FAQ

No, it is not permitted. In 1987, the Rapid Transit Systems (RTS) Act was established by Parliament and it was declared that no food or drink was to be consumed in MRT trains and stations. If you do, you will be issued a notification of offence which carries a fine of up to $500.

To read the Rapid Transit Systems Act, click here

It’s really for the comfort and safety of all commuters. We strive to keep our trains and stations clean, and you, as a commuter, play a very important role in helping ensure a comfortable ride for all.

Drinking plain water, or any beverage for that matter, is not permitted because the beverage could spill and wet seats, soil other commuters’ belongings or cause a fellow commuter to slip and fall. Help us prevent any accidents in the network and maintain a clean environment, so that it would be a pleasant ride for all.

For the comfort of other passengers it is best to feed your children before entering the station. But we understand a hungry child needs to be fed, and we can make special arrangements for you within our station premises. Please approach our station staff for assistance.

It’s best to take them before entering the MRT station. However, we can make special arrangements for you to consume your medication within our station premises. Please approach our station staff for assistance.

Don’t hesitate, take it immediately. We’ll make exceptions in such emergencies, but do approach our station staff for help if you are not feeling well.

Under RTS Regulations, you will be issued a Notification of Offence by our station staff. In the following days, you will receive a Notice of Offence by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to compound or settle your fine.

Yes, you can. LTA reviews and approves all appeals. You may contact them through the following channels:

Hotline: 1800-CALL LTA (1800-2255 582)

Fax: 6553 5328/9

Email:

Address: Land Transport Authority, 10 Sin Ming Drive, Singapore 575701

Yes, if it is for personal use and all photographs and/or videos taken are not reproduced for public viewing or sharing.

If you are using the photographs and/or videos for your wedding, academic projects and/or any for profit purposes, please obtain our written consent before proceeding with your photography and/or filming.

You may send your request to Corpcomms@smrt.com.sg. Please state clearly the date, time, venue and purpose of your photography and/or filming session.

Please note that we will need two weeks to review your request and to make the appropriate arrangements to facilitate the photography and/or filming.

Filming and photography can be done only on weekdays, excluding Public Holidays, and between 10am and 4pm.

It must not cause inconvenience and/or danger to all SMRT staff and passengers, or hinder passenger movement within SMRT premises.

In the event of any dispute, decisions and actions taken by our station and security staff shall be final. 

Yes, if it is for personal use and all photographs and/or videos taken are not reproduced for public viewing or sharing.

For more information, please write to Bus-plus@smrt.com.sg

The temperature is set at 24 and 22 degrees Celsius, respectively. As we adopt eco-friendly practices whenever possible, we ensure the temperature we set strike an optimal balance between your comfort and energy efficiency.

The air-conditioning is controlled by thermostats that regulate and control the temperature in each train car or bus. However, external factors such as longer stops at stations and bus stops for passengers to board and alight, may result in hot air entering the vehicles. Higher passenger load during peak hours can also lead to warmer conditions. When this happens, it will take longer for the space to cool down and for the temperature to return to the desired level.

No. The temperatures are pre-set. However, in some bus models, our Service Leaders can adjust the aircon fan speed to help circulate cool air within the bus. Some buses are fitted with an intelligent climate control system that automatically adjusts fan speed to circulate cool air during warm days, and bring the temperature to its optimal level.

Once every three weeks and once every six months for trains. The former focuses on general preventive maintenance comprising functional and visual checks of the aircon system, while the latter consists of detailed checks on aircon components.

On buses, aircon maintenance is carried out once every three months. The regime includes inspection, adjustment of compressors and blower motors, cleaning of aircon ducts, louvers, air filters, evaporator coils and condenser coils and topping up of refrigerant gas and lubricating oil. Any repairs or component replacements required are completed before the bus is sent out for passenger service. The cabin temperature is also checked with a thermometer to make sure it is within the optimal range.

Note down the train car number (it’s the four-digit number near the gangway between cars), date and time, and inform our station staff. For buses, please inform our Service Leader immediately. You may also drop us a line with details of the faulty aircon.

If your bicycle is foldable, you may bring it on our trains and buses. It should be folded while on board. You are responsible for its safe carriage and must not leave it unattended at any time. Your bicycle should also be folded at all times in the MRT/LRT stations, and bus interchanges/terminals.

Note: Station staff and bus drivers may not allow foldable bicycles if a situation does not permit them to be admitted safely and without inconveniencing other commuters.

For the comfort of all passengers, your foldable bicycle can be carried onboard during the following times when our trains and buses are less crowded: Mondays to Fridays, 9.30am - 4.00pm and 8.00pm to the end of passenger service, and all day on weekends and public holidays.

You are encouraged to use the first or last car which is usually less crowded.

Only one foldable bicycle is allowed at any one time.

Yes, your bicycle should not exceed 114cm by 64cm by 36cm when folded.

The wheels should be wrapped up if they are dirty or wet. Protruding parts, which may cause injury or dirty/damage property, should be covered up.

You can leave it anywhere as long as it does not block aisles and doors or make it difficult for passengers to move. To minimise use of space, carry it in an upright position.

Use lifts and wide fare gates at MRT/LRT stations, where available. Do approach our station staff or Service Leader if you need help.

You may contact the Land Transport Authority (LTA) at 1800-2255 582 or email .

To download  the brochure on foldable bicycle guidelines, click here.
Click here to view the Rapid Transit Systems (Amendment) Regulations for foldable bicycle

Sleepers are designed to last 15 to 25 years, and must be replaced when they show signs of wear and tear.

Our system was developed progressively since the 1980s, so many of these sleepers are due for replacement. The works have been scheduled to take place from November 2012 through December 2019. In keeping with our strict safety and maintenance regime, timber sleepers are also replaced when necessary to ensure safe and smooth travel for our commuters.

To minimise inconveniences, we will keep replacement works along most sections  to no more than six to eight weeks.

Sleeper replacement works can be noisy. It involves removing some ballast so sleepers can be taken out. Once new sleepers are installed, the ballast has to be packed in again. To do this, a procedure known as “tamping” is carried out using a handheld machine. Most of the noise is generated by the tamping work, as well as by other heavy machinery that may be used including a generator that provides lighting and powers the equipment.

SMRT will put in sound insulators to minimise the noise from the generator. Unfortunately, as tamping work is done in the open, the noise cannot be minimised.

Maintenance works on the tracks can only be carried out during non-passenger service hours. This is between 1 and 4.30am, after the last trains return to the depots and before the first trains depart the depots for the start of service. 

As we need time to move and set up the machinery, we have only about 90 minutes each night to carry out the actual replacement works. We will make every effort to minimise the noise generated, and seek the understanding of residents affected by the works.

In the event train services are delayed or disrupted because we need more time to complete scheduled works, we will inform the public through notices at stations, our twitter account (@SMRT_Singapore), SMRTConnect, website.

All planned closures will also be publicised in advance.

Track maintenance is an important aspect of SMRT’s rail operations, and it is done daily to ensure commuters can enjoy a safe and comfortable ride in our network.

In the last few years, we have significantly increased the number of train trips to meet commuters’ demand for higher train frequency. This also means we have to step up track maintenance activities.

However, we assure residents living in affected vicinities that every effort is made to minimise inconvenience.

To check if there are track maintenance activities in your district this week, please click here for the latest schedule. 

SMRT’s MRT network consists of 257.8km of tracks, covering the North-South, East-West (NSEW) and Circle lines. About 74 per cent of tracks on the NSEW lines are above ground level, which means there is noise involved in maintenance works due to heavy machinery used.

Tracks can only be maintained after passenger service hours. Any maintenance during passenger service hours will disrupt service and inconvenience commuters. When the train network closes, our maintenance staff have less than four hours (between 1am and 4.30am) to complete these works.

Activities such as rail grinding and rail replacement involve heavy machinery, hammering, cutting and/or joining rails with use of a generator to provide power. Occasionally, we employ a Tunnel Ventilation Fan to provide ventilation for tunnel work. All these activities can cause considerable noise.

We do a couple of things, mostly in preventive maintenance. In wheel profiling, we grind the wheels daily to maintain an even roundness and diameter for each wheel to allow the trains to travel smoothly and with less noise. Train wheels are also mounted with sound absorbers to reduce screeching sounds.

One of the biggest contributors of track noise is uneven track surface. To rectify this, we use a Rail Grinding Vehicle to grind track surface for smoother and less noisy train operations. Typically, a section of a track is ground every six to 12 months.

A Rail Grinding Vehicle grinds track surface and helps reduce noise from train operations

Yes. SMRT has worked with the Land Transport Authority to establish a monitoring system to measure the noise generated by trains at selected locations close to major residential estates. The measurements are taken every three months. With the results, we can identify locations where the noise levels are close to the guidelines set, and prioritise preventive maintenance works at these locations to ensure these guidelines are not breached. 

Immediately after track grinding, the initial noise level will be louder as it takes a while for the new grinding marks on the track surface to smoothen out. To reduce inconvenience to residents, track grinding works in both directions along the affected particular sections are completed within a couple of days with minimal time lapse.

To address railway noise, the Land Transport Authority has embarked on a noise measurement study along the entire length of all elevated MRT tracks island-wide, which will cover more than 500 blocks of flats located close to elevated viaducts or turnouts. Please click here for details.

As part of our effort to create a more inclusive transport system, SMRT Buses has 245 wheelchair accessible buses (WABs), with plans to increase this number in the coming years. The WAB services are distinguished with a blue icon of a passenger-in-wheelchair displayed at the front of the bus. Two large decals are also placed at the front doors of WAB services advising other passengers to be patient while our Service Leader serves the passenger-in-wheelchair first. Each WAB service can accommodate 1-2 passengers-in-wheelchair.

A passenger-in-wheelchair can locate the special boarding berth at the interchange by following directional signs with the blue icon of passenger-in-wheelchair. Upon reaching the special boarding berth, the passenger should use the call button to speak to interchange staff for assistance. The passenger should indicate which WAB service he wishes to board, and staff would assist him to board the bus when it calls at the berth.

The commuter will be able to board the bus with the help of our Service Leader. Our Service Leader will do the following:

(a) Stop the bus closer to the kerb at the bus stop

(b) Allow other passengers on board to alight first

(c) Bring down the ramp at the exit door for the passenger-in-wheelchair to board the bus

(d) Ensure passenger-in-wheelchair is secured in his seat

(e) Help the passenger-in-wheelchair to tap his ez-link card or slot the fare into the coin box before stowing the ramp to its original position

The Service Leader will then open the front door to allow other passengers to board the bus, and continue the journey.

We seek the cooperation of passengers on board to make space for the passenger-in-wheelchair. We also seek the understanding of our passenger-in-wheelchair to wait for the next WAB should the bus be too crowded to board.

He/she should press the blue button located at the left hand side bar in the bus.

No. We advise other passengers to seek help from our Service Leaders or interchange staff to assist the passenger-in-wheelchair to alight. This is because Service Leaders and interchange staff are trained to operate the ramp on the bus.

Please refer to the Bus Arrival Timing. As far as it is operationally possible, we will ensure that every alternate bus on a WAB service is wheelchair accessible.

Each of our WAB can accommodate two passengers-in-wheelchair. For safety reasons, we seek the understanding of the third passenger-in-wheelchair to wait for the next WAB. As far as it is operationally possible, we will ensure that every alternate bus on a WAB service is wheelchair accessible.

More than 90 percent of the bus stops along the WAB service routes are wheelchair accessible.

Yes, our WABs may ply non-WAB service routes. Look out for the blue icon of a passenger-in-wheelchair displayed at the front of the bus. These decals will be removed from a WAB that is running on a non-WAB service route. There are a few ways that passengers can find out more about SMRT WAB services.

At the bus interchanges, refer to information available, ask our bus interchange staff for assistance or proceed directly to the special boarding berth by following the blue icon. 

Typically, it takes about four minutes for a Service Leader to assist a passenger-in-wheelchair to board or alight from the bus. We appeal to commuters on board and at the bus stop waiting to board the bus to be patient while our Service Leader attends to the passenger-in-wheelchair.

Bus schedules will not be affected as we have made provisions for passenger-in-wheelchair activities. However, we appeal for understanding that if passenger activities are heavier than usual, slight delays may occur.

The ramp in our WAB is designed specifically to accommodate passengers-in-wheelchairs. As our WABs are designed with low floor boards, they should be able to accommodate the needs of commuters with prams or trolleys without the need to use the ramp. We seek the understanding of our passengers to ensure that their prams or trolleys are folded and stored away properly so that they do not block the bus aisle.

The new WABs have a low floorboard and flat surface in the front portion to facilitate the boarding of passengers-in-wheelchairs. Our WABs are also designed with a kneeling device that can lower the front entrance of the bus or the whole bus, making it easier for the elderly and less mobile to board. 

Due to the design of such low floorboard buses, it is necessary to include a step at the rear of the bus to accommodate the engine compartment. We would like to assure you that our buses are in compliance with the necessary regulations and have undergone stringent checks.

• Platforms A and B: 7am to 10am and 5pm to 8pm, weekdays (excluding public holidays)
• Platforms C, D, E and F: Mon to Sat: 5:15am to 12:20am
                                       Sun and Public Holidays : 5:35am to 12:20am

You can use either Platform D or E to continue your journey on the North South Line towards Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio.

Either Platform A, D or E. The operating hours are as follows:

• Platform A: 7am to 10am and 5pm to 8pm, weekdays (excluding public holidays)
• Platform D and E: Mon to Sat: 5:15am to 12:20am
                              Sunday and public holidays: 5:35am to 12:20am

Either Platform B or C. The operating hours are as follows:

• Platform B: 7am to 10am and 5pm to 8pm , weekdays (excluding public holidays)
• Platform C: Mon to Sat: 5.15am to 12.20am
                    Sun and public holidays: 5.35am to 12.20am

Platform F. The operating hours are as follows:

• Mon to Sat: 5.15am to 12.20am
• Sun and public holidays: 5.35am to 12.20am
   

Please refer to the Passenger Information Display (PID) screens available at the station or at the respective platforms for train arrival times.

There will be ample directional signage at the station, and platform layout plans are available at all platforms. Our station staff and Service Ambassadors will also be happy to assist you.

Yes. Passengers on wheelchairs or who are less mobile can access the platforms via the concourse level lifts.

 

No.