Punggol Coast Station and Bukit Panjang LRT Dual Loop Resumption
Among Other Rail Improvements Commuters Can Expect This Year
 

             As announced at the Ministry of Transport’s Committee of Supply debate today, the Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 4 (TEL4) will commence passenger service on 23 June this year. TEL4 will improve accessibility for commuters by linking Singapore’s newest rail line with the East Coast region.

2.          Spanning 10.8km, the seven TEL4 stations – Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park, Tanjong Katong, Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap and Bayshore –will provide commuters along the East Coast area with alternative travel options. Commuters can expect travel time savings of up to 50 per cent when using TEL. For example, a Marine Parade resident travelling to Shenton Way will take 20 minutes via TEL compared to the current 40 minutes by bus and train.

3.          TEL4 also extends the reach of the rail network, providing commuters along the TEL with better access to work and play options along the East Coast area. With the opening of TEL4, around 235,000 households will be within a 10-minute walk from an existing TEL station (Woodlands North to Bayshore).

4.          To familiarise commuters with TEL4 stations, commuters can preview and travel for free along the seven new TEL4 stations during the opening event on 21 June 2024 from 10am to 9pm. A series of activities will also be held to mark the opening of the newest stage of the TEL. More details of the activity line-up will be made available subsequently on LTA’s social media pages.

5.           Residents in the east of Singapore can look forward to the opening of four other stations – Bedok South, Sungei Bedok interchange and Xilin – in 2026, when TEL5 and the Downtown Line extension (DTLe) projects are completed. The East Coast Integrated Depot, which has connecting tunnels to both TEL and DTL as well as viaducts from the East-West Line, will also open in 2026.

Updates on other major rail projects

6.          North East Line Extension (NELe) – Works on the Punggol Coast station on the North East Line extension (NELe) are progressing well. Civil and structure works have been completed and fitting-out works are progressing as planned. Testing and commissioning activities are ongoing. The station is on track to open by the end of this year.

7.           Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) renewal works – Since 1 December 2019, BPLRT has been operating on one loop (counter-clockwise loop on Service B via Petir Station) (see Annex A) during off-peak hours to facilitate BPLRT renewal works, which began in 2018 to enhance the line’s reliability. From 16 March 2024, we will resume dual loop operations on Saturdays at selected hours (11am to 1pm and 5pm to 7pm). We will monitor the performance of the BPLRT network closely after the resumption, before deciding on further extensions to more off-peak hours, while continuing to run full dual loop services during peak hours on weekday mornings and evenings. 

8.           In addition, two new trains for BPLRT have arrived and will begin passenger service in the third quarter of this year after testing and commissioning works. These are among the 19 new trains which will replace the first-generation vehicles that have been in service since 1999. Upgrading works for our second-generation vehicles, in tandem with the new Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system, are also progressing well. More trains are expected to complete the upgrade and re-enter passenger service later this year. 

9.           To facilitate testing of the new vehicles and systems, BPLRT services will be adjusted to provide longer engineering hours:

10.        During the days of early closure, commuters can take existing bus services that serve Bukit Panjang and/or Choa Chu Kang to continue their journeys after 10.30pm. These include Services 67, 171, 920, 922, 960, 963, 972, 972M, 973, 974 and 976.

11.        Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) enhancements – Works will commence this month to enhance the platforms of Sengkang LRT station to improve commuter flow, with dedicated stopping locations for each of the four routes plying the station. New signs and queue markings, as well as a new tactile guiding system will also be implemented to facilitate boarding and alighting (Annex B).

12.        In addition, we expect the first of the 25 new two-car trains for the SPLRT to arrive in Singapore by the end of the year. These new trains will undergo testing upon arrival, before being progressively deployed for passenger service. These new trains will replace the existing one-car trains and some of the existing two-car trains, increasing the overall passenger capacity of SPLRT.

13.        Hume Station – Construction is progressing well and the station is on track for opening in 2025. In addition to serving existing residential developments along Hume Avenue, the station will also provide more convenient access for commuters to the Rail Corridor (Central).

14.        We are on track to reaching our goal of expanding the rail network to about 360km by the 2030s, with eight in 10 households within 10 minutes of a train station. Our ongoing rail expansion projects will strengthen the connectivity and resilience of our land transport network.

Annex A: Service A and Service B routes for BPLRT
Annex B: Works at Sengkang LRT station