First phase of Cross Island Line to be completed by 2029

FARIS MOKHTAR Today Online 25 Jan 19;

SINGAPORE – Construction of the first phase of the new Cross Island Line (CRL), which will have 12 MRT stations starting from the Aviation Park in Changi to Bright Hill in Bishan, is expected to begin next year and completed by 2029.

The 29km long line will benefit more than 100,000 households and cut travelling time by 50 to 70 minutes, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Friday (Jan 25).

The stations on the first phase of the CRL will be located at: Bright Hill, Teck Ghee, Ang Mo Kio, Tavistock, Serangoon North, Hougang, Defu, Tampines North, Pasir Ris, Pasir Ris East, Loyang and the Aviation Park.

To support this MRT line, Mr Khaw said that a new 57-hectare depot at Changi East will be constructed to provide stabling and maintenance facilities for up to 80 trains.

In a joint separate statement, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Singapore Land Authority said that the CRL will be conducted in three phases.

According to the 2013 Transport Master Plan, the fully completed CRL, which was targeted to be ready around 2030, will span about 50km in length.

Eventually, Mr Khaw said, the CRL will connect the western, northeastern and eastern areas of Singapore and could also be connected to Changi Airport.

Authorities said they are still studying that option, and conducting studies on the alignments for phases two and three of the line.

To facilitate construction, the authorities will partially acquire eight properties.

The partial acquisitions will only affect ancillary features such as footpaths located outside the premises of the properties, the LTA said, and so will not have a major effect on residents and landowners.

No buildings or operations will be affected, LTA said. No structures will be demolished and no relocation will be required, it added.

Landowners can continue using those ancillary features till Jan 31, 2020, and will be given compensation based on the market value of the acquired land or space.

These properties are:

Loyang Valley Condominium at Loyang Avenue
Electrical sub-station at Loyang Avenye
Hitachi Chemical Pte Ltd at Loyang Way
Loyang Industrial Park at Loyang Lane
Daikin Airconditioning (Singapore) Pte Ltd at And Mo Kio Industrual Park 2
Gain City Best-Electric Pte Ltd at Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2
Ang Mo Kio Hub at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3
Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery at Bright Hill Road

WHAT THEY SAY

Venerable Sik Kwang Sheng, the Abbot of the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, noted that the temple has been in its current location for close to a hundred years, and sees about a thousand visitors on a regular day.

On special occasions such as Vesak Day and Qing Ming, this number goes up to 60,000.

He said the new MRT station at Bright Hill will offer a more convenient option for these devotees and visitors who wish to understand more about Buddhism and the monastery.

“We are grateful and fortunate to be considered part of the blueprint to improve public infrastructure and will work closely with the authorities for the overall interest of the nation and its people,” he told TODAY.

Ms Foo Sau Yoong, 64, a Bedok resident who visits Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery two to three times a year, said that having a train station near the temple would certainly make it more convenient for her.

“I won’t need to change (transportation) so much,” she said in Mandarin.

She has to take the East-West Line from Bedok to City Hall, then switch to the North-South Line to get to Bishan — and then take a bus from there to the temple.

She added: “The construction (noise) may affect those who are reciting scriptures though.”

Meanwhile at Loyang Valley Condominium, resident Maria Sin, a 72-year-old retiree who has been living in the estate for 32 years, noted that there may be more dust and noise once construction work begins.

However, she is not too unhappy about the news.

“There are plusses and minuses. Having a train station nearby would make it more convenient for residents to travel. As for the noise and dust from the construction works, those are short-term sacrifices we have to bear.”

She added that she hopes the authorities will create a temporary bus stop, should they decide to remove the bus stop currently located outside the condominium.

BUILDING THE LINE

To support the CRL, Mr Khaw said that a new 57-hectare depot at Changi East will be built to provide stabling and maintenance facilities for up to 80 trains.

The CRL will be constructed in three phases.

According to the 2013 Transport Master Plan, the fully completed CRL, which was targeted to be ready around 2030, will span about 50km in length.

Eventually, Mr Khaw said, the CRL will connect the western, northeastern and eastern areas of Singapore and could also be connected to Changi Airport.

Authorities said they are still studying that option, and conducting studies on the alignments for phases two and three of the line.

The CRL will have only one signalling system, Mr Khaw said, to keep things simple.

He cited a Financial Times article on the British Crossrail Project, billed as Europe’s largest transport project, whose construction was stalled as it required the project managers to integrate five different signalling systems across three different lines.

This has also happened here, Mr Khaw noted, when the Republic had to manage the re-signalling of the North-South and East-West Lines.


Cross Island Line: A closer look at the first 12 stations
Amir Yusof Channel NewsAsia 25 Jan 19;

SINGAPORE: The first phase of the Cross Island Line (CRL), Singapore's eighth MRT line and its longest fully underground line, will open by 2029.

For a start, there will be 12 stations - Bright Hill, Teck Ghee, Ang Mo Kio, Tavistock, Serangoon North, Hougang, Defu, Tampines North, Pasir Ris, Pasir Ris East, Loyang and Aviation Park. ​​

It is one of three phases of the CRL, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday (Jan 25), adding that engineering studies are still being conducted for the second and third phase.

These studies include the two underground alignment options in the vicinity of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, south-west of Bright Hill station.

"LTA has consulted various stakeholders and will take all views into consideration before deciding on the final alignment. Details will be announced when ready," the authority said in a news release.

Here's an overview of the 12 CRL stations that will be operational from 2029:

Aviation Park Station, the eastern-most station on the first phase of the CRL, is close to the Changi Airfreight Centre and Changi Beach Park. It will be constructed along Changi Coast Road.

Loyang Station will be located near Selarang Camp, along Loyang Avenue. It will be close to Loyang Valley Condominium and Loyang Industrial Park.

Pasir Ris East Station will be constructed along Pasir Ris Drive 1, close to the Pasir Ris East Community Building and White Sands Primary School.

The CRL will pass through the existing Pasir Ris Station, which is part of the East-West Line. The CRL line will be constructed underground. The station is close to White Sands Mall and Pasir Ris Town Park.

Tampines North Station will be built near Tampines Street 62 and the Tampines Expressway. It will be near residents at Tampines GreenView and Tampines North Town.

Defu station will be built along Tampines Road, and will serve commuters travelling to the Defu Industrial Area.

The CRL will pass through the existing Hougang Station, which is part of the North-East Line. The station is close to Hougang Mall, Hougang Polyclinic and will serve residents living at Hougang Avenue 10.

Serangoon North station will be built along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, serving commuters travelling to Bowen Secondary School, Al-Istiqamah Mosque and Serangoon Community Club.

Tavistock Station will be constructed along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, near Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2, Chen Su Lan Methodist Children's Home and Tavistock Avenue.

Ang Mo Kio

The CRL will pass through the existing Ang Mo Kio Station, which is part of the North-South Line. The station is close to Ang Mo Kio Hub and will serve residents living at HDB blocks along And Mo Kio Avenue 3.

Teck Ghee Station will be located near the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2. It will serve residents living at HDB blocks at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, as well as people travelling to Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

Bright Hill Station will be an interchange station between the second stage of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL2) and the first stage of the CRL. LTA said the TEL2 is progressing well and on track to open for passenger service in 2020.

The station is close to Ai Tong Primary School and will serve residents from developments such as Sin Ming Garden, Faber Gardens and The Gardens at Bishan.

8 PROPERTIES PARTIALLY ACQUIRED; ONLY ANCILLARY FEATURES AFFECTED

To facilitate the construction of the first phase of the CRL and associated road works, LTA said that the Government will partially acquire eight properties.

The properties include Loyang Valley Condominium, an electrical sub-station at Loyang Avenue, Hitachi Chemical(s) at Loyang Way and Loyang Industrial Park at Loyang Lane.

On the other end of phase one of the line, properties that will be partially acquired include Daikin Airconditioning (Singapore) and Gain City Best-Electric at Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2, Ang Mo Kio Hub, as well as Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery at Bright Hill Road.

LTA stressed that with the acquisitions, only ancillary features will be affected.

"No buildings or operations will be affected, no structures will be demolished and no relocation will be required. LTA will reinstate any affected structures," LTA said.

It added that compensation will be based on market value of the acquired land as at the date of acquisition gazette, in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act.

Landowners can continue using the site until Jan 31, 2020.

Source: CNA/am(gs)


First phase of Cross Island Line to open by 2029 with 12 stations
Amir Yusof Channel NewsAsia 25 Jan 19;

SINGAPORE: The first phase of the Cross Island Line (CRL), Singapore's eighth MRT line and its longest fully underground line, will open by 2029, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Friday (Jan 25).

Speaking during a visit to the work site of Bright Hill MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line, Mr Khaw confirmed that the CRL's first phase will have 12 stations, in areas such as Changi, Loyang, Pasir Ris, Hougang and Ang Mo Kio.

The stations are Bright Hill, Teck Ghee, Ang Mo Kio, Tavistock, Serangoon North, Hougang, Defu, Tampines North, Pasir Ris, Pasir Ris East, Loyang and Aviation Park. ​​

First announced as part of the Transport Master Plan 2013, the CRL will stretch across Singapore to connect the western, north-eastern and eastern parts, including “potentially Changi Airport”, Mr Khaw said.

Bright Hill will be one of four interchange stations in phase one of the CRL. The other interchange stations will be at Ang Mo Kio with the North-South Line, Hougang with the North East Line and at Pasir Ris with the East-West Line.

With the opening of the first phase, more than 100,000 households along the 29-km stretch will have their travelling times reduced, he said. It will also bring Singapore closer to its goal of having eight in 10 households living within a 10-minute walk of an MRT station.

“It will help realise our vision for a 'car-lite' Singapore,” he said.

Mr Khaw added that the line will support new hubs of economic activity outside the central business district, such as the Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District and Changi region.

“Recreational spaces such as Changi Beach Park and the nearby Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park will also become more accessible to Singaporeans using public transport,” he said.

CRL TO RELIEVE PASSENGER LOADS ON OTHER LINES

The CRL will also help to relieve passenger loads on the North-South Line, East-West Line and the North-East Line, Mr Khaw said.

“With the CRL stations interchanging with all existing radial lines, commuters will have more journey options to get to their destinations. Many will benefit from shorter journeys and faster travel times,” he said.

For example, commuters travelling from Serangoon North to the Loyang industrial area using the CRL will see their journey times reduced by 50 minutes, he pointed out.

ONE SIGNALLING SYSTEM, BETTER COMPONENTS

Recalling various local and overseas examples of train disruptions due to different signalling systems, the minister said that the CRL will only have one signalling system.

“We have also learnt that the signalling system comes with a lot of vehicle on-board controllers and trackside equipment. If such devices or components come from less than reliable manufacturers or are not robust enough to withstand the vibrations of a moving train, then the final signalling system delivered to us will have lots of cleaning up or replacement problems during operation,” said Mr Khaw.

The construction of the first phase of the CRL starts in 2020, and he warned that “there will be some impact to nearby residents and businesses”.

“LTA will work closely with its contractors and the local community to minimise these inconveniences,” said Mr Khaw.

A new MRT depot, the CRL Changi East depot, will be opened. The depot was originally planned as an underground facility, like the rest of the CRL stations and tunnels, but authorities decided to locate it and its reception tracks above ground after a “thorough cost-benefit analysis”.

“The decision will save taxpayers more than S$3.5 billion,” said Mr Khaw.

The Land Transport Authority has also started calling tenders for the construction of Singapore's seventh MRT line, the Jurong Region Line.

Source: CNA/aa(cy)