To enhance our rail network to reach more people and places, we have spent over $13 billion to build up our existing rail network.

Going forward, we will be doubling the length of our rail network to 278km in the next 10-15 years, from 138km in 2008. With the increase in rail density, commuters in the central area will be able to access a rail transit station within 400m, or five minutes' walk on average.

LTA has put in place a suite of Operating Performance Standards to safeguard the service levels of the rail network.

To improve service levels to meet the rising expectations of commuters and make public transport a more favorable choice to commuters, the Operating Performance Standards for RTS operators were revised on 30 October 2008 to:

• Impose a more stringent limit on the maximum number of passengers each train can carry
• Ensure that the intervals between trains during the morning and evening peak periods as well as during lunchtime do not exceed prescribed standards.

It is important to ensure that the financing framework can facilitate the expansion of our rail network in a financially sustainable manner while supporting the desired industry structure. A sound financing framework is necessary to ensure prudent use of government funds as we implement more rail lines.

Our guiding principles for the framework are:

• Financial sustainability – The operator is able to recover its operating costs and make provision for asset replacement from the services rendered without the need for operating subsidies from the government
• Affordability – Fares need to remain affordable to commuters in general. As we expand the rail network, future lines will be more expensive to build, operate and maintain as most of them will be underground.

We are reviewing the framework to allow for a network approach, instead of a line approach, to be adopted in evaluating new lines. This will potentially enable future new lines to be implemented a few years earlier, so long as the entire rail network remains viable.