Border Gate bus terminal reopens tomorrow

The new border gate bus terminal has been upgraded to prevent flooding up to 1.5 meters, a government representative told the media yesterday. The government provided a tour to the media along the new border gate bus terminal, which will reopen to the public tomorrow.

Tou Ieong Ieong, a civil engineer from the Infrastructure Development Office, revealed that flood prevention facilities have been installed in the new drivers’ rest lounge and bathroom.

Flooding prevention facilities also protect the ceiling, while the electrical and mechanical systems have undergone a “sufficient upgrade.”

The public works authority has moved all facilities which are easily affected by flooding outside the terminal to the ground floor.

Previously, the bus terminal was frequently criticized for its poor ventilation system. After the renovation, the new bus terminal will provide passengers with three waiting lounges equipped with air conditioners, along with two open waiting lounges.

The ventilation frequency has also increased from ten times per hour to 19.2 times per hour.

“If there is another situation like Hato or Mangkhut, the bus terminal must be suspended,” said Tou.

“All of the sensitive equipment […] has been moved to the surface, so that when there is a typhoon disaster or flooding disaster, the facilities can be recovered as soon as possible,” explained the engineer.

Besides the disaster prevention improvements, the upgraded terminal will also provide a better environment for drivers.

Ho Chan Tou, Functional Chief of Transport Management Division of Traffic Management Department of the Transport Bureau (DSAT), said that the new bus terminal can host approximately 30 vehicles concurrently. It also offers 16 parking spaces for buses.

Previously, there were 24 buses using the facility as a terminal station, as opposed to the current 13 bus routes.

The other routes will use their current bus stops, which are located in the vicinity of the terminal.

Representatives of each bus company have also reported the bus arrangements to the media.

Transmac and TCM will have seven and six routes using the station as a terminal respectively, according to Keng Li, Deputy General Manager of Transmac and Mayling Leung, Managing Director of TCM.

Transmac and TCM will operate 1,000 and 900 buses headways from the border gate bus terminal respectively, with an estimated passenger capacity of around 100,000 each.  JZ