SBS Transit to extend train & bus operating hours for CNY

SBS Transit to extend train & bus operating hours for CNY 06:17 PM Jan 03, 2012 SINGAPORE - SBS Transit will be extending the operating hours of its train services as well as its Chinatown Direct bus services in the weeks leading up to the Chinese New Year, starting from this Friday. For the next two Fridays and Saturdays, the last train in the direction of HarbourFront will depart Punggol Station at 12.02 am and Chinatown Station at 12.29 am while the one headed for Punggol will depart HarbourFront Station at 12.29 am and Chinatown Station at 12.34 am. This is about half an hour later than usual. On Friday, Jan 20, the last train in the direction of HarbourFront will depart Punggol Station at 12.32 am and Chinatown Station at 1.00 am. The last train towards Punggol will depart HarbourFront Station at 12.54 am and Chinatown Station at 1.00 am. On Saturday, Jan 21, the last train in the direction of HarbourFront will depart Punggol Station at 1.47 am and Chinatown Station at 2.15 am. The last train towards Punggol will depart HarbourFront Station at 2.09 am and Chinatown Station at 2.15 am. Operator SBS Transit said besides extending train operating hours, commuters will also enjoy a shorter wait as more train trips will be added to the schedule. A total of 419 more trips will be operated which will enhance frequency to between four and five minutes at selected times on the days when train hours are extended. In line with the NEL service extension, the operating times for the Punggol and Sengkang LRTs will similarly be extended with the last LRT train departing five minutes after the last NEL train pulls in at their respective stations. For the two Fridays and Saturdays, the last train on the Sengkang LRT will depart from the Town Centre Station at 1.05 am while that for the Punggol LRT will do so at 1.07 am. On Friday, Jan 20, the last Sengkang LRT train will depart the Town Centre at 1.30 am, while the last train for Punggol LRT will depart the Town Centre at 1.32 am. On Saturday, Jan 21, the last Sengkang LRT train is scheduled to depart the Town Centre at 2.45 am while the last train on the Punggol LRT will depart the Town Centre at 2.47 am. Separately, the Chinatown Direct Service 28 (CT28), which serves Chinatown and Clementi, will be in operation from Jan 1 to 22. The two Chinatown Direct services - CT8 which serves Ang Mo Kio and CT18 which serves Bedok - that operate daily, will be extending their operating hours in the weeks leading up to the Lunar New Year. For the next two Fridays and Saturdays, starting from Jan 6 and 7, the last bus of CT8, CT18 and CT28 heading to Chinatown will depart from their respective interchanges at 9.00 pm instead of at their usual times at 5.00 pm. The last bus back from Chinatown will depart at 12.30 am from the bus stop opposite the Outram Park Station. On Friday, Jan 20, the last bus to Chinatown will similarly depart from the three towns at 9.00 pm while the last bus will leave Chinatown at 12.55 am. On Saturday, Jan 21, the last bus will again head for Chinatown at 9.00 pm, while the last bus back from Chinatown will depart at 2.10 am. On all other weekdays, from Jan 1 to 21, the three services to Chinatown will operate from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm while the return journey will be from 11.00 am to 5.00 pm. On Sundays, they will operate from 10.00 am to 8.00 pm towards Chinatown while the return trip will be from 11.00 am to 10.00 pm. CHANNEL NEWSASIA