I heard from acquintances, and also confirmed from others on internet many people complaining, including 1 famous Mr Tan, see below:
MRT interchanges just too sprawling Letter from Tan Kin Lian
THE interchange stations serving the North East Line and the North South Line at Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station are too far apart.
The same thing applies to Outram Park, which serves the East West and North East Lines.
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I believe that this is because of engineering and safety considerations. As the North East Line was built after the existing lines, it probably had to be built at a distance from the existing stations to avoid disruption to the existing services.
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There should be practical ways to overcome this problem and get the interchange stations closer together. Some research should be done to see how other cities overcome this problem, or creative solutions sought. One possible approach is to build the new interchange station to serve both lines, and to divert the old line to use the new station when it is ready.
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Singapore will be building several new train lines over the next few years, with more interchange stations needed. I hope the Land Transport Authority will look into this.
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/313832.asp
Edited by TIB537B 15 Apr `09, 12:30PM