home 쐽 THE STRAITS TIMES FRIDAY, MAY 22 2009 PAGE C11

ADDENDUM TO PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS: MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT

Downturn will not derail projects

of basic bus services will run at intervals of not
Keeping status as top more than 10 minutes during weekday peak hours,
instead of the current 15.
maritime, air hubs still Private transport is not ignored.
By 2020, a new underground expressway linking
the Thomson area to the city – and running to the
a priority; rail and bus west of the congested Central Expressway – should
bring relief to motorists living in the north.

networks to be better Besides spending on hardware, significant policy

changes have also been proposed to make the trans-
port system “people-centred”.
These include injecting contestability into the
BY CHRISTOPHER TAN public transport market, where routes may be open
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT to bidding by players other than the incumbents, so
as to keep operators constantly on their toes.
SINGAPORE is not pulling back on multi-billion- A new financial framework has also been moot-
dollar projects in the transport and logistics sectors ed. This allows new rail projects to be built as long
despite the global credit crunch. as the overall network is commercially viable.
Transport Minister Raymond Lim, in his adden- Before this, each new line has to be deemed via-
dum to the President’s Address on Monday, said ble before the green light is given.
the Government remained committed to maintain- The Government is reviewing steps “to encour-
ing Singapore’s position as a leading maritime port age Singaporeans to reduce their reliance on cars”.
and enhancing its appeal as an air hub. The Government will seek to nurture the growth of budget airlines operating from Changi Airport. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN christan@sph.com.sg
Mr Lim reiterated plans to double the MRT net-
work by 2020 and to raise the standard of bus serv-
ices. At the same time, the Government will contin-
ue to expand the road network and to look to new
technologies such as satellite-tracked, distance-
based road pricing to optimise road capacity.
“Despite the current economic downturn, the ex-
pansion of Pasir Panjang Terminal is proceeding
without delay,” the minister said.
He said plans to build a new port operations con-
trol centre in Changi were also under way.
Mr Lim acknowledged that the international avia-
tion industry has had its wings clipped by the eco-
nomic slowdown that began last September.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore is pro-
viding $200 million this year to help airlines and air-
port partners weather the storm.
Meanwhile, the Government will work to retain
Changi Airport’s edge as a key aviation centre.
“The corporatisation of Changi Airport will ena-
ble us to make a strategic shift from a position of
strength,” Mr Lim said, adding that it allows
Changi to respond more quickly to industry chang-
es. And the airport will be able to attract and retain
talent, as well as pursue overseas businesses and in-
vestments more freely.
The minister singled out the phenomenal growth
of low-cost carriers in the region.
In the first quarter of this year, budget airline
traffic at Changi grew 35 per cent over the same pe-
riod last year, while full-service carriers suffered a
13 per cent drop. “We will continue to nurture and
help these carriers grow their operations out of
Changi Airport,” Mr Lim said.
For instance, Changi’s Budget Terminal was re-
cently expanded to provide capacity for seven mil-
lion passengers per annum, up from 2.7 million.
Turning to the Land Transport Masterplan, the
minister said the Government’s aim of delivering “a
high-quality and affordable land transport system”
remained intact. The masterplan revealed last year
calls for $50 billion or more to be spent on infra-
structure projects over the next 10 to 15 years.
By 2020, Singapore will have about 280km of
rail lines, almost double the current 142km.
The 33km Circle Line will open in phases, start-
ing with Stage 3 (Bartley to Marymount) on May 28.
Stages 1 and 2 that join the suburbs to the city are
likely to follow next year. The rest of the line is ex-
pected to open from 2011.
Other projects like the Downtown Line, Eastern
Region Line and Thomson Line will link the north,
north-west and east to the city.
At the same time, the bar has been raised for bus
operators. By August this year, at least 80 per cent

QUICKNEWS
Pow-wow on child education
EDUCATION professionals from around the
world have flown into town for the inaugural
National Child Education Conference and
Exhibition.
Organised by The Pinnacle Group
International, the three-day event began
yesterday at the Suntec City Convention
Centre. About 350 parents, principals and
educators signed up for the two-day
conference, during which speakers in the
field cover topics such as the economic
effects of pre-school education.
Guest speakers and delegates hail from
countries such as Indonesia and Denmark.
From today to tomorrow, there will also
be an exhibition on child education at the
venue’s third level, open to the public.
Speaking at the conference opening was
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for
Community Development, Youth and Sports.
“For too long, there has been a debate
about the value of teaching very young
children...But I think this debate needs to
end,” he said, adding that early education
makes a “big difference” to children, and
that there will be continuous efforts to
enhance childcare standards in Singapore.
“This is an investment in the future, and
this conference is part of our efforts.”

Food aid for needy students

NEEDY students in the South West District
need not go hungry now that they have their
school meals and weekend snacks sponsored.
Building contractor Koh Kock Leong
Enterprise and the South West Community
Development Council have sponsored 690
needy students to the tune of $170,000.
Students get meal vouchers or cash for
use at school tuckshops, as well as snacks to
take home for the weekend.
The six-month programme will last till
the end of the current school year.