Recently, the Boon Lay extension line was opened with new stations Pioneer and Joo Koon. Apparently, it had caused some crowding problem at Boon Lay station. One forum member posted the photos of the situation on Hardwarezone.
Perhaps such a problem can be avoided if the authorities had done more thorough consideration. Of course, it is easier to say so on hindsight. This is my analysis on the cause of the problem:
Even before any extension of line, Boon Lay station bad always been one of the busiest. With industrial parks, military camps, university, Tuas, and an ever growing housing estate, it is no surprise that many passengers use this station.
The opening of the new stations draw very few away from Boon Lay station. This is similar to having LRT stations which cater to the small population around those stations. Majority of the people who do not live near these stations and will still travel by bus to Boon Lay station.
In the past with Boon Lay as the terminal station, there was higher chance that at least one train stopped at the station at any one time. This meant that passengers would board the train, instead of staying on the platform. However, with the new stations, no train stops at Boon Lay for an extended period of time. The turnaround time of the trains may not fast enough. Thus, with the same inflow of passengers, they are now displaced from the trains to the platform. This six cabin-load of passengers on the platform result in crowding problem.
I think what SMRT can do is to improve on the turnaround time. It is observed that every morning in Yishun station, some of the Northbound trains are not for passenger service and some of the Southbound trains are empty. This implies that maybe the Northbound trains make a turnaround before Sembawang station. The empty trains help to alleviate some of the crowding problem. Tho' passengers increasingly remain on the platform till the empty trains arrive, in order to get some seats. Surely, SMRT can also apply similar method to improve the turnaround time at Boon Lay station. I am not surprised if they are already starting to do so.
Perhaps, some System Engineering techniques can be used for better planning next time. Hope some lessons learnt can be applied to the opening of the Circle line. In the meantime, folks at Boon Lay will have to hang on before they fine tune the system. Squeezeeeee...
Perhaps such a problem can be avoided if the authorities had done more thorough consideration. Of course, it is easier to say so on hindsight. This is my analysis on the cause of the problem:
Even before any extension of line, Boon Lay station bad always been one of the busiest. With industrial parks, military camps, university, Tuas, and an ever growing housing estate, it is no surprise that many passengers use this station.
The opening of the new stations draw very few away from Boon Lay station. This is similar to having LRT stations which cater to the small population around those stations. Majority of the people who do not live near these stations and will still travel by bus to Boon Lay station.
In the past with Boon Lay as the terminal station, there was higher chance that at least one train stopped at the station at any one time. This meant that passengers would board the train, instead of staying on the platform. However, with the new stations, no train stops at Boon Lay for an extended period of time. The turnaround time of the trains may not fast enough. Thus, with the same inflow of passengers, they are now displaced from the trains to the platform. This six cabin-load of passengers on the platform result in crowding problem.
I think what SMRT can do is to improve on the turnaround time. It is observed that every morning in Yishun station, some of the Northbound trains are not for passenger service and some of the Southbound trains are empty. This implies that maybe the Northbound trains make a turnaround before Sembawang station. The empty trains help to alleviate some of the crowding problem. Tho' passengers increasingly remain on the platform till the empty trains arrive, in order to get some seats. Surely, SMRT can also apply similar method to improve the turnaround time at Boon Lay station. I am not surprised if they are already starting to do so.
Perhaps, some System Engineering techniques can be used for better planning next time. Hope some lessons learnt can be applied to the opening of the Circle line. In the meantime, folks at Boon Lay will have to hang on before they fine tune the system. Squeezeeeee...
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