ministers, among them Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee and Trades and Industry Minister Tony Tan, nearly shuttered the program due to financial grounds and concerns of jobs saturation in the construction industry.[18] Dr Goh instead endorsed the idea of an all-bus system recommended by Harvard University specialists, who argued would reduce the cost by 50% compared to the proposed MRT system. Public opinion was split on the matter, with several expressing concerns on the high cost and others being more focused on increasing the standard of living. Following a debate on whether a bus-only system would be more cost-effective, Communications Minister Ong Teng Cheong came to the conclusion that an all-bus system would be inadequate, as it would have to compete for road space in a land-scarce country. Ong was an architect and town planner by training and through his perseverance and dedication became the main figure behind the initial construction of the system.[19][20]
Singapore's MRT infrastructure is built, operated, and managed in accordance with a hybridised quasi-nationalised regulatory framework called the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF), in which the lines are constructed and the assets owned by the Land Transport Authority, a statutory board of the Government of Singapore.[21]
The lines are named based on its directions and location. The names were envisioned to be user-friendly, as shown in a survey in which 70% of the respondents expressed such a preference. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) had considered other naming methods in June 2007, whether by name, colour or numbers. After the survey, however, the naming scheme was retained and used for subsequent future MRT lines.[58]
All stations constructed before 2001 initially lacked barrier-free facilities and wider AFC faregates such as lifts, ramps and tactile guidance systems for the elderly and disabled.[66] A retrofitting programme was completed in 2006, with every station provided with at least one barrier-free access route.[67] Over the years, additional barrier-free facilities have been constructed in stations.[68][69][70] Since 2020, newer MRT stations have been fitted with a minimum of two lifts.[71]
Operators and authorities have stated that numerous measures had been taken to ensure the safety of passengers, and SBS Transit publicised the safety precautions on the driverless North East line before and after its opening.[72][73] Safety campaign posters are highly visible in trains and stations, and the operators frequently broadcast safety announcements to passengers and to commuters waiting for trains. Fire safety standards are consistent and equivalent with the guidelines of the National Fire Protection Association in the United States.[61][74]
Full-height platform screen doors were already installed in underground stations since 1987, supplied by Westinghouse.[75] There were calls for platform screen doors to be installed at elevated stations after several incidents in which passengers were killed by oncoming trains when they fell onto the railway tracks at elevated stations. The authorities initially rejected such calls by casting doubts over functionality and concerns about the high installation costs.[76] Nevertheless, the LTA reversed its decision and made plans to install half-height platform screen doors in all elevated stations on 25 January 2008.[77][78] The first platform screen doors by ST Electronics[79] were installed at Jurong East, Pasir Ris, and Yishun stations in 2009 under trials to test their feasibility.[80]
By 14 March 2012, all elevated stations have been retrofitted with the doors and are operational.[81] These doors prevent suicides and unauthorised access to restricted areas. Under the Rapid Transit Systems Act, acts such as smoking, eating or drinking in stations and trains, the misuse of emergency equipment and trespassing on the railway tracks are illegal, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment.[82][83]
There were a few major incidents in the history of the MRT, which opened in 1987. On 5 August 1993, two trains collided at Clementi station because of an oil spillage on the track, which resulted in 132 injuries.[84] During the construction of the Circle Line on 20 April 2004, a tunnel being constructed under Nicoll Highway collapsed and led to the deaths of four workers.[85] On 15 November 2017, two trains, one being empty, collided at low speed at Joo Koon station due to a malfunction with the communications-based train control (CBTC).[86][87]
Prior to the 2020 circuit breaker measures during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public transport operators and LTA were criticised by some commuters for its delayed actions of crowd control and the enforcement of social distancing on public transport.[88] In response, the LTA rolled out a series of precautionary measures, such as social distancing measures and making the wearing of masks in public transport mandatory.[89][90][91] Social distancing markers were progressively implemented in the MRT trains and stations which commuters must adhere to; enforced by auxiliary officers and transport ambassadors.[92] The significant reduction of commuters as remote work increased resulted in the transport operators reducing train frequencies and closing stations earlier from 17 April.[93][94][95] However, train frequencies were shortly reverted to normal upon review and feedback from the public.[96][97][98]
Since June 2020, the MRT system has resumed pre-circuit breaker operations. Regulations for social distancing on public transport are no longer applicable by law. Social distancing stickers on seats were removed. However, commuters are encouraged to social distance wherever possible. Mask wearing continues to be mandatory on public transport and all other public places in Singapore. This is because all employees are being required to report back to work as soon as possible and all students resume physical schooling.[99][100][101][102] Cleaning efforts on the trains and MRT stations have since been stepped up, with hand sanitizers provided at the stations.[103]
MRT lines operate from 5:30 am to 1:00 am daily, with the exception of selected periods, such as New Year's Eve, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya, Christmas, eves of public holidays and special occasions such as the state funeral of Lee Kuan Yew (2015), when most of the lines stay open throughout the night or extended till later (before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020).[104] Additionally, some stretches of the line ends earlier, opens later and closes on a few days of the weekend.[105] The nightly closures are used for maintenance. During the COVID-19 pandemic across the country, train services ended earlier and service extensions on the eves of public holidays ceased from 7 April 2020. However, from 1 June, train services were reverted to the usual hours from 5.30am to 12am (except for CNY Eve, where it ended at 30 minutes earlier from then on), and train services were no longer extended on all eves of public holidays.
Changi Airport station, the easternmost station on the MRT network, has the widest platform in any underground MRT station in Singapore. In 2011, it was rated 10 out of 15 most beautiful subway stops in the world by BootsnAll.[112] Various features have been incorporated into the design to make the station aesthetically pleasing to travellers.[113] The station is designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, featuring a large interior space and an illuminated 150-metre (490 ft) link bridge spanning over the island platform.[114]
Many MRT stations have specially commissioned artworks in a wide variety of art styles and mediums, including sculptures, murals and mosaics.[116][117] With over 300 art pieces across 80 stations, it is Singapore's largest public art programme.[116][118]
In the early stages of the MRT, artworks were seldom included; primarily consisting of a few paintings or sculptures representing the recent past of Singapore, mounted in major stations. The opening of the Woodlands Extension introduced bolder pieces of artwork, such as a 4,000 kg sculpture in Woodlands.[119] With the opening of the North East line in 2003, a series of artworks under a programme called "Art in Transit" were commissioned by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). Created by 19 local artists and integrated into the stations' interior architecture, these works aim to promote the appreciation of public art in high-traffic environments. The artwork for each station is designed to suit the station's identity. Subsequently, all stations on the North East, Circle and Downtown lines have taken part in this programme during their construction, with additional artworks installed at stations on other MRT lines.[116][117] 152ee80cbc
feather client download cracked
amazing spider-man 2 electro theme song mp3 download