Tampines Bus Interchange (Chinese: 淡滨尼巴士转换站) is a bus interchange serving Tampines New Town in Singapore. It is an open-air building located in the town centre near the Tampines MRT Station, with the allocated Blk 512. There are 24 bus services operating from the bus interchange, making it the 4th busiest bus interchange in Singapore.
History[]
Previous site[]
In the early days of Tampines New Town, buses in Tampines operated from the then Tampines Bus Terminal (TBT1) along Tampines Avenue 5. It was planned as a temporary terminal to serve new residents in Tampines, as much of Tampines was still under development in the 1980s. It started operations on 19 February 1983 with one feeder service and one trunk service, complementing other bus services from the busier Bedok Bus Interchange in the adjacent town.
The first trunk service at TBT1 was Service 23, which operated between Tampines and Orchard Road, while the first feeder was Service 292. Service 28 was soon added on 4 September 1983, operating between Tampines and Chinatown. More feeders were only added to the terminal the following year, namely 293 and the now-defunct 294 on 12 August 1984, as people started moving into Tampines East. Service 28 is now a high-demand service, but has since had its route altered, with its current terminus at Toa Payoh Integrated Transport Hub.
As the population in Tampines increased to 50,000, there remained only four trunk services and three feeders, run with only 80 buses. As a result, the services could not keep up with the growth in transport demand, and queues got long. In a bid to reduce the long wait times, more buses were added in January 1985. A new temporary terminal (TBT2) had to be built a short distance away along the same road to replace the original one, as the original one did not have sufficient capacity to handle the additional buses. The increased frequency, through the addition of more buses, was successful in meeting the growing demand, while TBI was still under construction in Tampines Central.
As more residents moved in to the new estate, trunk services were extended to include Tampines, such as Service 65 in April 1987. Service 65 was a major trunk service in Singapore at that time, as the MRT network had yet to commence operations. It plied through Jalan Besar and Orchard Road with its terminus at the World Trade Centre (now known as HarbourFront Centre); its route remains largely unchanged to date.
Current site[]
On 29 November 1987, phase 1 of the current TBI opened to public at a larger site in Tampines Central. It was opened by Mr Phua Bah Lee (then MP for Tampines) and Dr Aline Wong (then MP for Changkat, most of which has since been subsumed under Tampines GRC). At the time of opening, it was one of the largest bus interchanges in Singapore. A new feeder service operated between the two bus stations, as trunk services at TBT2 slowly shifted out. In March 1988, phase 2 of TBI opened, and all services previously operating from TBT2 had completed the shift over to TBI, with some changes to their routes. TBT2 was then closed and demolished to make way for residential developments in Tampines West.
The current interchange was built at a cost of S$5 million, and consists of 85 bus bays. A comprehensive set of trunk services were added to link the town to the rest of the island, while feeder services brought residents in for the new trunk transfers. The relocation was done in anticipation for the opening of Tampines MRT station two years later, and the rise in transport demand as Tampines develops itself into a regional centre in Singapore. It was also built to reduce the need for Tampines residents to use the Bedok Bus Interchange. A three-day exhibition was set up to acquaint residents with the new TBI.
On 28 October 2010, the undercarriage of an off-service SBS Transit bus burst into flames. The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call at about 2pm and sent two fire engines to the scene. The blaze was quickly put out and no one was hurt in the incident.
Refurbishment[]
TBI was refurbished in 2008 to make it barrier-free and allow the introduction of wheelchair-accessible bus services. In 2009, it was upgraded to provide more and better bicycle parking facilities around the interchange. 150 new bicycle racks were provided by the LTA, which took into account the demand at the time.
As a major transport node, it was refurbished again in 2017, for the opening of the DTL section of Tampines MRT Station. A third entrance and new alighting berths were constructed, to hasten the disembarking process and prevent bus bunching along Tampines Central 3. Many bike racks were added as well, at the eastern end of the Main Concourse.
Other improvement works have been done over the years, such as to improve passenger wayfinding and to cope with the increasing demand as more residential apartments and commercial buildings are built in Tampines.
Downtown Line[]
With the construction of Downtown Line, one end-on berth was cleared for construction works, which were part of bus service 8. Service 8 was relocated several times from A3 to B6 before reverting to A3. In addition, a new queuing area was set up for 31A which is easier to queue as there was a high demand for the stretch.
To facilitate the construction of the Downtown Line Tampines MRT Station, the west entrance and exit along Tampines Central 1 was relocated to the junction of Tampines Central 3 and the diverted Tampines Central 1 since 25 February 2012. This led to the construction of a sheltered alighting berth for the west concourse. Previously, only the alighting berth at B6 was sheltered. The west concourse bus services had to queue up to alight commuters there during inclement weather.
Around 4 shops including Singapore Pools which used to operate in Tampines Bus Interchange had to be demolished – which is Blk 513 Tampines Central 1.
The Concession Card Replacement Office is opened on the 24 August 2015.
On 27 December 2015, the existing interchange and Tampines Central 1 was re-instated.
A new bus interchange, Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange, opened in 2016. It reduced congestion at Tampines Bus Interchange. Services 18, 39 and 129 plies through Tampines Concourse Interchange.
Redevelopment[]
Redevelopment of Tampines Bus Interchange will start after Downtown Line completion in 21 October 2017. Under the Bus Interchange Enhancement contract PT290, bollards at the original concourse were changed in phases starting in November 2017. Berths were closed one at a time to minimize disruption to regular bus services. However, the temporary bus interchange was replaced by Treasure at Tampines Showflat.
Tampines Bus Interchange[]
Interchange Facilities (Existing Tampines Interchange and Tampines Gateway)[]
- NTWU Canteen
- McDonald’s
- Bengawan Solo
- TransitLink Ticket Office
- Interchange offices (SBST & SMRT)
- Information boards and bus arrival displays
- Service guide racks
- Toilets
Bus routes[]
Tampines originally has 5 feeder bus services - 290, 291, 292, 293 and 294 from 1996 all the way until 2002. Several services were merged and to form various routes, such as 294 being merged into 3 to extend it to Punggol, whereas 290 is being merged into 38 to extend it to Singapore Expo, and the 220 was being merged into 38, and progressively extended to Simei. They have been resurrected into another bus service - 39 from Tampines to Yishun.
The TBI only serves public bus routes operated by three of the four local bus operators — SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, and Go-Ahead Singapore. It is a high-frequency interchange, with buses on each route departing every 5 to 15 mins depending on the demand. Both intra-town and inter-town routes are available; most of which are intermodal, with the services terminating at another bus interchange in Singapore.
Five routes currently operate into the City Area — 10, 23, 65, 67, and 67W. The longest route operating from TBI is that of Service 67, with its terminus 33.1 kilometres away at Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange in the West Region.
Private bus routes, such as private shuttle and cross-border coach services into Peninsular Malaysia, have never been available here and mostly operate from the nearby Tampines Station Bus Shelter or Our Tampines Hub Coach Bay. This is because the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) brings all public buses and related infrastructure, such as TBI, under the ownership of the government, and only public transport operators can bid for the right to run services along bus routes planned by LTA.
| Route | Berth | Destination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | B5 | Punggol | |
| 4 | B10 | ↺ Changi North Way | |
| 8 | A3 | Toa Payoh | |
| 10 | B4 | Kent Ridge | |
| 19 | B9 | ↺ Changi Airfreight Terminal | |
| 20 | B5 | ↺ Changi Business Park | |
| 23 | A1 | ↺ Rochor Canal Road | |
| 28 | B10 | Toa Payoh | |
| 29 | B9 | ↺ Changi Village | |
| 31 | B5 | Toa Payoh | |
| 37 | B8 | ↺ Changi North Crescent | |
| 38 | B10 | Bedok | |
| 65 | B3 | HarbourFront | |
| 67 | B5 | Choa Chu Kang | |
| 68 | B7 | Pasir Ris | Looping point |
| 69 | B8 | ↺ Bedok | |
| 72 | B7 | Yio Chu Kang | |
| 81 | A2 | ↺ Serangoon Central | |
| 127 | B7 | ↺ Tampines Ind Ave 5 | |
| 291 | B9 | ↺ Tampines Street 81 | West Loop |
| B8 | ↺ Tampines Street 33 | East Loop | |
| 292 | B3 | ↺ Tampines Street 22 | |
| 293 | B4 | ↺ Tampines Street 71 | West Loop |
| B3 | ↺ Tampines Street 45 | East Loop | |
| 296 | B10 | ↺ Tampines North Drive 2 | |
| 969 | B4 | Woodlands |
Berths[]
Tampines Bus Interchange is located at Tampines Town Centre and serves the town of Tampines. Apart from connecting to Tampines MRT Station, it also serves many commercial developments and shopping malls in the area, such as Tampines Mall, Century Square, Tampines 1 and Tampines Regional Library.
| Berth | Services | Vacancies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | 23 | ||||
| A2 | 81 | ||||
| A3 | 81 | 1 for me | |||
| B1 | Alighting berth | ||||
| B2 | Alighting berth | ||||
| B3 | 292 | 293/T (East Loop) | 65 | ||
| B4 | 969/A | 10 | 293/T (West Loop) | ||
| B5 | 31/A | 3/A | 67 | 20 | |
| B6 | Alighting berth | ||||
| B7 | 72 | 127/A | 68/B | ||
| B8 | 69 | 291/T (East Loop) | 37 | ||
| B9 | 291/T (West Loop) | 19 | 29/A | ||
| B10 | 2961 | 38 | 28 | 4 | |
1 For Timothy Mok's case, it is not included.
Short-trip Service 68A serves the interchange as an alighting only point.
Infrastructure[]
The TBI features modern architecture, with little distinct characteristics. It features a white-tiled facade and blue corrugated gable roofs running the length of the two sections — Main Concourse and West Wing. It has the same design as the adjacent Block 513, which was constructed at the same time. The northern end of the West Wing used to house shops, though they were demolished in December 2012, together with the iconic cupola structure, for the construction of the DTL section of Tampines station. Shops are now limited to Eastlink Mall at the eastern end of the Main Concourse.
The Main Concourse has 12 sawtooth berths and 2 linear berths, four of which were added beside Exit D of Tampines MRT Station in 2017. 31 of the 35 bus services operate from the Main Concourse, most of which serving high-demand routes. The other 4 bus services operate from the West Wing, which has 3 end-on berths with 11 bus lots.
Buses operating from the Main Concourse do not have dedicated lots when off-service, and park at the two bus parks on either side of the Concourse. The north bus park has two entrances leading onto Tampines Concourse and Tampines Central 3; while the south has one entrance to the west. Together, they provide parking spaces for up to 74 buses. Holding areas are also set aside for feeder buses when the berths are occupied (but are usually used when buses are running ahead of schedule).
Besides single-decker buses, the two sections can accommodate double-deckers, as the entrances have a height clearance of 4.5 metres. Articulated buses, operated by SMRT, can also call at TBI, as the sawtooth berths are long enough and dedicates spaces in the south bus park have been provided for temporary parking.
Double Decker Buses[]
- 3, 4, 8, 10, 19, 20, 22, 23, 28, 31, 37, 46, 65, 67, 69, 72, 81, 127, 291, 293, 969
Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange[]
Tampines Bus Interchange will also have an annexe was announced in late 2014 for completion in 2016. With the increasing number of passengers and occasional peak-hour capacity overload, measures had to be taken to ease the load at TBI. Initial plans in 2014 were for a North Annex to be built, as an extension to TBI. However, it was finalised as a separate Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange and officially opened on 18 December 2016. Almost all services initially at TBI remain, with that interchange being allocated mostly to new services with low-demand at departure.
The expanded concourse will be able to cope with higher volumes of bus movement operating out of Tampines Interchange.
Equipped fully with barrier-free facilities, the Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange will have a dedicated boarding point and graduated kerb edges to facilitate boarding of passengers in wheelchair, and also have priority queues for elderly and disabled.
The Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange will house three bus services, such as services 18 and 39, and also a new service 129. Service 969 will be amended via Tampines Concourse instead of express via Central 1, Central 3 and Avenue 7. Service 127 also parallels service 72 but halfway through, and is there to relief service 72’s load at Tampines during the evening peak hours.
The interchange facilities are:
- Interchange offices (SBST)
- Information boards and bus arrival displays
- Service guide racks
- Toilets
- Baby changing room
- Water coolers
- Automated External Defillbrator (AED) as part of SGSecure nationwide movement
- Mobile charging stations
Bus Services[]
| Bus Service | Destination |
|---|---|
| 39 | Yishun |
Bus Services that passes by[]
| Route | D1 | D2 |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Tampines Avenue 7 (Blk 401) → Bedok Interchange | Bedok Interchange → Tampines Central 1 (Tampines Int) |
| 39 | Tampines Concourse Interchange → Punggol Central (Punggol Stn/Int) | Yishun Interchange → Tampines Avenue 5 (New Tampines City) |
| 129 | Tampines Avenue 7 (Blk 401) → Bartley Road (Bartley Stn Exit A) | Balestier Road (aft Irrawaddy Rd) → Tampines Avenue 4 (Tampines Stn/Int) |
| 298 | Tampines Avenue 7 (Blk 401) → Tampines Avenue 8 (opp Blk 871A) | Tampines Street 82 (opp Blk 842C) → Tampines Avenue 7 (Blk 503) |
Tampines Gateway[]
The bus interchange is going to be redeveloped as per needs of Tampines Gateway, one of the casino hubs. The likely site of the Tampines Central Temporary Interchange will be beside the extension complex as mentioned above. This will be done after the completion of the Downtown Line in 2017.
Wheelchair-Accessible Introductions[]
- 22 May 2007: 72
- 26 Oct 2009: 3, 293
- 3 Dec 2009: 291
- 28 Feb 2010: 29
- 7 Mar 2011: 18, 22
- 27 Jun 2011: 38, 39
- 26 Sep 2011: 19
- 3 Dec 2011: 292
- 26 Mar 2012: 10, 69
- 31 Mar 2013: 4
- 30 Sep 2013: 20
- 23 Mar 2014: 65
- 22 Jun 2015: 31
- 28 Sep 2015: 28
- 27 Jun 2016: 37
- 21 Oct 2017: 8, 23, 46, 81