Train services on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) Stage 3 between Caldecott and Gardens by the Bay started on 13 November 2022. After over a year of operations, several bus services running parallel to the TEL will be rationalised or shortened, with other bus services amended to cover lost sectors.
Changes take effect from Sunday, 10 December 2023. This round of bus service changes follows a slew of bus service level reductions led by the LTA since 2019.
Summary
| Service | Existing Destination | New Destination from 10 Dec 2023 |
| 75 | Gali Batu  Marina Centre |
Gali Batu Bukit Merah |
| 121 | Kampong Bahru ↺ Telok Blangah Rise | Shenton Way ↺ Telok Blangah Rise |
| 162 |
Yio Chu Kang Shenton Way |
Yio Chu Kang ↺ Sin Ming Drive |
| 162M |
Yio Chu Kang ↺ Temasek Avenue | Withdrawn |
| 167 | Sembawang Bukit Merah |
Withdrawn |
| 859 |
Sembawang ↺ Yishun | Sembawang ↺ Yishun via Canberra Link |
According to an LTA press release, ridership for some bus services plying along segments of TEL has seen an overall decrease of around 30 to 40 percent. The bus service amendments were intended to reduce duplication of bus services with TEL and to reallocate resources to other parts of Singapore, such as emerging new towns and estates.
Bus Service 75
Bus Service 75 will be amended to Bukit Merah Bus Interchange via Kim Tian Road and Jalan Bukit Merah, omitting Outram Park MRT, Cantonment, Robinson Road / Shenton Way, and Marina Centre.
Lost sectors along Cantonment Road and Cantonment Link will be served by the amended Bus Service 121, while alternative travel options via existing bus services are highlighted in the posters below.
Bus Service 121
Bus Service 121 will be amended to start from Shenton Way Bus Terminal instead of Kampong Bahru Terminal. The new route will ply Anson Road / Shenton Way, and Cantonment Link / Cantonment Road before rejoining its existing route at Outram Park MRT. The remaining part of Bus Service 121, between Outram Park and Telok Blangah Rise (Loop), remains unchanged.
The amendment will supplement lost sectors of Services 75 & 167 along Cantonment Road, Cantonment Link, and the Shenton Way area.
Bus Service 162 / 162M
Bus Service 162, which operates from Yio Chu Kang Interchange, will be shortened to loop at Sin Ming Drive via Marymount and Shunfu Road. As a result, the sector from Upper Thomson to Orchard, Bras Basah, Marina Centre (162M) and Shenton Way will be discontinued.
With the amendment of Service 162, its route variant Bus Service 162M between Yio Chu Kang and Marina Centre (Loop) will be withdrawn. The last day of service will be on Saturday, 9 December 2023. Alternative travel options via existing bus services are highlighted in the posters below.
The amended Service 162 increases local connectivity within the Sin Ming area, while also serving Marymount MRT Station in the direction of Sin Ming. Two new bus stops are also added along Sin Ming Drive.
Service 167
Bus Service 167 will be withdrawn. The last day of service will be on Saturday, 9 December 2023.
The 30-kilometre route, which plies between Sembawang and Bukit Merah via Thomson, Orchard, Shenton Way and Cantonment, will be discontinued. Key segments of the original route along Canberra Link & Cantonment will be served by the amended Services 859 & 121 respectively.
In addition, the frequency of Bus Service 980, which duplicates Service 167 between Sembawang and Thomson Road, will also be increased.
Service 859
Bus Service 859 will be amended to enhance connectivity to Bukit Canberra, via Canberra Link and part of Sembawang Road. It will skip a pair of bus stops along Canberra Road outside and opposite Blk 311, while serving 3 pairs of additional bus stops along Canberra Road, Canberra Link and Sembawang Road.
The amendment will cover lost sectors of Service 167 along Canberra Link and part of Sembawang Road.
See Also:
- Downtown Line 3 Bus Rationalisation – Amendment of Bus Services 22, 65, 66 & 506
- Rationalisation of Bus Services
References:
- Route Amendment for Service 121 – SBS Transit
- Route Amendment for Service 162/162M – SBS Transit
- Service Announcement – Route Amendment for Bus Service 75 – SMRT Corporation
- Ridership on TEL almost tripled with introduction of TEL3 – Land Transport Authority
The post Thomson-East Coast Line 3 Bus Service Changes first appeared on Land Transport Guru.