The National University of Singapore (NUS) will restrict access to its University Town (UTown) food courts and shuttle bus services between 30 September and 7 October. The measures will only allow NUS students, staff, and authorized individuals to use these facilities during designated hours, a move aimed at controlling the influx of tourists expected during this period.

From 8am to 2pm, excluding 6 October, only authorized personnel will be allowed to board the university’s internal shuttle buses. Similar restrictions will apply to the Fine Food and Flavours food courts from 11am to 2pm, excluding 5 and 6 October. Security checks will be conducted, and access will require an NUS-approved pass or documentary proof, according to a notice posted on the university’s website on 26 September.

These measures coincide with China’s Golden Week, a national holiday from 1 to 7 October, which is expected to bring an increased number of tourists to Singapore, including NUS’s campus.

In an internal memo seen by Channel News Asia, the NUS Students’ Union stated that additional steps are being taken to manage the expected visitor numbers. As part of these efforts, the NUS Central Library will be closed to visitors during this period.

The student union explained that it has been working with a management-appointed task force to ensure proactive measures are in place to address the anticipated influx of tourists. Failure to comply with these measures may result in restrictions on future visits to NUS, as well as possible enforcement actions.

Additionally, the union is considering recruiting a “pool of student associates” to support security personnel during the week. These associates would assist in managing visitor flow and ensuring compliance with the new restrictions.

This is not the first time NUS has taken such measures to manage tourist crowds on campus. Similar actions were implemented in August, following complaints from students about disruptions caused by large groups of tourists.

These earlier measures included preventing tourists from boarding shuttle buses, restricting access to UTown, and introducing student-led guided tours to manage visitor interactions with the campus.

Several students had raised concerns about the impact of the tourist influx, noting that shuttle buses and canteens were frequently overcrowded. Some students also reported that tourists were visiting areas such as libraries, research labs, and even residential facilities.

Complaints about tourist disruptions are not limited to NUS. Earlier this year, similar issues were reported at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Both NUS and NTU, as highly-ranked universities in Asia, have become popular destinations for tourists, many of whom visit as part of educational tours.

To address these concerns, NUS introduced a registration system for tour buses and a visitor access system in August. Tour buses now need to book a slot to enter the campus unless they are part of an official student-led tour. This registration system helps regulate traffic, maintain pedestrian safety, and ensure that NUS’s internal shuttle bus services operate smoothly.

Another recent initiative has been the certification of student tour guides. All students conducting tours must complete training and obtain certification as registered student docents. These docents are required to reserve slots for their tours and wear special identification to make them easily recognizable.

Visitors registered for official tours between 30 September and 7 October will need to check in at a pop-up visitor booth at the Stephen Riady Centre before starting their tour. NUS has also warned that unlicensed tour guides operating on campus will be reported to authorities.

Since 14 August, NUS has reinstated access controls at all libraries and increased surveillance to prevent unauthorized access. NTU, facing similar challenges, imposed a fee on tourists earlier this year in an attempt to manage crowd numbers.

Transport operator SMRT has announced that there will be no train service on the East-West Line (EWL) between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations on Friday (27 Sept).

The update, posted on SMRT’s Facebook page at 9:53 PM, also informed commuters that free regular and bridging bus services are available to facilitate travel during the disruption.

Initially, SMRT had considered operating a shuttle train service between the two stations by expediting repairs on one of the tracks.

However, it was determined that running a shuttle would slow down repairs on the adjacent damaged rail, as work could not proceed while the shuttle was in operation.

On balance, SMRT decided to prioritise repair work to expedite the full restoration of train services. “It is better to prioritise repair and expedite restoring full service earlier, rather than run a 20-minute shuttle between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations,” SMRT said in its statement.

The company is now targeting to resume full service by Monday, 30 September 2024. Running the shuttle train could have risked delaying the full restoration by several days, SMRT noted.

This means the disruption will lead to its third day following a serious incident on Wednesday (25 Sep) where a defective axle box on a first-generation Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) train caused the derailment of one bogie—a structure beneath the train carriage that holds its wheels—between Dover and Clementi stations.

As a result, the faulty train, which had been in service for over 35 years, severely damaged 1.6km of track, leading to 34 rail breaks, including cracks and chips.

Commuters are advised to use the available bus services as an alternative for travel between Jurong East and Buona Vista until full train services are restored. SMRT is working to complete repairs as soon as possible to minimise further