From June 23, seven additional stations for the Thomson-East Coast Line will open; from June 21, commuters can travel for free
The addition of Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park, Tanjong Katong, Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap, and Bayshore stations will enhance commuting options for residents in the East Coast area.
SINGAPORE: Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat announced that seven new MRT stations on Singapore’s Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) will commence passenger service on Jun 23. These stations, namely Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park, Tanjong Katong, Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap, and Bayshore, constitute Stage 4 of the TEL.
Before the official opening, commuters have the opportunity to preview and travel for free along these seven stations during an opening event on Jun 21, from 10 am to 9 pm. Further details will be provided on the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) social media pages closer to the date.
During the parliamentary budget debate, Mr. Chee also highlighted renewal and enhancement works on the Bukit Panjang and Sengkang-Punggol LRT networks. The Transport Ministry also outlined plans to update regulatory requirements for taxis and private-hire cars, along with improvements to point-to-point (P2P) service platforms.
UPCOMING MRT STATIONS
With the introduction of the seven new TEL stations, commuters can anticipate travel time savings of up to 50 percent, as announced by LTA on Tuesday. For example, a resident in Marine Parade commuting to Shenton Way will experience a 20-minute journey via TEL, in contrast to the current 40-minute journey by bus and train, as illustrated by Mr. Chee.
Approximately 235,000 households will be within a 10-minute walk from an existing TEL station, spanning from Woodlands North to Bayshore.
Additionally, the Punggol Coast station on the North-East Line extension is projected to open by the end of this year, providing convenient access to the Singapore Institute of Technology Punggol campus, also set to open in the same year, and the upcoming Punggol Digital District, according to the minister.
On the Downtown Line (DTL), Hume Station is on schedule to open in 2025, enhancing accessibility to the Rail Corridor (Central).
More stations – Bedok South, Sungei Bedok interchange, and Xilin – are scheduled to open in 2026, coinciding with the completion of Stage 5 of the TEL and the DTL extension projects. The East Coast Integrated Depot, featuring connecting tunnels to both TEL and DTL, as well as viaducts from the East-West Line, is also anticipated to open in 2026.
In 2026, three new Circle Line stations – Keppel, Cantonment, and Prince Edward – are scheduled to open, completing the loop between the existing HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations, as announced by Mr. Chee. To facilitate these integration works, one platform each at Telok Blangah and HarbourFront stations will be temporarily closed until May of this year.
LRT ENHANCEMENTS
Starting March 16, the Bukit Panjang LRT will resume dual loop operations on Saturdays, running from 11 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 7 pm. Since December 1, 2019, the LRT has been operating on a single loop during off-peak hours to facilitate renewal works. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) mentioned that they would assess the network’s performance before deciding on further extensions to cover additional off-peak hours. Full dual loop services will continue during peak hours on weekday mornings and evenings.
In the third quarter of 2024, two new trains for the Bukit Panjang LRT are set to commence passenger service as part of a fleet renewal initiative. These trains are part of a total of 19 new trains replacing the first-generation vehicles that have been in service since 1999. The second-generation vehicles are currently undergoing upgrades alongside a new communications-based train control signaling system. Additional trains are anticipated to complete the upgrade and return to passenger service later this year.
To facilitate testing of the new vehicles and systems, Bukit Panjang LRT services will conclude an hour earlier, at 10.30 pm, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights from March 22 to June 30. Commuters during this period can opt for alternative bus services like 67, 171, 920, 922, 960, 963, 972, 972M, 973, 974, and 976 after 10.30 pm, serving the Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang areas.
For the Sengkang-Punggol LRT, improvement works will commence to enhance commuter flow on the Sengkang LRT station platforms. Dedicated stopping locations for each of the four routes serving the station, new signs, queue markings, and a tactile guiding system for boarding and alighting will be implemented. The arrival of the first 25 new two-car trains for Sengkang-Punggol LRT is expected by the end of the year, gradually being deployed for passenger service post-testing. These new trains will eventually replace the existing one-car trains and some of the existing two-car trains, boosting passenger capacity.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) highlighted their commitment to expanding the rail network to approximately 360 km by the 2030s, ensuring eight in 10 households are within a 10-minute radius of a train station.
