Ride & (walk to the) park

Circle Line will connect commuters to green spaces when it opens on Oct 8
Christopher Tan Straits Times 16 Sep 11;

THE Circle Line, which will open fully on Oct 8, will connect Singaporeans to a dozen public parks.

Except for stations along its north-eastern arc, almost every other of the 29 stations dotting its 33.3km orbital route will offer access to a park. The one with a park right at its doorstep is the Botanic Gardens station.

But other green havens, such as Bishan Park, Labrador Park and Kallang Riverside Park, are within reach too, with some requiring more walking than others.

The National Parks Board is eagerly tracking this development.

'We welcome the new Circle Line as it presents an additional form of transport to reach our parks and gardens,' said Mr Kong Yit San, assistant chief executive officer of its park management and lifestyle cluster.

'With the new stations, we hope more visitors will come and discover our parks and gardens, and attend the many activities and events held there.'

Mr Kong told The Straits Times that a new gate at the Botanic Gardens has been built to lead visitors to the economic garden, which features plants with economic use. 'Visitors will be greeted by a 1ha garden which will showcase climbing plants on trellises as well as various species of timber trees,' he said.

'The first phase of the construction for the Climber Collection will be completed and opened to the public in time for the opening of the MRT station, while the second phase is expected to be completed by the first quarter of next year.'

A Marina Bay extension of the Circle Line that is scheduled to open next year will take passengers to Gardens by the Bay, a 54ha, $900 million green showcase in the heart of the new downtown area.

Also, by the first half of next year, nature lovers can look forward to the Labrador Nature and Coastal Walk, a $13.5 million project that will bring them up close to the sea, mangrove swamps and forested areas.

Exiting the Labrador Park station will take them to the start of the Berlayer Creek Mangrove Trail.

'That's fantastic. These parks will become more accessible to people, especially those who do not drive. Even those who drive might be encouraged to take the train to make use of these spaces,' said Ms Olivia Choong, founder of environmental consultancy Green Drinks. 'It makes everything so much more convenient for everyone.'

The Circle Line, estimated to cost between $8 billion and $10 billion, took 10 years to build. The first stretch of five stations from Marymount to Bartley opened in 2009, followed by a city stretch of 12 stations that went into service last year.

The line has six interchanges that will allow commuters to switch to other lines that criss-cross Singapore.

But in terms of accessibility, users say the Tai Seng station falls short of expectations. Ms Nic Ong, 29, a marketing executive, wished the station had been built with underpass access to serve the fast-growing industrial estate there. 'We use pedestrian crossings to get to the station but an underground link would have been more convenient, especially when it rains.'

It is believed to be the only MRT station with such a limited access.