Transport in Singapore
Encyclopedia : T : TR : TRA : Transport in Singapore
| Life in Singapore |
|---|
| Culture |
| Politics |
| Economy |
| Education |
| Demographics |
| Music |
| Film |
| Literature |
| Holidays |
| Languages |
| Singlish |
| Transport |
| Religion |
| Sports |
| [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit box] |
Transportation in Singapore, as typical of other transport systems, is mainly road-based, almost nearly all of which are paved. Road transport covers most of the island.
These roads are overseen by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which also constructs expressways in Singapore. These expressways form the larger transport arteries between the distinct towns and regional centres as laid out in Singapore's urban planning and give vehicles the ability to travel overland faster. Prominent expressways include the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), the Central Expressway (CTE), the East Coast Parkway (ECP), the Bukit Timah Expressway (BTE), the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), the Kranji Expressway (KJE) and the Seletar Expressway (SLE). This transport policy was developed shortly after independence during the history of Singapore because of frequent traffic congestion and overcrowding in the Central Area in order to encourage development in other parts of the island.
Singapore is linked to Johor, Malaysia via a causeway and bridge, as well as a railway line operated by the KTMB of Malaysia. The Singapore Changi Airport, comprising two terminals and a budget terminal, is one of the most important air hubs in the region. The international airport is situated at the eastern most tip of the main island, and serves 167 cities in 53 countries. When construction of the third terminal is completed in 2008, Changi will be soon also be capable of handling 64 million passengers every year.2
The policies of the LTA are meant to encourage Public transport in Singapore, in order to provide incentives of convenience of residing away from the Central Area, as well as to reduce air pollution. Singapore has a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rapid Transit (LRT) rail system consisting of five lines. There is also a system of bus routes throughout the island, most of which have air conditioning due to Singapore's yearlong heat. Buses without air conditioning are gradually being phased out. A contactless smartcard, the EZ-link card is used to pay bus and subway fares.
The Port of Singapore, run by the port operator company PSA International, which formerly called the Port of Singapore Authority) and Jurong Port, is the world's busiest in terms of shipping tonnage handled. 1.04 billion gross tons (GT) were handled in the year 2004, crossing the one billion mark for the first time in Singapore’s maritime history. Singapore also emerged as the top port in terms of cargo tonnage handled with 393 million tonnes of cargo in the same year, pipping the port in Rotterdam for the first time in the process.
Singapore is ranked second globally in terms of containerised traffic, with 21.3 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) handled in 2004., and retains her position as the World's busiest hub for transhipment traffic. She is also the world's biggest bunkering hub, with 23.6 million tonnes sold in 2004.
Air transport
Singapore aims to be Asia's aviation hub chiefly via the promotion of liberal aviation policies in a bid to encourage airlines to commence and to maintain operations here. The aviation industry is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, a statutory board of the Singapore government under the Ministry of Transport.
Airlines
There are currently has 5 local scheduled service airlines, all of them operating out of Singapore Changi Airport, offering scheduled flights to over 70 cities on 5 continents. The national flag carrier, Singapore Airlines, and its subsidiary, Silkair, operate out of Changi Airport's Terminal 2. Singapore three new budget airlines, Jetstar Asia, Tiger Airways and Valuair, currently operate out of Changi Airport's Terminal 1. From 2006 onwards, these budget carriers will operate from a new budget airline terminal at Changi Airport. However, till date, only one airline operates at the new Budget Terminal - Tiger Airways. Other budget airlines have cited various reasons for not shifting operations to the new terminal, including accessibility and ease of transfers to connecting flights.
- Jetstar Asia- founded 2004
- Silkair- founded 1976
- Singapore Airlines- founded 1947 (as Malayan Airways)
- Tiger Airways- founded 2003
- Valuair- founded 2004 (has since merged with Jetstar Asia to form OrangeStar)
Airports
Singapore Changi Airport is a regional aviation hub served by 64 international airlines and is being expanded with the construction of a third terminal slated for completion in 2008. A fourth terminal, designed to cater to budget airlines only, was opened in April 2006, and was named Budget Terminal.
Airports: 9 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
| Airport | ICAO | IATA | Usage | Runway | Length (ft) |
Length (m) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paya Lebar Airbase | WSAP | QPG | Military | Paved | 12400 | 3800 m | Former civilian |
| Seletar Airport | WSSL | XSP | Civilian | Paved | 5300 | 1615 | Non-scheduled flights |
| Sembawang Airbase | WSAG | Military | Paved | 3000 | 914 | ||
| Singapore Changi Airport | WSSS | SIN | Civilian | Paved | 13200 | 4000 | |
| Tengah Airbase | WSAT | TGA | Military | Paved | 8900 | 2713 |
Heliports
Land transport
Cars
Buses
- Routes: 185 (133 trunk, 52 feeder)
- Fleet: 2,582
- Daily trips: 2.34 million passenger trips
- Routes: 76 (57 trunk, 19 feeder)
- Fleet: 813
- Daily Trips: 661,595 passenger trips
Taxis
Total fleet: 19,007
All fitted with meters; all air conditioned; about 90% of taxis have radiophones; call booking is done via GPS or digital voice despatch
Daily trips: about 588,632
Cable car
The Singapore Cable Car is a special form of land transport which uses a gondola system to allow a route over the water at an elevated altitude between Mount Faber on the main island of Singapore and the resort island of Sentosa.Rail
Railways: 38.6 km, narrow gauge, 1.000 m. The island rail's terminal at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is linked to the Malaysian rail network KTM across the 1.2 km causeway to Johor Bahru on the Malay Peninsula. It connects with Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.
There is a 109 km standard gauge rapid transit system known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) with 67 stations. There are three main lines running at present: the North South Line, the East West Line (both operated by SMRT Corporation), and the North East Line (operated by SBS Transit). A new Circle Line is slated for completion in 2010 and will be opened in phases as the various stations are ready.
In 1998, a 7.8 km Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system with 14 stations was introduced in Bukit Panjang. The Sengkang LRT Line, a 10.7 km light rail line was opened in 2003; a third LRT line, Punggol LRT Line, was opened in 2005 Jan with the East Loop of the system serving the residence in Punggol.
Roads
Singapore pioneered the modern use of toll roads to enter the most congested city area with the Singapore Area Licensing Scheme, which has since been replaced with the Electronic Road Pricing, a form of electronic toll collection.
Roads:
- Total length of expressways: 150 km
- Total length of major arterial roads: 575 km
- Total length of collector roads: 405 km
- Total length of local access roads: 2014 km
- Total road length: 3144 km
Singapore has two land links to Malaysia. The Causeway, built in the 1920s to connect Johor Bahru (Johor, Malaysia) to Woodlands in Singapore, carries a road and a railway line whereas the Tuas Second Link, a bridge further west, was completed in 1996 and links Tuas in Singapore to Tanjung Kupang in Johor (Malaysia).
Sea transport
The Port of Singapore, overseen by the Maritime And Port Authority Of Singapore and run by port operators PSA International, which was formerly the Port of Singapore Authority, and Jurong Port, is the world's busiest in terms of shipping tonnage handled. 1.04 billion gross tons (GT) were handled in the year 2004, crossing the one billion mark for the first time in Singapore’s maritime history. Singapore also emerged as the top port in terms of cargo tonnage handled with 393 million tonnes of cargo in the same year, pipping the port in Rotterdam for the first time in the process.
Singapore is ranked second globally in terms of containerised traffic, with 21.3 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) handled in 2004., and retains her position as the World's busiest hub for transhipment traffic. She is also the world's biggest bunkering hub, with 23.6 million tonnes sold in 2004.
Ports and harbors: Singapore
Merchant marine:
total:
900 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,065,290 GRT/36,393,317 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 136, cargo 84, chemical tanker 96, combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 8, container 186, liquefied gas 41, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large load carrier 2, petroleum tanker 290, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 5, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 32
foreign-owned:
Australia 6, China 15, Denmark 32, Germany 18, Greece 12, Hong Kong 31, India 3, Indonesia 33, Japan 58, South Korea 13, Malaysia 31, Monaco 19, Norway 53, Papua New Guinea 1, Philippines 9, Russia 2, Slovenia 1, Sweden 12, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 44, Tanzania 1, Thailand 16, United Kingdom 15, United States 1
registered in other countries:
383 (2003 est.)
note:
a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 22 countries among which are Japan 41, Denmark 35, Sweden 28, Thailand 28, Hong Kong 26, Germany 19, Taiwan 19, and Indonesia 11 (1998 est.)
PSA Singapore's Container facilities includes:
- Container berths: 37
- Quay length: 10,314 m
- Area: 3.39 km²
- Max draft: 15 m
- Quay cranes: 112
- Designed capacity: 20,000 kTEU
- Container berths: 42
- Quay length: 12,014 m
- Area: 4.02 km²
- Maximum draft: 15 m
- Quay cranes: 132
- Designed capacity: 24,000 kTEU
- Berths: 23
- Berth length: 4,545 m
- Maximum vessel draft: 16 m
- Maximum vessel size: 150,000 dwt
- Area: 1.2 km² (Free Trade Zone), 320,000 m² (non-Free Trade Zone)
- Warehouse facilities: 280,000 m²
| Port | Operator | Type | Berths | Quay length (m) |
Quay cranes | Area (m²) |
Capacity (kTEUs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brani (BT) | PSA | Container | 9 | ||||
| Cosco-PSA (CPT) | Cosco/PSA | Container | 2 | 720 | 228,000 | >1 million | |
| Jurong | JTC | Multi-Purpose | 23 | 4,547 | 1,520,000 | ||
| Keppel (KT) | PSA | Container | 14 | ||||
| Pasir Panjang (PPT) | PSA | Container | 9 | ||||
| Pasir Panjang Wharves | PSA | General | |||||
| Sembawang | PSA | General | |||||
| Tanjong Pagar (TPT) | PSA | Container | 8 |
See also
- Links between Singapore and Johor.
- Public transport in Singapore
External links
- [Singapore Ministry of Transport]
- [A local Wikipedia on Singaporean buses]
- [Transport sector's highs and lows in year 2005]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.