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Tengah residents welcome new bus stops, hope for more bus services

2024-01-31 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE – With a new bus stop in front of the Plantation Grange project in Tengah, administrative assistant Chan Si Hui no longer has to walk 15 minutes around a construction site to the nearest bus stop.

It now takes about five minutes for Ms Chan and her parents, both 75, to reach the new bus stop which opened on Dec 24, 2023, in front of Block 132B in Plantation Grange. From there, bus service 992 connects residents to amenities in Bukit Batok, as well as the bus interchange.

“It feels much safer than walking through the construction site for the Jurong Region MRT Line (JRL) to get to the bus stop at Plantation Acres,” said the 39-year-old, who has been living in Plantation Grange since November.

Another new bus stop directly opposite the Plantation Village Build-To-Order (BTO) project, which is served by bus service 870 that goes to Jurong Town Hall bus interchange, was also opened in December, the Housing Board said on Jan 31.

A new signalised pedestrian crossing linking residents to this bus stop was introduced on Jan 26, it added.

These stops are in addition to an existing bus stop at Block 111 of Plantation Acres, which is served by both 870 and 992.

Another Plantation Grange resident, Mr Dinesh Sailan, 37, said he does not have to worry about rain with the new bus stop as the walk between it and his home is fully sheltered.

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In comparison, the path to the Plantation Acres bus stop can get muddy after it rains due to the ongoing construction for the JRL, the compliance manager added.

While sales coordinator Jeanette Goh, 36, welcomed the new bus stop, she noted that it is served by only service 992, which goes to Bukit Batok bus interchange.

From there, she has to switch train lines at Jurong East MRT station to get to her workplace in Boon Lay.

“It would be good if the bus stop has a bus going directly to Jurong East,” she said.

The Tengah residents whom The Straits Times spoke to also highlighted waits of up to 20 minutes for buses, particularly during non-peak periods.

Mr Chan Yuke Man, 58, said it takes about 30 to 45 minutes to travel to and from Bukit Batok bus interchange on service 992 as it passes through the Bukit Batok West estate.

“If you add the waiting time of 20 minutes, the travelling time would be about an hour,” said the stay-at-home father.

He added that he hopes for more bus services going directly to the bus interchange.

Mr Dinesh said the 20-minute wait is “one of the biggest pain points” as it adds to his commute of one hour and 20 minutes to his workplace in Dhoby Ghaut in the morning.

The keys to 2,908 units – about 77.5 per cent – of the 3,753 units in the first three BTO projects in Tengah were collected by Jan 18, HDB said.

HDB also said that two vending machines selling snacks and drinks have been added to the Plantation Acres estate in January, in addition to the three machines introduced in December.

Workers working on a road next to Plantation Grange estate in Tengah on Oct 9, 2023. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

A mobile grocery providing essential items, such as bread, canned food and toiletries, has been serving residents three days a week since November, it added.

It will operate until the second quarter of 2024, when the supermarket in the Plantation Plaza neighbourhood centre is expected to open.

There are another 20 BTO projects still under construction in Tengah, HDB said.

From the third quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2027, about 19,100 units will be delivered progressively to flat buyers.

HDB said it will take time to build up amenities and major transport facilities in a new town like Tengah.

Residents can look forward to the same level of convenience as existing HDB towns as Tengah is progressively built, it added.