North East MRT Line

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Doors of the NEL Train, showing the system map above them.
Doors of the NEL Train, showing the system map above them.

The North East MRT Line (NEL) is the third Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore and the world's first fully underground, automated and driverless rapid transit line. The line is 20 km long with 16 stations, and operated by SBS Transit. 1 complete loop of this line needs around half an hour. This line is coloured purple in the rail map.

As the name implies, the line connects central Singapore to the northeastern part of the island. Transfer to the North South Line is provided at Dhoby Ghaut station and East West Line at Outram Park station. This line is the first in Singapore to be entirely underground. The North East Line is the first line in Singapore to have artwork integrated into all its sixteen stations, under the Art in Transit programme.

Contents

[edit] History

The interior of a NEL train.
The interior of a NEL train.

The Land Transport Authority received approval for the construction of the North East Line on January 16, 1996. French company Alstom was chosen as the main contractor and manager of the project. The operating license was given to new rail operator SBS Transit in order to foster competition with SMRT Corporation.

The line was scheduled for completion in 2002, but due to various problems in the automation, the opening was repeatedly delayed. It was finally opened on June 20, 2003, with higher fares than existing lines supposedly to compensate for the heavy construction costs (S$4.6 billion).

At the time that the line was opened, all of the stations were operating except Buangkok and Woodleigh. SBS Transit announced that these would open only when there was a critical mass of passengers in those areas. With respect to Buangkok, which had already been fully built, the company claimed that the projected number of passengers was too low to cover operating costs. Constant public pressure forced it to review the situation, and SBS Transit announced that it would opening Buangkok station on 15 January 2006. As expected, Buangkok station's first-week ridership was the lowest on the NEL, and does not cover operating costs.

At present, trains operate at 4-minute frequencies during peak hours, 6-minute frequencies during midday service and 8-minute frequencies in the early morning and night times.

[edit] Issues

The front cabin of a NEL train, showing the emergency exit.
The front cabin of a NEL train, showing the emergency exit.

Despite some initial glitches when the driverless line first opened, it has operated more or less reliably, as compared to the Bukit Panjang driverless LRT run by competitor SMRT Corporation, which was fraught with repeated hiccups.

A software flaw on one of the first days of operation paralysed the trains for several hours. Another problem of trains stalling at stations repeatedly was traced to commuters accidentally pressing the Emergency Communication Button whenever they leaned on the train wall, and rectified by placing plastic shields over the buttons.

The North East Line has also been criticised for charging higher fares than the rest of the system. Despite that, it is currently operating at a loss.

After half a year of operation, ridership remained below expectations at an average of 170,000 passengers per day, short of the 250,000 per day needed to break even. SBS Transit estimated its losses for 2003 at S$40 million, and was even rumored to be considering selling the line to competitor SMRT Corporation, although both operators dismissed such speculation.

The ridership is slowly increasing though, with an average of 220,466 passengers per day as of January 2005, increasing to 224,315 per day in June of the same year. Latest data reflects that the North East Line is already averaging 283,090 passengers per day in October 2006, well ahead of the 250,000 break-even mark.

[edit] Rolling Stock/Trains

The rolling stock consists of Alstom Metropolis Cars.


[edit] Disruptions

  • On 24 July 2006, passengers on board a NEL train headed for HarbourFront were evacuated after it stalled in the tunnel due to a loss of traction power around 12:45 p.m. [1]

[edit] Stations

SBS Transit's Sengkang Depot for the North East MRT Line and Sengkang/Punggol LRT Line.
SBS Transit's Sengkang Depot for the North East MRT Line and Sengkang/Punggol LRT Line.

[edit] External links

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