LTA calls for tender to study environmental impact of Cross Island Line

Saifulbahri Ismail Channel NewsAsia 24 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be calling for a tender for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Cross Island Line on Monday.

The tender will study the environmental impact of the Cross Island Line on the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

The consultant for the EIA is expected to start working on the project by the second half of this year.

LTA said the EIA team will include experts in hydrology and geology.

The EIA will be conducted in two phases for the various alignment options of the Cross Island Line in and around the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

In phase 1, the consultant will do a baseline evaluation of the existing ecosystem and the physical conditions along the proposed corridors, and assessments of the potential impact to the environment.

The EIA consultant will also propose guidelines and recommend appropriate mitigating measures to carry out soil investigation works with minimal impact to the reserve.

In phase 2, the consultant will provide an assessment of the impact that may result from the construction and operation of the project.

LTA said it has worked with nature and environmental groups to finalise the scope of the EIA for the portion of the Line around the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

The groups are calling for the protection of the forest area and are concerned about the possibility of the Line being built through it.

The EIA report is targeted for completion in 2016 and it will assist the government in making a considered decision on the Cross Island Line alignment.

The 50-kilometre Cross Island Line was announced in January 2013 and is slated for completion in 2030.

- CNA/nd

LTA calls tender to evaluate Cross Island Line’s impact on nature
Study will help Govt decide CRL’s alignment; consultant to suggest suitable measures to reduce impact on reserve
Woo Sian Boon Today Online 25 Feb 14;

Two possible alignments of the Cross Island Line.

SINGAPORE — To assess the potential environmental impact of the Cross Island Line (CRL), a baseline evaluation on its two possible alignments, through or around the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR), will first be conducted to determine the existing eco-system and physical conditions.

The evaluation will form the first phase of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), for which the Land Transport Authority (LTA) called a tender yesterday to assist the Government in making a considered decision on the alignment of the 50km line.

Connectivity, travel times, costs and land-use compatibility are other factors under consideration, said the LTA.

After the first phase is concluded, the consultant will be required to provide an assessment of the impact that may result from the construction and operation of the line.

It will also need to propose guidelines and recommend appropriate mitigating measures, so activities carried out will have minimal impact on the nature reserve.

The consultant’s report, which is slated to be completed in the second quarter of 2016, may be gazetted for public disclosure.

Noting that Singapore has a long-standing commitment to environment sustainability, Senior Minister of State (Transport) Josephine Teo said an EIA of this scale is a first for rail development here.

In a Facebook post, she said: “An EIA of this scale is new for rail development and is necessary because the CCNR is special. In land-scarce Singapore, its very existence is testament to the high value placed on preserving nature even as we develop.”

The announcement of the 50km-long CRL, which will connect Jurong to Changi when it is completed in 2030, drew much consternation from nature and environment groups when it was announced in January last year.

The groups have raised concern that the alignment of the CRL, as well as the work to construct it, will have a detrimental environmental impact on the CCNR — a gazetted reserve under the Parks and Trees Act.

Members of the Nature Society Singapore (NSS) and the Cicada Tree Eco-Place submitted an ecological study of the reserve to call for the forest area to be protected.

However, their proposed alternative route, which goes around the southern part of the reserve, has raised concern from some residents in the Thomson area that their homes may be affected.

The area’s Member of Parliament Hri Kumar said the chairpersons of these private estates from Yew Lian Park to Windsor Park had a meeting with the LTA late last year to express concerns about land acquisition and disruptions due to construction work, if the CRL was to be diverted close to their estates.

Mrs Teo yesterday stressed that no soil survey or other physical work would be conducted within the reserve before the consultant provides its recommendations.

Addressing concern that the EIA might lead to a delay in the construction of the line, Mrs Teo added that the LTA would be calling a tender for a study on engineering feasibility of the line along stretches outside the nature reserve.

To commence in the second half of this year, the engineering study is expected to be completed in 2016.

Said Mrs Teo: “It will be a few years before we can finalise the CRL alignment and start construction. But the intent is clear — we must press forward to develop more rail lines because mass rapid transit is, in fact, the most environmentally sustainable way to achieve high-quality mobility for Singaporeans. Equally important is care for nature as we develop.”

Mr Tony O’Dempsey, the NSS spokesperson on the issue, said the group would provide input to the EIA as technical adviser and reviewer of the study.

He added: “We look forward to a report that provides a comprehensive assessment of the total biodiversity in the project areas, as well as a realistic assessment of the potential impact on the natural environment due to soil investigation and construction activity.”

LTA to suss out new MRT line's green impact
Adrian Lim MyPaper AsiaOne 25 Feb 14;

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) called for a tender yesterday to assess the environmental impact of a future MRT line on the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

The findings of the report, which is targeted to be completed in 2016, will help the Government decide on the route for the 50km Cross Island Line (CRL), of which a section will be located in the vicinity of the reserve.

Tender documents show two "indicative corridors" to be studied: one passing through the gazetted reserve; and the other skirting it, along the fringe of Bukit Brown and the nature reserve. Both are expected to run underground.

Announced in January last year, the CRL will connect Jurong and Changi, and is targeted for completion by 2030.

Besides the environmental assessment, the Government will consider factors including connectivity, travel times, costs and land-use compatibility in deciding the route, LTA said.

Physical activities within the nature reserve, such as soil investigation works, will be conducted only after the appointed consultant has provided guidelines and recommendations.

Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo said yesterday that, while environmental assessments have been conducted for major maritime projects, a study of this scale is new for rail development.

Mrs Teo added that it will be a few years before the route can be finalised and construction can begin.

Included with the tender documents issued yesterday was a 125-page report put together by an environmental working group.

The report details the rich flora and fauna in the MacRitchie zone, collated from 20 years of surveys and studies. The area is home to over 400 species of plants, more than 200 species of birds and over 170 butterfly species, among others.

Mr Subaraj Rajathurai, one of the working group's members, hopes the group's involvement will continue and that the consultants will seek its expertise when necessary.

"(The area) is a very special thing. If you go around the world...you won't find any cities with a rainforest, with original forests, right in the middle," said the director of Strix Wildlife Consultancy.

Related links
Love our MacRitchie Forest: walks, talks and petition. Also on facebook.