I am very happy to be here this morning to open the new Sengkang Bus Interchange here at the Sengkang Town Centre. In addition, I am also happy that the Sengkang LRT system will start service later today, after many months of anticipation by residents.

Sengkang Town is the first town to be developed using the integrated town planning approach. The completion of the Sengkang Bus Interchange and the Sengkang LRT marks a significant milestone in the development of Sengkang. Once the North East Line opens later this year, Sengkang residents will be able to enjoy the benefits and convenience of having amenities like food and shopping fully integrated with the various public transport modes such as MRT, LRT and buses.

The complex that we are in now exemplifies the concept of integration that we want to achieve. Apart from housing the bus interchange, the LRT above us, and the Northeast Line station below us, the complex also integrates with Compass Heights, a residential complex and the Compass Point shopping mall. In addition to maximising land use, commuters, shoppers and residents will benefit from not having to walk long distances between amenities and the various modes of transport. They also do not need to worry about having to find sheltered paths when getting from point to point on rainy days. In short, such an integrated approach to transit, housing and commercial uses brings together greater synergy of uses, and raises the level of service to commuters in terms of convenience and travel connectivity.

However, putting in place the design and hardware is only part of the story. What matters too is the level of service that is finally delivered to commuters. In the case of the Sengkang LRT, comprehensive and rigorous tests were conducted to ensure safe and satisfactory performance of the system. LTA handed over the system to the operator, SBS Transit, in September last year. Since then, SBS Transit has been working closely with LTA and the system supplier to conduct trial runs of the system to ensure that it is safe and reliable for passenger service.

But like any new complex system, there is a system run-in period during which unanticipated teething problems can occur. So commuters should not expect a 100% perfect system from Day One. I urge commuters to be understanding and tolerant during the system run-in period. On its part, SBS Transit has to ensure that it is able to recover from any service disruptions quickly so as to minimise the inconvenience to commuters. It is also for this reason that SBS Transit will open the LRT service in phases.

Before I end, let me say that I am very pleased that SBS Transit sees itself as being a part of the community that it serves. Over the past few weeks, SBS Transit had actively engaged the community, taking school children, grassroots leaders and senior citizens on familiarisation tours of the LRT. It is also offering free rides to commuters on the LRT today and tomorrow. To top it off, SBS Transit is pledging the fare revenues from the LRT’s first week of operations to the Sengkang Town Centre Community Club Building Fund. The efforts of SBS Transit are most commendable.

I am therefore confident that SBS Transit will continue to work hand-in-hand with the local community to make Sengkang Town a model of integration. On this note, it is now my pleasure to declare the Sengkang Bus Interchange open.

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