Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 2 almost complete The 43 km Thomson-East Coast Line will open in fi ve stages starƟ ng from this year

THOMSONͳEAST COAST LINE STAGE 2 ALMOST COMPLETE

The 43 km Thomson-East Coast Line will open in fi ve stages starƟ ng from this year to becoming completely operaƟ onal in 2024.

TEL2

TEL2 comprises six staƟ ons from Springleaf to CaldecoƩ , with two interchange staƟ ons at Bright Hill and CaldecoƩ . The 43 km Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) is Singapore’s sixth MRT line, adding 32 new staƟ ons to the exisƟ ng rail network, with eight interchange staƟ ons in total.

The second stage of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL2) is about 90% complete, and on track to open in the later part of 2020. TEL2 comprises six staƟ ons from Springleaf to CaldecoƩ , with two interchange staƟ ons at Bright Hill and CaldecoƩ . Bright Hill staƟ on will link to the future Cross Island Line, while CaldecoƩ staƟ on will link to the existing Circle Line (CCL). The 43 km Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) is Singapore’s sixth MRT line, adding 32 new staƟ ons to the exisƟ ng rail network, with eight interchange staƟ ons in total. The line will open in fi ve stages starƟ ng from this year to 2024. The fi rst stage of TEL (TEL1), made up of Woodlands North, Woodlands, and Woodlands South MRT staƟ ons, will begin passenger service on 31 January 2020. About 100,000 households will benefi t from TEL1 and TEL2, as they will be within a 10-minute walk from one of the nine staƟ ons. These residents will be able to experience travel Ɵ me savings of up to 50%. For example, a Sin Ming resident travelling to Republic Polytechnic will have the journey Ɵ me halved, from 50 minutes to 25 minutes. When fully operaƟ onal in 2024 (except for Founders’ Memorial StaƟ on which will open in tandem with the memorial), the TEL is expected to serve approximately 500,000 commuters daily in the iniƟ al years, rising to about 1,000,000 commuters in the longer term. Besides enhancing connecƟ vity between the northern, central, and eastern parts of Singapore, the TEL will strengthen the resilience of the rail network by providing alternaƟ ve travel routes for commuters on other lines. As the TEL runs parallel to the North-South Line (NSL), it will also help to reduce reliance and crowding on the NSL.

Springleaf StaƟ on Springleaf StaƟ on is located along Upper Thomson Road, between Thong Soon Green and Springleaf Road. LTA took steps before and during the construcƟ on of Springleaf StaƟ on to minimise the impact on nearby shop tenants and residents, which included briefi ng them of the works early on. LTA also worked closely with Singapore PowerGrid to ensure that its cable tunnel, which runs through Springleaf StaƟ on, could be constructed without interrupƟ ons. bring rail connecƟ vity to schools, community ameniƟ es and residenƟ al developments in the Kebun Baru Estate, such as CHIJ St Nicholas Girls School, Mayfl ower Secondary School, Ang Mo Kio Primary School and the Kebun Baru Community Club. As the staƟ on is situated on a sloping terrain directly underneath Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, surrounded by densely-built residenƟ al developments, mulƟ ple stages of traffi c diversion had to be implemented to facilitate the construcƟ on of the staƟ on while minimising inconvenience to the public.

Interior of TEL Springleaf staƟ on.

Lentor StaƟ on The locaƟ on of Lentor StaƟ on is adjacent to the residenƟ al areas. Residents of Lentor Estate and Teacher’s Estate can soon look forward to greater accessibility to the city centre via this staƟ on. To minimise impact to nearby residences and high-rise developments, top-down construcƟ on was adopted for the construcƟ on of the staƟ on box and entrances. Extensive studies were conducted to idenƟ fy the network of uƟ lity services located within the work zone, to prevent any disrupƟ ons that could aff ect the neighbouring estates.

12 TEL Lentor StaƟ on Entrance A.

Mayfl ower StaƟ on Mayfl ower StaƟ on is located in the mature Ang Mo Kio Estate and Kebun Baru Estate. The barrier-free entrances of Mayfl ower StaƟ on allow commuters, especially elderly residents, to access the staƟ on easily. The staƟ on will

THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER January 2020 TEL Mayfl ower StaƟ on Entrance G.

Bright Hill StaƟ on Bright Hill StaƟ on is located along Sin Ming Avenue. The staƟ on’s entrance locaƟ ons were chosen to serve residents of Sin Ming Garden, Faber Garden and Gardens at Bishan, as well as Ai Tong Primary School. The staƟ on provides residents and students direct connecƟ vity in the future to the city centre as well as the eastern region of Singapore. Due to the presence of hard granite around Bright Hill StaƟ on, it was a challenge to install more than 1,500 secant bored piles, which were required for the Earth Retaining Stabilising Structures (ERSS) for the staƟ on before excavaƟ on work could commence. As the area is highly urbanised, the tunnels from Bright Hill StaƟ on towards its adjacent staƟ ons required tunnelling under an exisƟ ng low-rise residenƟ al building. To ensure safety, enhancement work was carried out to strengthen the building’s foundaƟ on system prior to tunnelling work.

Upper Thomson StaƟ on The Upper Thomson StaƟ on will serve the neighbouring residenƟ al estates such as Soo Chow Estate, as well as developments such as Thomson Plaza, Church of the Holy Spirit, and various dining establishments. As the staƟ on is located directly beneath the busy Upper Thomson Road and fl anked by two rows of terrace houses, traffi c diversions and canal diversion were implemented in phases, adjacent to Soo Chow Estate, to support the various stages of construcƟ on. To reduce inconvenience to residents and commuters, a secƟ on of the linkway underneath Upper Thomson Road to Entrance B was constructed using the pipe roof and tunnel method. This involved using a retractable micro tunnel boring machine to install circular pipes horizontally to form the ERSS before mining excavaƟ on was carried out.

TEL Upper Thomson StaƟ on Entrance C.

CaldecoƩ StaƟ on CaldecoƩ StaƟ on will bring further convenience and connecƟ vity to commuters working and residing in the Thomson Road Estate and Toa Payoh Rise Estates. This interchange with the CCL will also provide easier access to the Singapore AssociaƟ on of the Visually Handicapped, Lighthouse School, Mount Alvernia Hospital, St Joseph InsƟ tute InternaƟ onal (SJII) and MacRitchie Reservoir.

To avoid impacƟ ng SJII, the mined tunnel construcƟ on method was adopted as it would not require ground excavaƟ on. It is the largest mined tunnel ever constructed in Singapore in a mixed soil condiƟ on. The staƟ on has been designed as a four-level underground staƟ on, and a total of 160,000 m 3 of granite was removed using the electronic blasƟ ng method.

THOMSONͳEAST COAST LINE STAGE 1 The Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 1 (TEL1) comprises one depot at Mandai and three staƟ ons, including an interchange staƟ on at Woodlands that links to the North-South Line (NSL), providing commuters in Woodlands greater accessibility and shortening their travelling Ɵ me. Woodlands StaƟ on is also equipped with a Civil Defence shelter.

Woodlands North StaƟ on Woodlands North staƟ on is located between Woodlands Avenue 9 and Admiralty Road West. The staƟ on is about 270 m long, 48 m wide and 22 m below ground level. It has two entrances and comprises two levels - concourse and plaƞ orm. Students at Republic Polytechnic can enjoy beƩ er connecƟ vity with the opening of TEL1, with Entrance 1 leading directly to the school.

Woodlands StaƟ on Woodlands StaƟ on is located between Woodlands Square and Woodlands Avenue 2, and is an interchange staƟ on with the NSL, improving connecƟ vity for Woodlands residents and commuters. The staƟ on is about 330 m long, 30 m wide and 24 m below ground level. It has four entrances and comprises two levels - concourse and plaƞ orm.

Woodlands South StaƟ on Woodlands South Station is located along Woodlands Avenue 1, between the Woodlands Drive 16, Woodlands Drive 17 and Woodlands Avenue 1 junction. The station is about 206 m long, 24 m wide and 22 m below ground level and comprises two levels - concourse and platform. It has five entrances, one of which will open in tandem with the opening of the future Woodlands Health campus that is currently under development. The staƟ on serves students from neighbouring schools such as Woodgrove Secondary School, Singapore Sports School and Christchurch Secondary School.

Train frequency of TEL1 Passengers can look forward to new fi ve-door, four-car trains for TEL. Trains will be running along TEL1 staƟ ons from Woodlands North to Woodlands South at frequencies of 10 minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes during off -peak hours, at the commencement of passenger service for TEL1. As ridership on TEL1 increases, the frequencies for both peak and off -peak hours will be reviewed and adjusted.