DURING the morning peak hours of 7am to 9am and evening peak hours of 6pm to 8pm, trains arrive at three-minute intervals. I live three stops from the end of the East-West Line, and by the time I board, the train is already 70 per cent full; two more stops down the line, it is at 90 per cent capacity.

Commuters are packed like sardines for another four stops before the interchange where about 40 per cent alight, relieving the crush of human bodies. That is 15 minutes of being squashed, and it is not a pleasant experience. Sadly, this is something I have to tolerate every morning and evening.

As Singapore's population continues to grow, the number of people using public transport will naturally increase. If we want to encourage more to "go public", and keep roads congestion-free, making public transport more comfortable would be a great first step. Our transport system is almost world class - clean, on time and well-maintained. Can we now make it more convenient?

I understand that increasing the number of train runs would increase costs. But SMRT is a public service engine, which means it is entrusted to serve the community of commuters. For that trust, we commuters expect SMRT to have the safety and comfort of users as its key priorities.

Overcrowded trains are as unsafe as they are uncomfortable. Packing people in such close proximity can only facilitate transmission of airborne diseases.

For the safety and comfort of the millions of passengers who rely on the train system to take them to work, please reduce the interval between trains to two minutes or less during peak hours.

Trudi Chong Woon Yee (Ms)

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