Building of Additional MRT station between Chua Chu Kang and Bukit Gombak MRT Stations

5 Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry will review the building of an additional MRT station between Chua Chu Kang and Bukit Gombak MRT stations to serve the large number of residents who will be moving into BTO units in Keat Hong and Chua Chu Kang Towns and the future Tengah Town; and (b) what are the technical and cost considerations in the Ministry's review on such a viability.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Ridership is a key consideration in deciding whether to build an additional Mass Rapid Transit station. In this case, while there will be some increase in ridership with the new Build-To-Order units, it is still insufficient to support a new station for now. We will continue to monitor developments in the area and will reconsider our position if and when the ridership case becomes stronger.

Meanwhile, to serve the additional residents in the area, three new bus services have been introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme. This should be sufficient for now. We will further increase bus services and capacity as necessary.