SMRT to deploy more staff to help commuters

This article is more than 12 months old

ADRIAN LIM,
TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT

Jan 05, 2018 06:00 am

SMRT will double the number of ground staff deployed for the second month of shorter MRT operating hours on weekends, which will kick off tonight.

From about 300 staff previously, it will have up to 600 boots on the ground, including traffic controllers, crowd marshals and station personnel to guide commuters to alternative travel options, such as shuttle buses.

This month, 10 MRT stations on the East-West Line (EWL) - from Paya Lebar to Pasir Ris, along with Changi Airport and Expo MRT stations - will have shorter operating hours on weekends, including full-day closures on two Sundays, on Jan 21 and 28.

These 10 stations will close earlier at 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and open later at 8am on Saturdays and Sundays. Train operation hours are usually from 5.30am until midnight.

This is the second round of planned closures, to facilitate rail maintenance works and to accelerate the EWL's upgrade to a new signalling system by the middle of this year, instead of the year end.