Sunday, January 27, 2008

腾飞信托A-REIT要以七千万收购两大厦

《联合早报》Jan 26, 2008

新加坡腾飞房地产投资信托(A-REIT)计划以6977万元,收购CGGVeritas中心与卢瑟福大厦及科学中心(Rutherford & Science Hub),以列入旗下的资产中。这两个项目的原业主都是腾飞集团(Ascendas)。

位于科学园通道87/89号的卢瑟福大厦及科学中心,收购价是5152万元。这个占地2万6977平方公尺的地段,地契租约为60年。这两个建筑分别为四层楼,卢瑟福大厦还有一个地底层停车场。项目可租用楼面总计达1万9596平方公尺,租用率达到100%。

在收购完成后,所有现有租约将归A-REIT,A-REIT也将负责缴交管理费、房地产税、维修费等。在销售协议完成后,腾飞集团也将向A-REIT回租科学中心内1393平方公尺的面积,租期为5年。

位于实龙岗北第五道9号的CGGVeritas中心,是个拥有地底层的轻工业四层楼建筑,A-REIT的收购价为1825万元。这个占地4996平方公尺的地段,地契租约为30年,但可再更新30年,可租用楼面为8666平方公尺,租用率达100%。现有租户是Veritas Geophysical。

除此之外,A-REIT也将支付一笔105万元的信托经理费和其他交易费用。  

截至昨天为止,腾飞集团拥有腾飞房地产投资信托19.16%的股权。

根据拟议中的收购价,在第一年,卢瑟福大厦及科学中心预计将为A-REIT提供约6.3%的房地产收益,而CGGVeritas中心估计将提供约7.3%的房地产收益。A-REIT将完全通过借贷来融资。

假设这项拟议中的收购行动在2006年4月1日完成,A-REIT的每单位可派发收入将增加0.15分。

Kim Chuan Depot All Ready To Provide Suppport For Rail Lines

Source : Channel NewsAsia, 26 January 2008

After five years of construction, the Kim Chuan Depot is now ready to provide support for the upcoming Circle and Downtown MRT Lines.

The underground structure will provide stabling of the trains, maintenance and operational control of the two rail lines.

Transport Minister Raymond Lim visited the new facility on Friday, where he announced more rail lines ahead following a review of Singapore's land transport.

Kim Chuan Depot is Singapore's first underground depot - in fact, 17 metres down under.

Measuring 11 hectares, or the size of 17 football fields, the depot is also the world's largest.

Related Video Link - http://tinyurl.com/3c3r2z

The $290 million depot will house several state-of-the-art facilities like its Operation Control Centre which will be manned by nine operators at any one time.

Their role is to supervise the day-to-day operations of the trains and stations.

They can also communicate with passengers onboard trains, monitor CCTV images, or shut down the system if there is an emergency.

Commuters will have a smoother ride too, with the help of what's called a cripple siding located between the two rail tracks.

Ong Boon Ann, Land Transport Authority's deputy director for Circle Line Systems, said: "When there's a defective train, a train that malfunctions, it can be moved to be parked at the cripple siding. This way, it will not impede any on-coming trains."

Trains will be sent for maintenance at a workshop in the depot, and to facilitate checks, they will be hoisted by a special lifting system, considering that each train comprises three carriages and weighs about 120 tonnes.

The Land Transport Authority says 16 trains have arrived at the depot so far. Another 24 will be delivered by the end of this year, three months earlier than planned. The depot can accommodate 77 trains.

The facility has a 23-metre high automatic storage and retrieval system, a first for a train depot.

The depot also has a central warehouse for the Circle Line, storing three to five years worth of materials and spare parts needed for the maintenance work.

The place is packed with subterranean activities, but the ground level will not be neglected. About three hectares of land left empty will be used for light industrial development which can have buildings of up to nine storeys. - CNA/ir

Share your views and comments on the latest transport proposals here

$19m Waterfront Oasis TO Be Built In Woodlands

Source : Channel NewsAsia, 26 January 2008

Come 2010, Woodlands residents can enjoy seafront recreational amenities right at their doorstops.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has unveiled a S$19m design plan to build a coastal promenade and park in their neighbourhood.

Woodlands will certainly live up to its name with URA's "Woodlands Waterfront" proposal, where more lush greenery, trees and woods will be planted.

A nine-hectare park will be created from vacant land along the coastline, featuring playgrounds, picnic areas and nature trails to cater to different recreational needs.

Right next to the park is a 1.5-kilometre long promenade that will offer unobstructed views of the Johor Straits.

To allow visitors to be closer to the water, an old jetty connected to the park will be refurbished as well.

On why the waterfront idea was mooted, head of the project at URA, Wan Khin Wai, said: "In Woodlands today, you'll find that this is one of the towns that are located along the coastline. However if you're inside of it, you can't appreciate the coastline. So, this project offers residents (the chance) to get to the coastline and have recreational activities there."

The Woodlands Waterfront proposal is part of URA's overall vision to raise the standard of living here, said its director for conservation & urban design, Ler Seng Ann.

Related Video Link - http://tinyurl.com/2exg3b

"Singapore is an island, surrounded by water on all sides. The waterfront is an important asset. So, in the planning of parks and waterbodies plan, we have capitalised on all these so that we can generate recreation space for Singaporeans to enjoy."

A Woodlands resident, Mrs Chow, is looking forward to the new amenities. "The plan's very good because so far, we don't have any of these things around our area. If you want to have this kind of places, we have to travel all the way to the east side."

Construction of the Woodlands Waterfront will begin by the middle of this year and is expected to be completed by the middle of 2010.

The Woodlands Waterfront is also something Dr Tony Tan, an ex-MP of the area, will definitely look forward to as it was his dream to have it.

"He shared his dream of using the waterfront....bring in water sports, water activities, and let the residents enjoy the waterfront and have a good view of Johor Baru, our closest neighbour. It has been one of his (Dr Tony Tan's) dreams for Sembawang," revealed Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who is an MP for Sembawang GRC. - CNA/938LIVE/ir

Commuters Cheered By Plan For New MRT Lines

Source : The Straits Times, Jan 27, 2008

Those living in areas without MRT like Sin Ming look forward to end of feeder bus woes

FOR the past two years, Miss Ginny Goh, 28, has been leaving her home in Sin Ming an hour before she has to report for work in her Shenton Way office.

The tax consultant waits about 10 minutes to catch a bus for the 15-minute ride to the nearest MRT station in Bishan. From there, it takes her another 20 minutes to travel to Raffles Place MRT station.

But with two new MRT lines in 2020, commuters like Miss Goh will be able to shave 20 minutes off their daily commute to the city, said Transport Minister Raymond Lim on Friday.

The Thomson Line will join Woodlands to Marina Bay, while the Eastern Region Line will connect Changi to Marina Bay via Marine Parade. They will pass through neighbourhoods such as Sin Ming and Siglap that are currently not served by the MRT.

The new lines are part of policy changes to improve Singapore's land transport system.

Miss Goh welcomes the news, as walking to the new train station will 'definitely be more convenient' than having to take a feeder bus.

The inconvenience of having to wait for a bus to take them to the nearest MRT station is a common grouse shared by commuters living in such areas.

Mr Tong Chek Suan, 40, a mechanic who lives in Changi Village, says he usually waits up to 25 minutes for Service 89 which goes to Pasir Ris MRT station.

Long and winding bus rides to MRT stations also frustrate commuters like Mr Kenneth Quek, 23, who is studying at Singapore Polytechnic.

During peak hours, Mr Quek can take up to 45 minutes to get from Changi Village to Tanah Merah MRT station, a trip which takes 19 minutes during off-peak hours.

Commuters like Mr Benson Ang, 46, a businessman, prefer taking the MRT to buses because 'it's more efficient. The waiting time is more fixed'.

Others, like Miss Gwendolyn Loh, 32, a corporate communications manager whose Sin Ming neighbourhood will see a MRT station, are rejoicing for a different reason.

'Now my flat will increase in value!'


Getting to the city

THE two new MRT lines will benefit residents of neighbourhoods such as Changi Village and Sin Ming. The Sunday Times tested out the current routes to the city from those two locations to see how long they take and how much they cost.

Changi Village to City Hall

2pm: Changi Village bus stop opposite Block 4
2.05pm: Service 2 arrives
2.24pm: Bus reaches Tanah Merah MRT station after going past Loyang Industrial Estate, Upper Changi Road and Bedok market
2.32pm: Train arrives after a short walk to the MRT station and some waiting
2.52pm: Train reaches City Hall MRT station

Cost of bus ride:

Ez-link - $1.19
Cash - $1.40

Cost of train ride:

Ez-link - $1.03 (after 25-cent rebate)
Cash - $1.50

Total fare:

Ez-link - $2.22
Cash - $2.90


Sin Ming to City Hall

2pm: Sin Ming bus stop opposite Block 454
2.12pm: Service 52 arrives
2.25pm: Bus heads directly to Bishan MRT station
2.30pm: Train arrives after a short walk to the MRT station and some waiting
2.45pm: Train reaches City Hall MRT station

Cost of bus ride:

Ez-link - 67 cents
Cash - 90 cents

Cost of train ride:

Ez-link - 93 cents (after 25-cent rebate)
Cash - $1.30

Total fare:

Ez-link: $1.60
Cash: $2.20