Major revamp for Tuas Checkpoint

The Tuas Checkpoint will undergo a major revamp from next year, with a slew of measures to enhance security checks of tour buses and passengers, The Straits Times reported.

These include installing imaging scanners for buses, redesigning the layout of the bus concourse and building blast-proof walls. The changes are estimated to cost $9.7 million, and should be completed by November 2017.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Wednesday issued a call for consultants to develop a plan for the project. An ICA spokesman said yesterday that the changes were part of efforts to 'enhance security and operational efficiency'.

Project documents obtained by The Straits Times show that the ICA intends for passengers to get their luggage screened before they get their passports stamped in future.

Buses would have to stop further away because radiographic scanning portals - imaging scanners - to scan buses will be installed at the alighting bays. The ICA is considering building travelators to help passengers bridge the additional distance.

Officers will no longer have to board buses for manual checks. Blast-proof walls will also be built at the passenger clearance area and bus alighting bay. The ICA is looking to appoint consultants by September and to begin construction by next June.

Singapore's various checkpoints handle more than 500,000 visitors daily, and Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean listed several measures to boost border security during this year's Budget debate. These include installing advanced crash barriers and more CCTV cameras at checkpoints.