SINGAPORE: A new MRT station will be added to the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) to serve the upcoming Founders’ Memorial in Marina Bay, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Monday (Jan 7).
This station is part of the TEL’s fourth stage and will be located between the Tanjong Rhu and Gardens by the Bay stations. LTA said it will improve accessibility for visitors to the Bay East Garden, where the memorial will be located.
The new MRT station will open in tandem with the opening of the Founders’ Memorial and serve upcoming residential as well as recreational developments in the area, LTA added. Works on the station will start this year.
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LTA also said on Monday that construction of the TEL is on track, with the first stage of the MRT line scheduled to open later this year.
“The construction of the TEL is progressing well and commuters can look forward to enjoying the TEL in stages from 2019,” LTA said.
The first stage of the line – comprising Woodlands North, Woodlands and Woodlands South stations – is about 90 per cent complete, with structural works and track laying in the tunnels already done, LTA added.
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The 43km, 31-station TEL will connect commuters living in the eastern part of Singapore such as Siglap and Marine Parade to the city centre, as well as to areas in Thomson and Woodlands. It is expected to be fully operational in 2024.
The second stage of the TEL, which includes Springleaf, Lentor, Mayflower, Bright Hill, Upper Thomson and Caldecott stations, is about 80 per cent complete and on schedule to complete in 2020.
The third stage, encompassing Mount Pleasant, Stevens, Napier, Orchard Boulevard, Orchard, Great World, Havelock, Outram Park, Maxwell, Shenton Way, Marina Bay, Marina South and Gardens by the Bay stations, is about 70 per cent complete, LTA said. This stage is scheduled to open from 2021 onwards.
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The stations for the TEL’s fourth stage include Founders’ Memorial, Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park, Tanjong Katong, Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap and Bayshore. This stage is about 40 per cent complete and scheduled to open in 2023.
The fifth and final stage, which encompasses Bedok South and Sungei Bedok stations, is about 25 per cent complete, and scheduled to open by 2024.