Work starts on Cross Island MRT Line Punggol extension; over 70,000 daily journeys to be shortened

The 7.3km extension to Singapore’s eighth MRT line comprises four stations: Punggol, Riviera (above), Elias and Pasir Ris. PHOTO: LTA

SINGAPORE - Construction has officially begun on the Cross Island Line (CRL) Punggol extension, which will shorten more than 70,000 journeys between Singapore’s north-east and east daily.

With passenger service expected to start by 2032, the 7.3km extension to Singapore’s eighth MRT line comprises four stations: Punggol, Riviera, Elias and Pasir Ris.

The Punggol station will be linked to the North East MRT Line, and the Riviera stop to the Punggol LRT Line, while the Pasir Ris station will be connected to the East-West MRT Line.

Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony held at the site of the future Riviera MRT station on Tuesday, Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said residents would be able to travel between Punggol and Pasir Ris in 15 minutes when the extension opens, compared with a 40-minute bus ride at present.

It will also more than halve the travel time from the east of Punggol, via Riviera station, to the Loyang industrial area. With the extension, this will take 20 minutes by train, down from 45 minutes by bus now.

Mr Chee said the construction could cause some “inconvenience and disamenities”.

“We will do our best to minimise the impact,” he added.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the steps being taken to minimise noise, vibration and dust include the use of electric excavators and battery power pack generators – which emit less sound – at some sections of the worksites, instead of conventional diesel-powered ones.

The electric excavators need to be charged for two hours for every six or so hours of use.

A large-diameter tunnel-boring machine will also be dispatched via Riviera station to build the tunnels between Elias and Punggol stations, said LTA. Measuring 12.6m, the machine bores through the ground just once to construct a tunnel with two MRT tracks, instead of having to dig twice.

To reduce the need for labour, and improve safety and productivity, a robotic shotcrete machine will be used to build a 60m mined section of the tunnel near Elias station, LTA added. The machine sprays concrete at high velocity to create the tunnel lining.

To keep residents informed of the construction progress, a Telegram channel has been formed for each new MRT station along the extension, giving updates specific to each location.

More than 40,000 households, including those in future housing projects, are expected to benefit from the extension. It will also improve rail connectivity to areas such as the Punggol Digital District and Changi Aviation Park.

Digital services manager Geraldine Guo, who lives near Pasir Ris station, hopes the construction will not disrupt surrounding wildlife too much.

Said the 40-year-old: “When the big parcel of land nearby was cleared for a new BTO (Build-To-Order) project, the hornbills started visiting the flats, and there were more fights between wild boars and dogs in the forest.”

Manager Lai Yeow, who lives at Edgefield Plains in Punggol, welcomes the MRT extension.

“It will be good for residents to get to Pasir Ris quickly. Right now, (Punggol) is kind of a dead end, which is not convenient,” said the 47-year-old, who works in the tourism industry.

The CRL Punggol extension will be connected to the main CRL at Pasir Ris station.

Construction work on the first phase of the line, consisting of 12 stations from Aviation Park to Bright Hill, started in January and is expected to end by 2030.

Tenders for the second phase of the line, comprising six stations from Turf City to Jurong Lake District, are being called progressively, with passenger service slated to begin in 2032.

Engineering studies are under way for the third phase of the line.

When completed, the CRL will serve the eastern, western and north-eastern areas of Singapore, and will be the country’s longest fully underground MRT line.

This article was originally published on The Straits Times. Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes.