The Marina Connection - 195, 960
Commonwealth Estate is where I started my trip today, taking Service 122 from Tiong Bahru to Queensway to complete Trunk Service 195, but since I had just missed the bus when I arrived, I walked one bus stop up the route to a bus stop along Commonwealth Avenue.
Queensway underpass below Commonwealth Avenue
The route loops around Commonwealth Drive and traverses the roads of Telok Blangah and River Valley and ending at Marina Centre.
From The Interlace along Depot Road to Tiong Bahru Plaza
At Marina Centre, I did not really know where else to go next, so what I usually do is take the next bus that arrives. In my case for today, I took the long-haul Trunk Service 960 to Woodlands.
(I almost missed my bus taking this picture)
Service 960 travels from Bugis and Little India, up the Bukit Timah Expressway...
... to Bukit Panjang and Woodlands.
The 3-door bus - 900A, 901
When I arrived at Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange on Service 960, I peeked into the bus park and saw a special bus, the MAN Lion's City Three-Door Concept Bus that is currently on trial and deployed on Feeder Service 901. I, of course, had to ride a loop on Service 901 on the new bus, which serves the residents of Woodlands South.
There are fewer seats than on a normal bus, however, this makes the interior feel much more spacious.
The rear door that allows a much easier exit for passengers.
There is also the coloured Electronic Display Signage on the exterior (similar to the MAN Double-Decker Concept Bus), setting the new bus apart from all others.
I had lunch at Causeway Point after the ride on the new bus, not contempt, I took a loop on Feeder Service 900A, which also serves Woodlands South, specifically for students of Innova Junior College and the Singapore Sports School.
A return to normality on a regular and very common two-door MAN NL323F single deck bus.
Long and short-haul - 38, 969
Arriving back in the Town Centre, I decided to move on from Woodlands. I took the inter-town Trunk Service 969, which goes all the way to Tampines using the Seletar and Tampines Expressways. Truly a great route to take for taking a nap.
The route links the towns of Yishun and Tampines with expressway sectors.
Arrival at Tampines Bus Interchange.
At Tampines, I switched gears, taking the shorter-distance Trunk Service 38, which runs from Tampines to Bedok, going through Simei and Bedok South estates.
The route passes under the East-West MRT tracks in Simei and around the flats of Bedok South.
Bartley Express - 129
After I arrived in Bedok I actually went back to Tampines using the new Downtown Line, taking the MRT from Bedok North Station back to Tampines Station near the central Bus Interchange. (usually, I don't like taking the MRT but I do have a soft spot for the DTL, probably as its the newest)
The vast field beside Bedok North MRT Station, with rain clouds gathering above
Tampines' Downtown Line MRT Station is located right under the main Interchange, but I went further north to the separate and nearby Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange, newly built to support new bus services introduced in the area.
The two bus routes are Feeder 298 and Trunk Service 129, the latter of which I took as the last bus route I complete before I leave for Hong Kong in two days. The route runs from Tampines to St. Michael's Estate near Whampoa, receiving a hefty amount of traffic, mainly from Temasek Polytechnic Students.
A significant portion of the route runs on the Bartley Road Viaduct which links Tampines to Serangoon and Toa Payoh. Service 129 plies the viaduct entirely, providing a quick connection between both New Towns.
St. Michael's Bus Terminal
As a bonus, I even got a Volvo B10TL back home on Service 5.
