SINGAPORE: The 13·2 km third stage of the Thomson-East Coast Line was inaugurated on November 13, linking Caldecott with Gardens by the Bay.
Free travel was offered on November 11, enabling people to try the line before the official opening. More than 180 000 households are within a 10 min walk of the extension, which offers journey time reductions of up to 40%.
Intended to enhance connectivity between the northern, central and eastern parts of Singapore, the Thomson-East Coast Line was developed from 2014 with the merger of the previously planned Thomson and Eastern Region line projects.
The first 3·2 km between Woodlands North and Woodlands South opened in January 2020. The 14 km second stage from Woodlands South to Caldecott followed in August 2021.
Infill stations at Mount Pleasant and Marina South on the latest extension will open in when adjacent housing developments are completed.
A fourth stage of the line running east from Gardens by the Bay to Sungei Bedok is to open in two stages in 2024 and 2025 adding a further 13 km.
A fifth stage towards Changi Airport is planned for completion by 2040.
When fully operational the will be 43 km long with 32 stations. Ridership is expected to grow from 500 000 passengers per day in the initial years to 1 million in the longer term.
The line is operated using 91 four-car CT251 driverless trainsets supplied by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and CRRC Qingdao Sifang under a S$749m contract signed in 2014.
Alstom has supplied Urbalis 400 moving block signalling supporting GoA4 unattended operation, along with platform screen doors.
