Acting minister wants to boost transport networks, cut travelling times

Priority is to strengthen networks in city and HDB estates, especially the new towns

- Esther Loi

Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow aims to halve travelling times on some journeys for public transport commuters.

His priority is to strengthen transport networks in the city and within HDB estates — particularly those that are a little farther away from the city, such as Tengah and Punggol.

For instance, he wants to reduce the time taken to travel between Tengah and the city centre via public transport to "one to two times" that of a private car journey, he told the media at a People's Association Family Playground 2025 event at Tengah Community Club on June 8.

At the new estate of Tengah in the west of Singapore, some residents have complained about the lack of amenities and transport options.

Currently, public transport between Tengah and the city centre takes two to three times longer than travelling by car, Mr Siow said.

For example, travelling from the Plantation Grove estate in Tengah to Orchard takes close to an hour, as it includes a five-minute walk, a 10-to 15-minute bus ride and an MRT ride involving at least one line transfer.

Mr Siow, who is also an MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC and looks after the Brickland district of Tengah town, said he hopes to reduce the time taken on all public transport journeys for all new towns across the island to one to two times that of private car rides.