Taisei Corporation - China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited Singapore Branch Joint Venture has won a S$356 million contract from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) to design and construct the bored tunnel between Aviation Park station and Loyang station for the Cross Island Line Phase 1 (CRL1).
Construction work on the 3.2-km tunnel is expected to start in the second quarter of 2021. For the first time, LTA said it will use a large-diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM) to construct a single tunnel with two tracks in it. The CRL1 project is scheduled to commence passenger service in 2030.
The CRL, the eighth MRT line in Singapore, will be the country’s longest fully underground line at more than 50 km long. It will serve existing and future developments in the eastern, western, and north-eastern corridors, linking major hubs such as Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District and Changi region.
Upon full completion, the CRL is expected to have a daily ridership of at least 600,000 in the initial years, growing to one million in the longer term. The line will have almost half of its stations as interchanges with other train lines, making it easier and more convenient to travel across the rail network. According to LTA, the CRL will be constructed in three phases.
The CRL1 is 29 km long and comprises 12 stations from Aviation Park to Bright Hill. This will serve residential and industrial areas such as Loyang, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Defu, Hougang, Serangoon North and Ang Mo Kio and benefit more than 100,000 households. With CRL1, common recreational spaces such as Changi Beach Park and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park will be more accessible by public transport. LTA said studies on the details of subsequent CRL phases are ongoing.
Both Taisei Corporation and China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited Singapore Branch have established track records in providing design-and-build construction services, which include rail stations and tunnels locally and abroad, explained LTA.
Taisei Corporation is currently involved in the construction of Marina Bay station and tunnels for the Thomson-East Coast Line, while China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited Singapore Branch is working on the construction of Keppel and Cantonment stations for Circle Line 6, as well as tunnels for the North East Line Extension.
Image: LTA
