Facilities on the Mass Rapid Transit
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The Mass Rapid Transit system is the mass transit system in Singapore.
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[edit] Number of stations
There are currently 64 operating stations on three lines. 28 new stations on the East West Line & Circle Line will be progressively opened by 2012. 4 other stations on the Circle Line & North East Line will not be opened together with the other stations along their respective lines as there are insufficient developments surrounding these stations to warrant their opening.
[edit] Station layout
MRT stations are generally either above-ground or underground, with Bishan Station being the only exception at grade level. For above-ground sections where trains run on viaducts, the first level of a station is usually only used for entry from street level.
Stations often have two classifications of areas, paid and unpaid areas, which allow the rail operators to collect fares by restricting entry between the areas only through the fare gates, also known as access control gates. Commuters enter the paid area in order to board a train; and must enter the unpaid area in order to access the street, and must therefore pass through the gates. These gates, connected to a computer network, are capable of reading and updating electronic tickets capable of storing data, and can store information such as the initial and destination stations and the duration for each trip. Fares are collected on the basis of this information.
The second level contains ticketing platform and containing the ticketing machines and the access control gates between the paid and unpaid areas. Tickets are presented at these gates in order to pass between the unpaid and paid areas. Escalators and stairs providing access to the platform level one floor up are located only within the paid area. An pedestrian overpass may sometimes link the unpaid area of this level to another prominent building nearby, such as a polytechnic. The third level is the platform level, where passengers board and alight from the trains. Most of the time this consists of one actual platform island with two sets of tracks for opposite directions running on either side.
For underground sections except Changi Airport Station, stations generally consist of two levels: the ticketing level described as above, usually containing the same services, and the train platform level. There will be at least two sets of escalators and stairs between the two levels, and a further set leading to a pedestrian underpass which in turn leads to several street accesses on top of the station area. There are exceptions on the number of levels however — if the station is an interchange, it will have more than two levels, to accommodate the extra train platform(s) for the extra line(s) and linkway(s). Such stations are often deep enough to be shielded from conventional bomb attacks from the air and act as bomb shelters. This status is enhanced by the fact that underground MRT systems have prebuilt ventilation systems with air-conditioning to ensure a degree of comfort in the unlikely event of a conventional air assault.
[edit] Facilities and services at stations
Every station has at least four General Ticketing Machines (GTMs), a Passenger Service Centre, as well as LED displays and plasma display screens which show train arrival times, safety messages and train service information.
All stations are equipped with restrooms. However, not all the stations have restrooms in the station. Some of them, such as Somerset Station, have the restrooms located outside the station, on street level. All stations have payphones, both in the unpaid concourse level, and on the platform itself.
Some stations have additional amenities and services, such as:
- Retail shops or kiosks
- Popular book stores
- Supermarkets (NTUC FairPrice or Shop N Save)
- Convenience stores (7-Eleven or Cheers)
- Automatic teller machines
- Self-service automated kiosks for a myriad of services
These are located within the unpaid area, and not all such services might be available at every station.
The popular tabloid Today is distributed at all stations every morning. An afternoon edition is available at some stations located within the Central Business District, such as City Hall Station and Tanjong Pagar Station.
[edit] Xchanges
Major stations with high passenger traffic volumes are slated to be upgraded in the coming years to incorporate more retail space, a more efficient layout of shops and a more stylish interior decor to entice shoppers. This is part of efforts by SMRT Corporation to raise rental revenue from shops to cover operating costs rather than solely depend on fare hikes alone. Major upgrades of Raffles Place Station & Dhoby Ghaut Station have been completed, with the retail sections of these stations rebranded as Xchanges, or Raffles Xchange & Dhoby Xchange respectively. Other stations slated for such rebranding include Tanjong Pagar Station's Tanjong Pagar Xchange. Other stations not included in the rebranding exercise have had their retail space with the stations increased and layout improved. An example of this would be Yew Tee Station.
[edit] Passenger information system
[edit] Plasma displays
Singapore is one of the few cities in the world to utilise plasma displays in metro stations to display train service information. The majority of metro systems worldwide either forgo the use of electronic displays or use LED displays as they are cheaper to install. Critics have opposed the use of plasma displays as they are considerably more expensive to install and are susceptible to the problem of screen burn. However, the rail operators see this as a medium to earn advertising revenue from commercials shown on these displays. At the same time, they are able to display all the train service information, safety messages and time and date on these screens clearly. Using the flip dot system previously, only a limited amount of information could be displayed.
Plasma Displays by Conrac are installed in stations along the North South Line & East West Line. 2 plasma displays are installed at a single location per platform. The reason for the installation of only 2 plasma displays at a single location per platform was because these displays had been retrofitted into the platforms when they replaced the aging flip dot displays which were only sited at 1 location per platform. Thus, the existing infrastructure available could only support plasma displays at 1 location per platform.
Plasma Displays by Advanced System Asia (ADV) are installed at the concourse levels of stations along the North East Line. These were the first generation of plasma displays installed in these stations. However, the normal Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) for plasma displays is about 35,000 hours or about 4 years. Because these displays were tested and commissioned for use more than 5 years ago, burnt marks had appeared, brought about by a sharp contrast of the display of a certain combination of colours over a long period of time. As such, the Land Transport Authority had to replace these displays, though only at the platform level.
PPM42S3QX/XSS Plasma Displays by Samsung are installed at the platforms in stations along the North East Line. Unlike the platforms along the North South Line & East West Line, 2 plasma displays are installed at each of 2 locations per platform. The reason for the installation of 4 plasma displays per platform was because these displays were installed at the platforms right from the station's construction phase & thus had the necessary infrastructure to support them at 2 different locations per platform.
[edit] Liquid Crystal Displays
6 liquid crystal displays per car are installed. These show silent commercials, safety videos, the name of the next station & terminating station name. These are installed in the Alstom Metropolis Cars & the C751B Cars only.
[edit] LED Displays In Stations
These are installed at the entrances & the concourse level of the stations. They show the estimated arrival times of the next two trains per platform, safety messages & train service messages.
LED Displays by Advanced System Asia (ADV) are installed in stations along the North East Line.
LED Displays by Wei Long Electronics are installed in stations along the North South Line & East West Line.
[edit] LED displays in trains
These are installed at different locations in each train car. They show the name of the next station that the train is stopping at, the terminating station, doors closing warning messages, seasonal messages (Merry Christmas) & occasionally the date and time. The LED displays in the C751B Cars show the transfer options available at interchange stations as well. These LED displays in trains are found only in the Alstom Metropolis Cars & the C751B Cars.
[edit] Barrier-free facilities
For elevated stations, the tactile path starts right at the ramp entrance to the station and brings the visually handicapped past the wide fare gates & into the lift at the concourse level. Upon exiting from the lift at the platform level, the tactile path will lead them onto a designated waiting area near the doors of the middle train cars where they will wait to board the train. The tactile path may diverge at the concourse level to lead to the handicapped friendly toilet or passenger service centre. In elevated stations where platform screen doors are not installed, tactile studs are also installed along the entire stretch of the platform edge to warn them not to get too close to the edge.
For underground stations, the tactile path starts at the ramp entrance to the station and brings the visually handicapped into the lift and down onto the concourse level, where the path may diverge towards the passenger service centre or the handicapped friendly toilets. From there, the path continues past the wider fare gate and into another lift which brings them onto the platform level. The path ends at the middle of the series of platform screen doors, where they will wait to board the middle cars of the trains which have designated wheelchair spaces.
[edit] Wide-fare gates
The older stations on the North South Line & East West Line were not installed with wide fare gates.
From April 2002 however, wide fare gates have been progressively installed in all operating MRT stations as part of a programme to make it easier for those carrying luggage or those with prams to get to and from the platforms, especially since the MRT had been extended to the Changi Airport to serve air travellers. This programme has since been completed. Each station has been equipped with at least 1 of the wider fare gate, with gates in selected stations such as Changi Airport Station being all of the wider variety.
[edit] Lifts, ramps and tactile guidance system
Stations constructed before 2001 on the North South Line & the East West Line did not have barrier-free facilities such as lifts, ramps & tactile guidance systems incorporated into their designs.
As of 27 February 2007, all 63 stations with the exception of Buona Vista Station are barrier free as part of a programme to make all MRT stations accessible to the elderly and the handicapped. The remaining stations will be barrier free by the time the Circle Line stations connecting to these existing stations open. There will be at least 1 barrier free route for the disabled at every station, leading from the street level to the platform level, though some (busier) stations have more.
Disabled passengers, the elderly, those travelling with prams and those carrying luggage should ensure that both their boarding and destination stations have been retrofitted with these facilities before embarking on their journeys.
OTIS is the supplier for the lifts at Changi Airport Station and the North East Line, while Chevailer who is the distributor for Toshiba elevators in Singapore supplies for all other stations on the North South Line & East West Line. These lifts typically have a capacity for 15 passengers with a total load of 1000 kilogrammes, though those at interchange or busy stations have been designed with a larger handling capacity. The lifts also feature braille plates on lift buttons, audio announcements & LED displays.
