Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded the civil contract to Lum Chang Building Contractors Pte Ltd to build a new platform at Tanah Merah Station and viaducts for a contract sum of approximately S$325 million. Together with the construction of a new platform, existing East-West Line MRT tracks will also be extended to connect to the new four-in-one East Coast Integrated Depot at Changi. This four-in-one depot will house trains from the East-West, Downtown and Thomson-East Coast Lines, as well as buses.

Construction works for the additional platform are expected to start by the end of 2016 and targeted to complete in 2024.

The two middle tracks at Tanah Merah interchange station will be used for trains travelling both bounds between Tanah Merah and Changi Airport stations. With an additional platform, there will be one pair of dedicated tracks for East-West Line and Changi Airport Line respectively, allowing trains of the Changi Airport Line to arrive and depart at Tanah Merah station at shorter intervals as compared to today, thus enabling faster travel to Expo and Changi Airport.

LTA said it will work with the contractors to implement dust and noise control measures on site during the construction phase. Noise barriers and privacy screens will also be installed along some stretches of the new viaduct to mitigate the impact on residents living close to the station, according to LTA.