The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) urban training facilities built in the 1990s comprise clusters of low-level buildings replicating traditional shop houses and provision shops, without performance measuring instrumentation. Up to the early 2000s, these facilities had met SAF's training requirements and served the SAF well. Going forward, with more built-up areas, the Next Gen SAF requires better urban training facilities to deal with the new security threats and challenges that Singapore now faces. This need for SAFTI City (The Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute) was announced by the Minister for Defence at the Committee of Supply Debate in 2017.
Scheduled to open progressively from 2023, SAFTI City, jointly developed by the Singapore Army and the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), is designed to meet the evolving defence needs of the SAF, and to support training for a wider range of operations from peace to war. These operations include homeland security, counter-terrorism, and disaster relief operations. Its infrastructure will provide a realistic and challenging training environment for soldiers.
Built on current military training area, the key features of SAFTI City are:
a) Realistic and Challenging Training Environment. An integrated Transport Hub comprising a bus interchange, an MRT station with multiple surface exits, high-rise interconnected buildings, dense building clusters, multiple road networks, as well as other public amenities such as shopping centres, will allow for a realistic and challenging training environment.
b) Configurable Buildings and Changeable Road Networks. Built-in swing panels allow traffic flow and buildings to be configured to training needs. This will allow soldiers to encounter a different layout of buildings and street landscape each time they train in SAFTI City.
c) Smart Technology. SAFTI City will also be a smart city, leveraging smart technologies to enhance training effectiveness and soldiers' learning experience. Smart technologies include:
(1) Targets with Shoot-back Capability. Soldiers and smart targets will be equipped with sensors for monitoring and data capturing. When smart targets are engaged, they can respond by shooting back and retreating from the location.
(2) Battlefield Effects. Battlefield effects, which include the use of smoke and blast simulators, will be used to enhance training realism.
(3) Data Analytics. Battlefield instrumentations and video cameras will be employed to track the troops' real-time actions. Furthermore, training performance will be collated and processed by a data analytics system to provide accurate feedback to the troops on their individual and team performances. With gamification integrated into the training and detailed individual feedback, individual soldiers and teams can benchmark their scores against each other, motivating them to improve further. These technological improvements enable the SAF to train more efficiently and effectively.
Phase 1 of SAFTI City will have over 70 buildings, including three 12-storey blocks, simulated underground facilities, and urban training structures. With a total estimated gross floor area of 107,000 m2, phase 1 of SAFTI City will be able to accommodate brigade-level training.
Lifestyle company Zouk Group have announced that they will be launching US Burger Joint, Five Guys in Singapore.
The Five Guys franchise outlet is slated to open in the last quarter of this year in a "central" area.
In 1986, Five Guys opened its first location in Arlington, Virginia as a family-run restaurant named after five brothers.
Five Guys founder Jerry Murrell's mother always told him, "If you can give a good haircut or if you can serve a good drink at a bar or if you can serve a good hamburger, you can always make money in America."
Skyports and Volocopter have announced a cooperation to build the first mobile Volo-Port for air taxis. UK-based global vertiport owner and operator Skyports and air taxi pioneer Volocopter unveiled plans for the Volo-Port – the physical landing pads for so-called eVTOL (electric take-off and landing) – through stunning designs produced by internationally renowned agency Brandlab.
Ground-based vertiport infrastructure is critical to the success of future urban air mobility (UAM), including air taxi operations in congested cities. Construction of the first Volo-Port will be completed later this year. The partners plan to build it in Singapore for the scheduled public flight trials in the second half of 2019. A full-scale Volocopter vehicle is on display at the Greentech festival.
The Volo-Port prototype will:
Enable real-life testing of the full customer journey to perfect the passenger experience;
Showcase planned customer services, including pre-flight checks, passenger lounges and boarding procedures;
Allow practical testing of ground operations and services, including battery swaps and charging, maintenance, safety and security;
Provide the opportunity for authorities and industry regulators to interact with the infrastructure and provide feedback before they are asked to approve the final design.
Vertiports are the only physical infrastructure required for air taxis to commence operations in cities in the near future. Volo-Ports are designed to provide passengers with a seamless air taxi experience that is safe, secure, and relaxing. They will merge with their surroundings, allowing passengers and passers-by to see through the whole structure.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has released the Land Transport Master Plan (LTMP) 2040 report. This report encapsulates LTA’s long term plans to build a convenient, well-connected, inclusive and fast land transport system that will meet the needs and aspirations of Singaporeans over the next two decades and beyond.
The LTMP 2040 report contains detailed responses to recommendations made by the LTMP Advisory Panel (LAP) in February 2019 and accepted by the Government in March 2019. These recommendations were the product of extensive public consultations led by the LAP and facilitated by LTA officers. Over 7,400 responses were received from commuters, transport workers, academia, industry partners, unions, students and interest groups over six months. Their ideas helped to shape the Panel’s nine recommendations, which were grouped under three key themes – A 45-minute City with 20-Minute Towns; Transport for All and Healthy Lives, Safer Journeys.
To realise the goal of a 45-minute city with 20-minute towns, LTA will continue investing in public transport to make journeys more seamless and convenient. By 2040, new regional hubs outside the city will also bring jobs closer to homes, thereby shortening the average time taken to travel to work. We will also continue to expand the active mobility network to facilitate first-and-last mile journeys. Overall, commuters should have more time to live, work and play.
The LTMP 2040 report unveiled several key public transport enhancements. These include the expansion of the rail network, including several new stations and rail lines which will be developed over the next two decades.
Two new MRT stations will be opened on the North South Line (NSL) by the mid-2030s. Brickland Station will be added to the NSL. Located between Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Gombak stations, it will give residents in areas such as Keat Hong, Bukit Batok West, Pavillion Park and the Brickland district in Tengah town easier access to the rail network.
Click here to read more details about this masterplan project.
In year 2022, residents of Bidadari estate will be able to enjoy a new regional park. This announcement was made by the Housing and Development Board (HDB). Bidadari Park is a multi-agency collaboration between HDB, national water agency PUB and the National Heritage Board (NHB).
The 10-hectare Bidadari Park will feature a lake, a 700 metre heritage walk, a 6-km experiential trails and a play area for children.
Apart from retaining of more than 350 mature trees in the area, the park will also be welcoming more than 2,000 new trees.
“At strategic locations, observation decks, viewing sheds, and pavilions will serve as tranquil rest spots for visitors, offering different views of nature in a rustic and naturalised setting,” said HDB.
Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced the full opening details of Lornie Highway. The northbound Lornie Highway towards MacRitchie Viaduct, Adam Underpass and the remaining bound of Sime Underpass will open at 3am on 19 April 2019.
The Adam Underpass will allow motorists from PIE (Tuas) heading towards PIE (Changi) to have a seamless connection onto Lornie Highway (northbound) towards MacRitchie Viaduct, while the remaining bound of Sime Underpass will bring traffic from Kheam Hock Road towards Lornie Road (northbound).
This follows the opening of one bound of the Sime Underpass, connecting motorists from Lornie Road (southbound) to Lornie Highway (southbound) and Kheam Hock Road, on 24 March 2019.
Together with the southbound Lornie Highway that was opened in October 2018, the new Lornie Highway and underpasses will improve traffic flow along Lornie Road and the PIE, and cater to expected growth in future traffic demand.
For more information on changes to roads and bus routes, refer to their traffic advisory here.
Check out the official short videos released by LTA to help you navigate around the new roads better.
Las Vegas Sands has released an official announcement on a bold expansion plan for Marina Bay Sands in Singapore which will see the world’s most successful and recognizable integrated resort add significant new tourism offerings to the property. The company has entered into a development agreement with the Singapore government and said it will quickly begin work on the new project.
Located immediately adjacent to the existing Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort (IR), the key elements of the development will be a state-of-the-art 15,000-seat arena, a luxury hotel tower and additional MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention, and Exhibition) space.
“Marina Bay Sands is an iconic tourism destination that has exceeded all of our hopes in growing leisure and business tourism in Singapore and it is a privilege to receive the Singapore government’s continued support of its development. The property has achieved amazing success for both Singapore and our company and we plan to create even more with this expansion,” said Las Vegas Sands Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon G. Adelson.
Royal Vending has announce the launch of Boardwalk AdVENDture, a truly unique intelligent retailing journey at the Sentosa Boardwalk that dispenses joy to both locals and tourists alike.
Visitors to the Sentosa Boardwalk will now have access to a myriad of offerings as they make their way to and from Sentosa. Novel vending machines set up along the iconic walkway creates a Smart Nation themed experience that provides an exciting sneak peek into the future of retail. With over 50 brands just a click of a button and a tap of a card away, the boardwalk is transformed into a retail walking attraction.
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