The improvements in rail infrastructure are designed to support Singapore’s long-term development and ensure that the rail network will have more than the capacity needed to meet the expected increase in public transport ridership in the next two decades.
As part of the Land Transport Masterplan 2013 theme of providing commuters with more connections to the places where they live, work and play, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be constructing two new rail lines and extending three existing lines to improve the connectivity, accessibility and coverage of Singapore’s rail network.
LTA will build a major MRT line, the 50-km Cross Island Line (CRL), which will run across the span of Singapore. Starting from Changi, it will pass through Loyang, Pasir Ris, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, before reaching Sin Ming. Continuing westwards, it will serve areas such as Bukit Timah, Clementi, West Coast, and terminate at Jurong Industrial Estate. Targeted to be completed by 2030, it will also provide commuters with another alternative for East-West travel to the current East-West Line. In addition, it will connect to all the other major lines to serve as a key transfer line, complementing the role currently fulfilled by the orbital Circle Line.
The 20km Jurong Region Line (JRL) will serve residents of Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay and the future developments in the Tengah area. It will connect these areas to main activity nodes in Jurong West. Completion is expected in 2025.
Three existing lines will also be extended. The Circle Line Stage 6 (CCL6) will ‘close the circle’ by connecting HarbourFront station to Marina Bay station by 2025. The North East Line will be extended northwards by one station to serve Punggol North including the new Punggol Downtown. The Downtown Line, which now ends at Expo station, will be extended to the Eastern Region Line by 2025.
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