Focus on new lines and system upgrades-

In the past few decades, the ASEAN countries have experienced high demand for fast, clean, and efficient urban public transport. Owing to this, many cities like Jakarta, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh have in the past few years come up with plans and financial arrangements for new metro systems. At present, metro systems are operational in three cities, namely, Singapore, Bangkok, and Manila, together spanning a total of almost 250 km.  With the new plans in place, this number is expected to increase from just three to at least six.

New lines and extensions

Singapore today boasts of one of the most advanced rail-based public transit networks in the world. To make this even better, the transport authorities in Singapore are working on a number of mass rapid transit (MRT) projects including two critical new lines and various extensions to the existing track along with upgrading the older parts of its network. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced plans to expand the city’s rail system to a massive 360 km by 2030, almost doubling the existing length, with 8 in 10 households within a 10-minute walk of an MRT station.

Highlighting the progress of the development, an LTA spokesperson says, “Between now and 2024, a new rail line or extension will open nearly every year.  By the first quarter of 2016, Stage 2 of the Downtown Line (DTL) will open with 12 stations. There will also be four stations added to the East-West Line (EWL) with the completion of the Tuas West Extension (TWE) in 2016. By 2017, we will open Stage 3 of the DTL, connecting Chinatown Station to Expo Station. By then, our rail network will have expanded by about 25 per cent.”

The underground 30 km long Thomson Line and the Eastern Region Line will add 48 km to the existing MRT network. Elaborating on the timelines for these lines, the LTA spokesperson adds, “In 2019, commuters can look forward to the opening of Canberra Station, a new station on the North-South Line (NSL), as well as the opening of the first three stations of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). The second stretch of six stations and the third stretch of 13 stations along the TEL will be completed by 2020 and 2021 respectively. The East Coast stretch of the TEL will be completed in two stages: the first seven stations from Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore will be ready in 2023, while the remaining two stations will be completed in 2024, together with the remaining two stations of the DTL – Xilin, and Sungei Bedok. We are also making progress on several other new rail lines announced in the Land Transport Master Plan (LTMP) 2013. Studies are ongoing for Circle Line 6, the Jurong Region Line, and Cross Island Line.”

Bangkok is the only city in Thailand to operate a rail-based rapid transit system. The current system comprises two types of metros – the underground MRT and the elevated SkyTrain, and the Airport Rail Link. Bangkok is also on the path of massive metro extensions. Under the Bangkok Mass Rapid Transit Master Plan, called the M-MAP, the MRT network will have five new lines by 2019 at a total cost of 462.94 billion baht, spanning 167 km. Extensions are also under way for the Silom and Sukhumvit lines of the Bangkok SkyTrain.

In Kuala Lumpur, the upcoming Klang Valley MRT project comprising three planned lines is an integral part of the Klang Valley’s integrated rail network. It is a crucial component of the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley National Key Economic Area and the largest infrastructure project in the country. The project aims to increase the modal share of public transport in the Klang Valley to 50 per cent by 2020, up from 17 per cent currently.

The Vietnamese government is pushing ahead with its two upcoming metro projects at Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City that form an integral part of the country’s infrastructure development. The projects are part of Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport’s master plan for the integrated development of urban transport in the country to provide a safe, efficient, and clean urban transportation system. The Hanoi metro system will comprise four routes, which will together span 52.4 km and cover more than 34 stations while the Ho Chi Minh City metro project will comprise six lines, which will together span 124.8 km covering more than 96 stations.

Finally, in Indonesia, the construction of Jakarta’s first mass rapid rail transit system is going on. The project comes in the wake of a pressing need to address the growing number of traffic jams in Jakarta. The project will comprise two MRT lines, which will together span 110.8 km, to be constructed in two phases.

System upgrades

In addition to the new lines and extensions, Singapore’s LTA is also undertaking system upgrades to the operational network. According to the LTA spokesperson, “Upgrading of the signalling system to allow trains to run at shorter intervals of 100 seconds is on track for completion by 2016 for the NSL, and by 2018 for the EWL. The new signalling system is now installed on more than 77 per cent of the NSL stations and tracks. New signalling equipment is being tested on 32 out of 141 trains in the existing fleet for the North-South-East-West Line (NSEWL). Further, replacement of the third rail has begun with the design and type-testing of third rail components. Works on the NSEWL will begin by mid-2015 with the target of completing the replacement by 2017. This will help further improve the reliability of our train services.”

In Manila, the Department of Transport and Communications (DoTC) is rehabilitating its metro line MRT-3 and the light rail transit (LRT) line (LRT-1) at a total cost of $1.5 billion. The rehabilitation of MRT-3 will involve improving the signalling system and acquiring 26 additional coaches. DoTC is also upgrading the automatic fare collection system for MRT-3 and the LRT to an integrated contactless (tap-and-go) system by mid-2015. The project is being undertaken as a public-private partnership by an AF consortium comprising Philippines-based companies Metro Pacific Investments Corporation and Ayala Corporation under a contract worth PhP 1.72 billion. The consortium has the option to extend the use of the fare card to retail transactions.

Conclusion

The upcoming new MRT systems and extensions in ASEAN present lucrative opportunities for both domestic and international developers, contractors, and financiers for the supply of rolling stock, ticketing technology, power, signalling, tracks, etc. However, the region will have to overcome city- and country-specific risks and issues that may undermine the progress of these ambitious projects. Thus, good planning and engineering design will be needed to ensure an excellent rail-based travelling experience in the region.