Woodlands Bus Interchange Explained

Woodlands Bus Interchange
兀兰巴士转换站
Pertukaran Bas Woodlands
Type:
Public Bus Interchange
Address:1 Woodlands Square (738099)[1]
Coordinates:1.4368°N 103.786°W
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Id:Q8032954
Mapframe-Zoom:16
Mapframe-Wikidata:yes
Country:Singapore
Owned:Land Transport Authority
Operator:SMRT Buses (SMRT Corporation)
Bus Operators:
Connections: Woodlands
Structure:Underground
Accessible:Yes
Opened: (Original)
(Temporary)
(Integrated Transport Hub)
Closed: (Original)
Events:Commenced operations
Events1:Relocated to temporary site
Events2:Most operations relocated to Integrated Transport Hub

Woodlands Bus Interchange (formerly Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange) is a bus interchange in Singapore. Located in Woodlands, the interchange is linked to Woodlands MRT station and adjacent to Causeway Point shopping mall. It is the largest and among the busiest bus interchange in Singapore. The interchange is also known as Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub.

History

Original interchange

In 1991, as part of efforts to improve connectivity in the area, the Singapore government announced plans to build a new bus interchange in Woodlands.[4] Built by the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (known today as SMRT Corporation) at a cost of, the interchange was built under Woodlands MRT station, to facilitate connections between the station and the bus interchange, and leave more land available for other uses.[5]

The bus interchange commenced operations in February 1996, replacing the previous Woodlands interchange near Woodlands Checkpoint, and the Marsiling bus terminal. Covering an area the size of three and a half football pitches and with 11 bus bays, Woodlands interchange featured an integrated taxi stand, and a bus parking area located away from the passenger concourse.[6]

Integrated Transport Hub

Contract PT247 to carry out alteration works to upgrade the Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange to an air-conditioned one and constructing a link to the new Thomson–East Coast line (TEL) was awarded to CCECC Singapore Pte Ltd.[7] [8]

On 12 March 2016, to facilitate upgrading of the interchange and construction of a new link to the MRT station, operations of all bus services serving Woodlands interchange were shifted to a temporary interchange beside Woodlands MRT station.[9]

The upgraded bus interchange reopened on 13 June 2021,[10] [11] and incorporated a heritage gallery showcasing SMRT and Trans-Island bus history over the years. Due to insufficient parking spaces in the interchange, service 925/925M, 950, 961/961M & 965 remained at the temporary interchange. When a land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL-Land) between Singapore and Malaysia was announced, Berth B5 of the temporary bus interchange was used for the VTL-Land bus service operated by Transtar from 29 November 2021. The service was renamed to Vaccinated Travel Bus Service (VTBS) when the Singapore government scrapped all of her VTL schemes for the reopening of borders to all Vaccinated persons on 1 April 2022. VTBS ceased on 1 May 2022 as cross-border public bus services resumed.

Bus contracting model

See also: Bus contracting model of Singapore.

Integrated Transport Hub

Under the new bus contracting model, all the bus routes were split into 4 route packages operating from Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub Bus Interchange. Bus Services 169, 856, 858, 963, 963e, 966, 969 are under Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package (Tower Transit Singapore), Bus Service 161 and Bus Service 168 are under Sengkang-Hougang and Bedok Bus Package respectively (SBS Transit). The rest of the bus services are under Woodlands Bus Package (SMRT Buses).

List of routes

!Operator!Package!Routes
SBS TransitBedok168
Sengkang-Hougang161[12]
SMRT BusesWoodlands178, 187, 900, 901/901M, 902, 903/903M, 904, 911, 912/912M, 913/913M, 960, 960e, 962, 964
Tower Transit SingaporeSembawang-Yishun169, 856, 858, 963, 963e, 966, 969[13] [14]

Temporary Bus Interchange

Under the new bus contracting model, all the bus routes were split into 2 route packages operating from Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange. Bus Service 965 is under Sembawang-Yishun Bus Package (Tower Transit Singapore) and the rest of the bus services are under Woodlands Bus Package (SMRT Buses).

List of routes

!Operator!Package!Routes
SMRT BusesWoodlands925/925M, 950, 961/961M
Tower Transit SingaporeSembawang-Yishun965

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bus Interchanges – SMRT. 18 January 2021. 12 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180712043859/https://www.smrt.com.sg/Journey-with-Us/SMRT-Buses/Bus-Interchanges. live.
  2. Web site: Bus Service 161. Transit Link. 10 June 2021. 17 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170517032505/http://www.transitlink.com.sg/eservice/eguide/service_route.php?service=161. live.
  3. Web site: Bus Service 168. Transit Link. 10 June 2021. 10 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171010030950/http://www.transitlink.com.sg/eservice/eguide/service_route.php?service=168. live.
  4. News: Tan . Cephah . 23 April 1991 . Govt acts to woo people to Woodlands . The Straits Times . Singapore . 14 August 2022 . NewspaperSG . 1 .
  5. News: Goh . Julia . 14 February 1992 . Underground bus station to be built in Woodlands . The Straits Times . Singapore . 14 August 2022 . NewspaperSG . 3 .
  6. News: . 27 January 1996 . Woodlands interchange will be state-of-the-art . The Straits Times . Singapore . 14 August 2022 . NewspaperSG . 32.
  7. Web site: Contract PT247 – Upgrading of Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange. CCECC Singapore Pte Ltd. 10 June 2021. 10 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210610142311/http://www.ccecc.com.sg/project/pt247-upgrading-of-woodlands-regional-bus-interchange/. live.
  8. Web site: Land Transport Authority Annual Report 2017/18. Land Transport Authority (Singapore). 10 June 2021. 15 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200215170045/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/dam/ltagov/who_we_are/statistics_and_publications/report/pdf/LTA_AR17_18_FA.pdf. live.
  9. Web site: Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange to be Upgraded Temporary Relocation from 12 March 2016. Land Transport Authority (Singapore). 4 February 2016. 17 May 2021. 17 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210517090634/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/newsroom/2016/2/2/woodlands-regional-bus-interchange-to-be-upgraded-temporary-relocation-from-12-march-2016.html. live.
  10. Web site: Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub to Open on 13 June 2021. Land Transport Authority (Singapore). 17 May 2021. 17 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210517085747/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/newsroom/2021/5/news-releases/Woodlands_ITH_to_open.html. 17 May 2021. live.
  11. Web site: Largest integrated transport hub in Singapore opens in Woodlands. The Straits Times. Fang Yiyang. 13 June 2021. 13 June 2021. 13 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210613082639/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/largest-integrated-transport-hub-in-singapore-opens-in-woodlands. live.
  12. Web site: Bus Industry to Complete Transition to Bus Contracting Model on 1 September 2016. Land Transport Authority (Singapore). 11 August 2016. 10 June 2021. 10 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210610141919/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/newsroom/2016/8/2/bus-industry-to-complete-transition-to-bus-contracting-model-on-1-september-2016.html. live.
    • Web site: Details of the 11 Negotiated Packages. Land Transport Authority (Singapore). 10 June 2021. 10 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210610141922/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/dam/ltagov/news/press/2016/20160811_Details_11_negotiated_packages_AnnexB.pdf. live.
  13. Web site: LTA Awards Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun Bus Packages to Tower Transit. Land Transport Authority (Singapore). 30 September 2020. 17 May 2021. 17 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210517113847/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/newsroom/2020/9/news-releases/lta-awards-bulim-and-sembawang-yishun-bus-packages-to-tower-tran.html. live.
  14. Web site: Tower Transit edges out SMRT to win $1.03b Bulim and Sembawang-Yishun bus packages. The Straits Times. Clement Yong. 2 October 2020. 17 May 2021. 17 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210517114004/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tower-transit-edges-out-smrt-to-win-103b-bulim-and-sembawang-yishun-bus-packages. live.