Response by Senior Minister of State for Transport, Dr Amy Khor to Adjournment Motion on “Realising the Vision of a 45-Minute City Under the Land Transport Master Plan 2040 in the West of Singapore”

1.     Our vision, as articulated in the Land Transport Master Plan 2040, or LTMP 2040, is to create a 45-minute city and 20-minute towns by 2040. The 45-minute city goal goes beyond reducing travel times – it is also about reshaping how we think about urban connectivity, such as creating more employment centres and better linking them with residential areas. 

2.     Mr Leong spoke about transport connectivity in the West. Members such as Mr Don Wee, Mr Liang Eng Hwa, Mr Patrick Tay, Ms Rachel Ong, and Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim had also previously asked Parliamentary Questions about our plans to improve transport connectivity in the West. Residents from Tengah have also provided LTA and myself with specific feedback on their estate, which we have already been addressing. 

3.     Let me share about the progress that we have made thus far, and our ongoing efforts to improve transport accessibility, connectivity and resilience for residents in the West. I’m glad to note that Mr Leong’s suggestions in fact support the plans we have made for transport connectivity in the West.  

Our Current Land Transport Landscape in the West 

4.     Let me begin with our rail network, the backbone of our public transport system. Today, besides the Bukit Panjang LRT, residents in the West are served by the North-South Line, East-West Line and Downtown Line. While Mr Leong has claimed that the East is “far better” than the West, with all due respect I think this is not a fair comparison, as there are differences in geographical characteristics, stage of development, and travel patterns. With planned expansions to the rail network, we are on track to having 8 in 10 households in the West within a 10-minute walk of a train station by the 2030s, which is aligned with our target for the entire island. 

5.     Complementing the rail network are bus services that provide first- and last-mile connectivity to key transport nodes, and alternative options for commuters. More than one-third of our bus routes ply in the West, including express bus services that connect residents in the West directly to job centres in the Central area.

6.     LTA closely monitors the demand and capacity of bus routes in the West, like it does for bus services across Singapore. Where additional capacity is needed, such as in growing towns with more BTO flats, LTA has worked with operators to improve frequencies and to inject more double-deck buses. 

7.     One example of such improvements is in Tengah. LTA has introduced three new bus services in this area since new homeowners started collecting the keys to their flats just about a year ago. Services 992 and 870 were introduced at the end of last year, connecting residents to MRT stations at Bukit Batok and Jurong East, as well as Jurong Town Hall and Tengah Bus Interchanges. Service 871 was introduced in July 2024, connecting Tengah residents to Bukit Gombak and Beauty World MRT stations.

8.     As with all new estates, LTA will continue to monitor travel demand and make necessary enhancements to improve transport connectivity, in tandem with the development of the town and progressive completion of its road infrastructure. 

Achieving the Aspiration of a 45-Minute City by 2040

9.     Looking ahead, a key enabler of our plans to enhance transport connectivity in the West are our two new MRT lines – the Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line. 

10.    The Jurong Region Line, or JRL, will be a game changer for the West when it opens in stages between 2027 and 2029. With 24 new stations and spanning 24km, it will serve areas such as Tengah New Town and Jurong Lake District, and also connect residents across the entire Western region to growing employment centres in Jurong. With three interchange stations at Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay, and Jurong East, the JRL will connect to the North-South Line and East-West Line, and enhance resilience across the system. 

11.    The JRL will shorten travel times for commuters in the West. For example, residents in Tengah Plantation Grove can reach Tanjong Pagar in 40 minutes via a rail connection to Jurong East interchange, compared to 55 minutes today. Similarly, residents in Boon Lay View will take 40 minutes to travel to Woodlands, down from 55 minutes today.

12.    For the connection between the Jurong Town Hall station on the Jurong Region Line, and the Jurong Lake District station on the Cross Island Line, or CRL, Mr Leong will be pleased to know that there will be good pedestrian connectivity between the two stations.

13.    By the early 2030s, the CRL will further enhance the West’s connection to the East and North-East regions. It will serve areas such as West Coast and parts of Clementi that do not currently have direct links to the rail network, and connect residents to growing employment centres in Punggol and Changi. Commuters in the West will be able to use the CRL to connect to every radial line in our MRT network. It will also shorten travel times significantly for some journeys. Currently, a journey from West Coast to Pasir Ris will take 70 minutes, and a journey to Ang Mo Kio will take 60 minutes. With the CRL, these journeys will be reduced to 45 minutes to Pasir Ris, and 30 minutes to Ang Mo Kio. 

14.    In the mid-2030s, the new Sungei Kadut interchange station along the North-South Line will provide commuters in the Northwest a more direct transfer to the Downtown Line. The new Brickland station between Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Gombak stations will also offer residents living in Keat Hong, Bukit Batok West, and Tengah faster and more convenient access to the rail network.

15.    Beyond these projects, we are also planning for the next bound. As Minister Chee mentioned earlier, LTA has been studying a West Coast Extension in tandem with further developments in the area, which will connect the JRL to the Circle Line, and further improve rail connectivity and resilience for the West. 

16.    At the same time, we recognise that buses remain integral as they enable more residents to access the rail network and other amenities. This is especially important as new housing developments are being completed at a faster pace, which means there are new needs that have to be met. We recognise that as the planned expansion of our rail network will take some time to complete, improving bus connectivity will help meet travel demand in the immediate term.

17.    That is why we have taken further steps through the recently announced Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme. Some measures include introducing more peak-hour express bus services for faster connection to the city, as well as new “express feeder” services, which will bypass stops to take a more direct route to connect residents in farther away estates to existing transport nodes and town centres. Mr Leong’s suggestion for buses is no different from this. 

18.    We will also speed up the pace of introducing new trunk and feeder bus services and improving bus frequencies, to improve connectivity for the early batches of residents who move into new estates like Tengah. LTA is progressively identifying these enhancements in consultation with stakeholders.

19.    Beyond improving transport connectivity, we are also bringing jobs closer to residents. With the development of regional centres like the Jurong Lake District and Jurong Innovation District, residents in the West will have even more employment opportunities close to home. 

The Road Ahead: Continuing to Build a Connected Singapore

20.    Mr Speaker, while we have made substantial progress, we are not done building a more connected Singapore. Our plans to improve transport infrastructure will take time. So I seek the patience and support of Singaporeans and our residents in the West, as we press on with enhancements to our public transport network in the coming years. 

21.    With the support of this House, I am confident that we will realise our vision of a well-connected and vibrant home for all residents.