I am very happy to be here this morning for the launch of the new SBS Transit corporate identity.

Today’s launch event will bring about a change in the landscape of Singapore’s roads. The familiar red and white SBS buses have been part of our daily lives since they were first introduced in 1973, 28 years ago.

Our public transport system has changed tremendously over the past 30 years. I still remember taking buses during my school days. The buses then were old and rickety and the routes were limited. Most buses did not even have doors. Commuting by public transport was not particularly pleasant nor comfortable. In fact, it was not very safe either. I can remember standing on the bottom step of the bus, with half my body hanging out, because the bus was already fully packed.

Today, Singaporeans enjoy a bus and rail service that is efficient, reliable, safe and clean. The standard of public transport that we are enjoying today would have been nothing more than a dream a mere 30 years ago.

The development of our public transport sector has therefore shown that our dreams can shape the future. But this is possible only if we have the determination and the capability to translate vision into reality. With our growing population and land constraints, we must continue to anticipate future commuting needs and devise innovative solutions to meet them.

With regard to land transport, the government had all along recognised that an efficient transport network and system is crucial to our continuing economic growth. Currently, more than four million trips are made on the public transport system every day. The number of trips will increase in line with future population growth. Hence, the capacity of the entire public transport system must expand. With our limited land, we cannot rely only on buses to provide the necessary capacity.

The rail system has proven to be an effective solution to the transport needs in corridors with heavy demand. It is able to maintain high travel speeds and offer commuters predictable arrival and departure times. The Government will therefore continue to invest heavily in our rail infrastructure. Our aim is to develop a comprehensive rail network that will form the backbone of public transportation in Singapore in the future.

The North-East MRT Line and Sengkang and Punggol LRT systems, which SBS Transit will operate, are part of this network. We expect the North-East Line and Sengkang LRT to be operational late next year. When that happens, SBS Transit will become a multi-modal public transport operator. In addition to its buses, it will also operate one of the most technologically advanced rail systems in the world.

As a multi-modal public transport service provider, SBS Transit will have the opportunity to effectively integrate its bus and rail services, so as to provide commuters with a seamless travel experience. This will also allow SBS Transit to synergise cross-modal operations, and reap additional efficiencies from integration. Its efforts will be further facilitated with the introduction of the Contactless Smart Card system next year. The new system will allow commuters to transfer between public transport modes more smoothly and quickly.

Ultimately, we want commuters to be able to breeze through the various modes of public transport – bus, LRT and MRT – so smoothly and hassle-free, that the entire journey feels like only one trip.

On top of integrating bus and rail operations, SBS Transit faces the challenge of running the first fully automated underground Mass Rapid Transit system in Singapore, namely the North-East Line. The Sengkang LRT system, which will be coming on line next year, will also be fully automated. I am happy that SBS Transit is working very closely with LTA to ensure a high level of reliability and safety for these systems.

The contractors have been conducting extensive tests on NEL systems and subsystems. Performance Testing started in France in August and is still on-going. The testing process will allow the contractors to verify that their systems have been successfully integrated to assure safe, reliable and efficient operations. In Singapore, testing started in April to verify and validate the compatibility of various independent systems.

Test Runs of various sections of the NEL will begin next year. The test runs will cover normal, degraded and emergency modes of operations. Following this, there will be a three-month trial run period, during which SBS Transit will operate sections of the NEL system without passengers to simulate operational passenger services. This will include simulating failure and emergency conditions. In addition, LTA has engaged experts to audit all aspects of the system. The same stringent level of testing is being conducted for the Sengkang LRT system too.

I am confident that SBS Transit will continue to take all necessary actions to ensure that its staff are fully trained and proficient before the start of its train services, and that they can fully meet the stipulated operation performance and safety standards.

With that, it is now my pleasure to launch the new SBS Transit corporate identity.