Cross Island MRT line

The Cross Island line (CRL) is an upcoming high capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore. It is currently under planning[1] and will be the eighth MRT line when built.[2] The line will be coloured lime on the rail map.

Cross Island line
The Cross Island Line is coloured in Lime
Overview
Native name	Laluan MRT Rentas Pulau 跨岛地铁线 குறுக்குத் தீவு மெட்ரோ வரி
Status	Planned (Stage 1 & Punggol extension) Under planning (other stages)
Owner	Land Transport Authority
Locale	Singapore
Termini	Aviation Park Pasir Ris Bright Hill Punggol
Stations	12 (Stage 1) 3 (Punggol extension) 32 (total)
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
Operator(s)	TBA
Depot(s)	Changi East
Daily ridership	600,000 (Stage 1) 1,000,000 (long term)
History
Planned opening	2029 (Stage 1) 2030 (other stages) 2031 (Punggol extension) 2040 (extension to Changi Airport T5)
Technical
Line length	29 km (18 mi) (Stage 1) 7.3 km (4.5 mi) (Punggol extension) 58 km (36 mi) (Total approximate)
Character	Fully underground
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Stage 1 of the Cross Island Line spans 29 kilometers and 12 MRT stations, it interchanges with four MRT lines and passes seven planning areas in Singapore. In addition, an extension to Punggol spans 7.3 kilometers and three MRT stations. The extension interchanges with an MRT and LRT line.

Similar to the Circle line, its station code texts are coloured in black due to initial visibility issues.

The Cross Island line is the eighth MRT line. When completed, the line will begin in Changi, passing through Loyang, Pasir Ris, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Timah, Clementi, West Coast before terminating at Jurong Industrial Estate. The eastern leg of the line includes a segment that branches out from Pasir Ris and extends into Punggol.[1] It will be the first line to have stations that cater to eight-car trains, but will operate with six-car trains initially. The projected daily ridership of the entire line is more than 600,000 in the initial years, increasing to over 1 million in the longer term.

With an approximate overall length of 58 km, upon complete opening, the Cross Island Line would eventually become Singapore's longest MRT line, surpassing the East West Line.

History

The Cross Island line was first announced by then Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew on 17 January 2013.[3][4] Studies on the Cross Island line began in May 2013.[5]

On 25 January 2019, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced the alignment of the first phase of the line, consisting of 12 stations over 29 km. Construction for Phase 1 will begin in 2020 and is due for completion in 2029. A new 57-hectare Changi East Depot was also announced.[6]

On 10 March 2020, the Land Transport Authority announced four stations on the Punggol extension spanning 7.3 km, which will be completed by 2031. Construction is expected to start in 2022.[7]

Overview

Initially targeted to be completed by 2030, the Cross Island line will offer east–west commuters an alternative to the existing East West line and Downtown line. It will also connect to all the other major lines to serve as a key transfer line, complementing the role currently fulfilled by the orbital Circle line.[8]

Besides linking residents to jobs, the line will serve the upcoming "creative cluster and learning corridor" in Punggol, which will include the Singapore Institute of Technology's new campus.

In addition to the previously announced alignment of the Cross Island line, the LTA is studying an extension to link the line to the future Changi Airport Terminal 5.[9][10]

Stations

Cross Island MRT line
↑ Future extension to Changi Airport T5 Changi East Depot  CR2  Aviation Park  CR3  Loyang  CR4  Pasir Ris East Tampines River  ■ Tuas Link   CR5   CP1  EW1  Pasir Ris Api Api River  CP2  Elias Tampines Expressway  CR6  Tampines North Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway  CR7  Defu Serangoon River  PE4 – CP3  Riviera  ■ Punggol Coast  CP4  NE17  PTC  Punggol ■ HarbourFront   CR8  NE14  Hougang  CR9  Serangoon North  CR10  Tavistock Central Expressway  CR11  NS16  Ang Mo Kio  ■ Jurong East – ■ Marina South Pier   CR12  Teck Ghee Kallang River  CR13  TE7  Bright Hill  ■ Woodlands North – ■ Caldecott   ↓ Future extension to Jurong and Tuas

Notes: Names stated are working names, except for current operational stations.

Station Number	Station Name	Interchange/Notes
Changi Airport Extension (under consideration)
Not announced	Not announced	Station under planning To be located in close proximity to the upcoming Changi Airport Terminal 5 Planned interchange with the Thomson–East Coast line[11][12]
Stage 1 (planned, to be ready by 2029)
CR2	Aviation Park
CR3	Loyang
CR4	Pasir Ris East
CR5   CP1  EW1	Pasir Ris	Interchange with the East West line and extension to Punggol
CR6	Tampines North
CR7	Defu
CR8  NE14	Hougang	Interchange with the North East line
CR9	Serangoon North
CR10	Tavistock
CR11  NS16	Ang Mo Kio	Interchange with the North South line
CR12	Teck Ghee
CR13  TE7	Bright Hill	Interchange with the Thomson–East Coast line
Punggol Extension (planned, to be ready by 2031)[13]
CP1   CR5  EW1	Pasir Ris	Interchange with the East West line and Cross Island Line mainline
CP2	Elias
CP3 – PE4	Riviera	Connected to the Punggol LRT (East Loop)
CP4  NE17  PTC	Punggol	Interchange with the North East line and Punggol LRT

The Cross Island line's numbering scheme reserves the station code 'CR1' for a future extension towards Changi Airport.[14][1]

Stations by their respective areas

Notes: Names stated are working names, except for current operational stations.

Location of stations	Station Name
Changi	CR2  Aviation Park
Loyang	CR3  Loyang
Pasir Ris	CR4  Pasir Ris East  CR5   CP1  EW1  Pasir Ris  CP2  Elias
Punggol	CP3 – PE4  Riviera  CP4  NE17  PTC  Punggol
Tampines	CR6  Tampines North
Hougang	CR7  Defu  CR8  NE14  Hougang  CR9  Serangoon North
Serangoon North	CR9  Serangoon North  CR10  Tavistock
Ang Mo Kio	CR11  NS16  Ang Mo Kio  CR12  Teck Ghee
Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park	CR12  Teck Ghee  CR13  TE7  Bright Hill

Controversies

Central catchment area in Singapore

Alignment of line through Central Catchment Nature Reserve

Since its announcement on 17 January 2013, there has been a controversy over the alignment of the line's Bukit Timah stretch as it appears to cut through part of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) and MacRitchie Reservoir, hence prompting the Nature Society Singapore to call for a change in the alignment, although the Land Transport Authority insisted that the alignment was not finalised as soil investigations and feasibility studies have yet to be conducted. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was commissioned to study the impact the line would have on the natural habitats of the reserve. Various stakeholders, including nature and environmental groups, were engaged and consulted to ensure that their views and concerns are accommodated as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment.

On 19 July 2013, the NSS has put forward, in a position paper, two proposed alternative alignments for this stretch of the Cross Island line. The LTA claims that none of the trees or plants (vegetation) above the ground will be affected.[15]

The proposed alignments include a northern route that would run close to the Thomson–East Coast line, heading west towards Mandai, Sungei Kadut and Gali Batu before terminating at Choa Chu Kang, which will be an interchange to the North South line, Bukit Panjang LRT and the upcoming Jurong Region line. The other route will run along Lornie Road and was cited to "add 1.7 kilometres to 2 kilometres to the Cross Island line, and an estimated four minutes' additional travel time. It would present an opportunity to serve residents near Adam Road and visitors to the MacRitchie Reservoir Park", running almost parallel to the stretch of the Circle line from Marymount to Botanic Gardens. However, engineers noted that "it may still be possible to construct the tunnels along the original proposed route without disturbing the nature reserve, but this must be examined in detail" and that a "straight rail line is better and cheaper from the engineering and operations point of view".[16]

On 24 February 2014, the LTA called for a tender to assess the environmental impact of the line, targeted for completion by 2016. The study will help to facilitate the subsequent civil works for the line.[17]

On 3 July 2014, LTA appointed Environmental Resources Management (S) Pte Ltd (ERM) to conduct the EIA for the section of the line around and through the nature reserve. The work started immediately and was targeted to complete in 2016. The works will include studying the ecosystem and physical conditions along both the straight and skirting alignments, as well as assessing how construction and operation of the line would affect the CCNR.[18]

On 19 October 2017, the soil tests for determining the Cross Island line's alignment along the CCNR were announced to be nearing completion. The soil tests will help engineers determine the soil and rock profile under Singapore's largest nature reserve, started in February and have been watched closely, especially by environmental groups who urged the Government not to build the MRT line under the CCNR. "The works are expected to be completed by the end of this year," said the LTA.[19]

On 20 March 2018, the LTA declared that the release of the findings on the environmental impact of drilling and other initial works that have been done to assess if the Cross Island line can be built under the CCNR would be completed later that year. The investigation works, which were completed in 2017, will help in the final decision on the alignment of the line. The findings were released to the public.[20]

The Ministry of Transport announced on 4 December 2019 that the direct route underneath the CCNR had been chosen. The construction cost is expected to be lower by $2 billion by taking the direct route, and the Ministry also said the direct route would be better for the environment in the long run as it will have lower energy consumption.[21]

References

1. "Speech by Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Minister for Transport, at visit to DTL1 Chinatown Station, 17 January 2013, 9.30am at DTL1 Chinatown Station". Ministry of Transport. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
2. "Two New Rail Lines and Three New Extensions to Expand Rail Network by 2030". Land Transport Authority. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2014.
3. "Speech by Mr Lui Tuck Yew at visit to DTL1 Chinatown Station on 17 January 2013". MOT. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
4. "More new MRT lines to be built by 2030". The Straits Times. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
5. "Studies for Cross Island Line to Start". The Straits Times. 4 November 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
6. Tan, Christopher (25 January 2019). "First phase of Cross Island MRT line finalised; will have 12 stations". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
7. Wong, Kai Yi (10 March 2020). "Punggol residents to get four more train stations by 2031". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
8. Musfirah, Hetty (17 January 2013). "S'pore to have two new MRT lines by 2030". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013.
9. "The Rail Report: Higher Reliability and Expanded Network in 2017 | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
10. "Changi's T5 likely to be served by 2 MRT lines". The Straits Times. 6 March 2017. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
11. "Land Transport Master Plan 2040: Bringing Singapore Together | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
12. "At a glance: Key updates to MRT, bus network and more for 2040 master plan". TODAYonline. 25 May 2019. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
13. "Cross Island Line – Punggol Extension: Better Rail Connectivity for Punggol and Pasir Ris Residents". www.lta.gov.sg. 10 March 2020. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
14. Tan, Christopher (25 January 2019). "First phase of Cross Island MRT line finalised; will have 12 stations". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
15. "Discussion and Position Paper" (PDF). Nature Society (Singapore). 18 July 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
16. "Nature Society proposes alternative route for Cross Island line". TODAYOnline. 19 July 2013. Archived from the original on 21 July 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
17. Lim, Adrian (25 February 2014). "LTA to suss out new MRT line's green impact". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
18. "Environmental Resources Management to Assess Environmental Impact of Cross Island Line". Land Transport Authority. 4 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
19. "Soil tests for MRT line in nature reserve mostly complete". The Straits Times. 19 October 2017. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
20. "Cross Island Line: Findings of site investigation works to be released". The Straits Times. 20 March 2018. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
21. Tan, Christopher; Tan, Audrey (4 December 2019). "Cross Island MRT Line to run directly under Central Catchment Nature Reserve". CNA. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.

External links

• Cross Island Line