At least $20b to expand road and rail network

Feb 16, 2007

BIG INVESTMENTS FOR THE FUTURE

At least $20b to expand road and rail network


AT LEAST $20 billion will be spent in the next 10 to 15 years on expanding Singapore's road and rail network.

The plans include developing the public transport system so that HDB residents can commute easily and swiftly from their homes to workplaces and commercial centres all over Singapore, said Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Highways are going to be widened from three to four lanes, and new highways will be added to meet the pressures of a larger population.

One of the new highways will be a Marina Coastal Expressway to serve the new business district and other developments in Marina Bay. Plans for the expressway are being finalised.

The 29-station Circle Line is scheduled to start running in 2010.

Next on the cards is the building of the 33-station Downtown Line, to link Marina Bay to housing estates in the north-west and east.

It promises shorter travelling time. For instance, a trip from Bukit Panjang to the city centre will take 40 minutes instead of the current one hour.