Trip 10 + Bits from Hong Kong Trip

Central Express - 806, 857

   Kicking off the first trip in a while, I first took Trunk Service 857 from Prinsep Street up to Yishun. This route is particularly useful as it uses the Central Expressway for a quicker connection from the City and Little India.

Approaching Yishun Estate.

   Anyway, I had lunch and followed up with a ride on Feeder Service 806, which loops around the new flats in Yishun Ave 6, passing the new hawker centre at Yishun Park.

MAN A95 double-decker buses are deployed on these feeders, replacing old bendies.

Service Enhancements - 71, 860

   Recently, there have been a series of route amendments to services in the Yishun and Yio Chu Kang area. One of which is an extension of Trunk Service 860 from Khatib MRT Station to Yio Chu Kang via Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5.

SBS Transit-spec Mercedes Citaro operating for SMRT.

The extended section of the route, entering Ang Mo Kio North via Upper Thomson Road.

   Arriving at Yio Chu Kang Bus Interchange, the intention was to take an entire loop of the newly introduced Trunk Service 71, which I did, passing through Mayflower Estate in the west of Ang Mo Kio and turning around at Bishan.

   As it turns out, Singapore's first Euro VI emissions standard bus (the one pictured above) was deployed for the first time that day on Service 71, unfortunately for me, I wasn't aware.

Construction works on Mayflower MRT Station along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4.

The route loops around Bishan Street 11, returning to Yio Chu Kang.

Up Northeast Again - 3, 136

   After the trip on Service 71, I took the MRT one stop down to Ang Mo Kio. I had a short break and continued on Trunk Service 136 to Punggol.

The route traverses the roads around Serangoon Gardens and turns out onto Upper Serangoon Road via Yio Chu Kang Road.

Service 136 then travels straight up to Hougang and Sengkang.

Block of flats at 25 Hougang Avenue 3.

   From Punggol, I then took the entire length of Trunk Service 3, the only bus service in Singapore to stop at 3 bus interchanges (Punggol, Pasir Ris and Tampines) The bus I took was a double-decker, which is not as common as the usual single-deck buses that are normally deployed.

Service 3 out of Punggol.

Volvo B10TL on Service 81 in Pasir Ris.

The newly built Our Tampines Hub near Tampines Central.

The New Standard - 47

The stunningly designed Expo MRT Station (Downtown Line)

The odd blank information boards at the bus stop outside the Station.

   I took the Downtown Line to Expo Station and arrived at the somewhat desolate Changi Business Park Terminal after a short bus ride, which is the terminating stop for two routes, 47 and 118.

   For the last trip of the day, I took Trunk Service 47 which is a loop service which passes Bedok South and turns around at Marine Parade. The bus was a new MAN A95 double-decker (in fact the exact one that is pictured in the above article on Trunk Service 47), transferred to SBS Transit with SMRT-specifications.

The bus, like most of the new ones, has USB chargers next to the seats. (I used them to charge my phone.)

Passing through Marine Parade, including the Thomson-East Coast Line works.

Recap of trip:

Routes done - 3, 47 (half), 71, 136, 806, 857 (half), 860

Progress - 63/363 (17.36 %)

Hong Kong Trip

   As you may know, this is the first trip since I've gotten back from Hong Kong, there are some points of comparison that can be made between the two public transport systems, which I think are so similar, but yet so different.

   The first point of comparison, owing to the size of the cities, of course, is that bus trips in Hong Kong are much longer and scenic than in Singapore, owing to its additional 2035 square kilometres of area and more interesting geography.

Tai Tam Reservoir Dam, NWFB Route 14 towards Stanley

   Bus trips in Hong Kong are arguably more enjoyable than in Singapore, as one knows exactly when to alight from a bus from the in-built announcement system and information displays. 

   Drivers also just follow timetables without having to maintain headway like the buses do in Singapore. 

   The regulation in Singapore is meant to keep a regular distance between buses, preventing bunching and irregular frequency, but this does mean that bus drivers drive frustrating slow to keep to the practice, else risking a lower pay bonus from their Public Transport Operator. These measures are not implemented in Hong Kong.

   The 4 pictures above all have one thing in common; the Alexander Dennis Enviro500. There are just so many of them in Hong Kong. Sure, there are many in Singapore, but there feels like a million times more of them in Hong Kong. 8 out of 10 buses I took in Hong Kong seemed to be an Enviro500.

    Since most buses are this type and a vast majority are double-deckers, Singapore wins in terms of variety of bus models.

   That being said, there are also fleets of other bus models such as Volvo B9TLs and Dennis Tridents.

   However, Hong Kong still wins in terms of capacity (most buses are double-deckers) and variety of bus routes in addition to its fast and reliable MTR system.

The new South Island Line.

    In my opinion, both cities' public transport systems have their ups and downs, but on paper, I would say that overall, Hong Kong's vast network of bus services and overall reliability (while I was there) gives it the edge over Singapore's public transport system.

   In conclusion, Singapore's buses are cleaner and simpler in terms of its network but Hong Kong's are more comfortable and rides are more scenic, owing probably to Hong Kong's different climate, culture and overall area size and population. However, I would prefer Hong Kong's comfortable headrests over the normal seats in Singapore.

   Note - I actually came back on the 14th, and took this trip on the 17th. This post is this late because -  procrastination.

Trip 9: Something New

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.

Recap of trip:

Routes done - 38, 129, 195 (half), 900A, 901, 969

Progress - 57/363 (15.70 %)