An artist's impression of the new Elias MRT station. Work on it will begin in the second half of 2023. -: LTA
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded its final civil contract, worth S$562 million, for the Cross Island Line-Punggol Extension.
Construction work for Elias station, as well as the tunnels that stretch along the 7.3km extension, will start in the second half of 2023, with passenger service slated to begin in 2032.
The contract was awarded to CES_SDC and Chip Eng Seng Contractors (1988) as part of a joint venture, said LTA in a statement on Monday.
CES_SDC was involved in the construction of the Marina South station for the Thomson-East Coast Line, and is currently part of the construction of two stations along the Jurong Region Line.
Chip Eng Seng Contractors (1988) is a wholly owned subsidiary of mainboard-listed real estate group Chip Eng Seng.
LTA said a tunnel-boring machine will be used to construct a pair of tunnels – each about 1.4km long – linking Elias and Pasir Ris stations, with the deepest section about 50m below ground level.
It added that contractors would monitor the works closely to ensure they are carried out safely, with minimal impact to stakeholders.
Located in Pasir Ris Drive 3, Elias station will be built at a depth of about 40m and will feature five entrances, said LTA.
The extension will comprise four stations – Punggol, Riviera, Elias and Pasir Ris – with three of them being interchange stations that will connect commuters to other lines.
“It will provide better rail connectivity and greater accessibility for those living in eastern areas such as Pasir Ris and Tampines North, as well as north-eastern areas such as Punggol and Sengkang,” said LTA, adding that more than 40,000 households are expected to benefit from the extension.
When the extension is operational in 2032, commuters travelling from Elias to Hougang will be able to shave off 20 minutes from their commute – from the current 40 minutes to 20 minutes.
The Cross Island Line (CRL) is Singapore’s eighth MRT line, with the 29km first phase announced in 2019. Construction of the 12 stations under this stage has started and is expected to be completed by 2030.
The 15km phase two, which has six underground stations from Turf City to Jurong Lake District, was announced in September 2022. When ready, the line will improve connections to the western part of Singapore.
LTA said details for the third stage of the CRL will be announced after ongoing engineering studies are completed.
