Khaw fleshes out plan for new 30-station MRT line

[reporter2]

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/khaw-fleshes-out-plan-for-new-30-station-mrt-line

Khaw fleshes out plan for new 30-station MRT line

http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/default/files/styles/x_large/public/articles/2016/02/29/catchment29.jpg?itok=9VFDWzpd
An aerial view of the Singapore central catchment area.PHOTO: ST FILE

50km Cross Island Line, with nearly 15 interchanges, will see 600,000 daily trips

Adrian Lim
Reporter


The 50km Cross Island Line (CRL) will be an important part of Singapore's rail network, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said.

Nearly half of its 30 stations from east to west will be interchanges to other MRT lines, offering commuters many travel options, he added.

Mr Khaw told Parliament yesterday that the line will serve residential areas such as Loyang, Pasir Ris, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Sin Ming, Bukit Timah, Clementi and West Coast, and commuters will make at least 600,000 trips on it daily.

But as to whether the underground CRL will be built through the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) or route around it - an issue of contention - Mr Khaw said more environmental and engineering studies, along with public consultations, must be done.

These may take over two more years, before a decision on the alignment can be made, Mr Khaw said, in reply to questions from Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) about the CRL.

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report to study the effects of site investigation works, released last month, itself took two years to complete.

Mr Khaw said the CRL, which is expected to be ready by 2030, will "significantly enhance" the MRT network's resilience, and its capacity and usage will far exceed that of the existing North-East Line.

He also said the longer 9km skirt around the CCNR will incur an extra travel time of six minutes, compared with the more direct 4km route running underneath the reserve.

Alluding to high public expectations of the MRT, Mr Khaw quipped that in a minute's delay, a commuter could post 100 times on Twitter to "flame" the Land Transport Authority and the rail operator.

This extra six minutes could not just be "brushed aside", he said.

Mr Ng said the skirt-around alignment would serve more commuters, but Mr Khaw replied that residents in the area are already served by the Circle Line and the future Thomson-East Coast Line.

Mr Khaw also said a skirt-around alignment would need longer tunnels and ventilation facilities on the surface. This option would cost $2 billion more and could result in land acquisitions.

But for the direct alignment option, 2km will be deep below the CCNR at about 40m - or 12 storeys - below ground level, and there will be no structures built at the surface level, Mr Khaw said.

Mr Ng also asked for the total cost of the CRL project, and which houses and buildings will be acquired.

Mr Khaw replied that it was still too early to know these details, and a second phase of EIA, to look into the impact of construction and running of trains underneath the nature reserve, will be done.

He urged Singaporeans not to take a biased approach to the issue, noting that some comments on the first EIA have been "very toxic".

"Keep an open mind, go with the facts. Keep an open mind and look for the evidence," he said.

Parliament resumes today.

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http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/decision-on-cross-island-line-may-take-another-two-years-says-khaw

PARLIAMENT

Decision on Cross-Island Line may take another two years, says Khaw

By Chuang Peck Ming

[email protected]

@PeckmingBT

Mar 1, 2016


THE 50-km Cross Island Line (CRL) will be a key boost to "network resilience" for Singapore's railway system; it will have 30 stations - nearly half of them interchanges - and enable 600,000 trips to be made daily, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Monday.

But it may take another two years to complete the environment and technical studies and to carry out public consultations before the government decides on the exact alignment of the CRL, which will run from the east to the west of the island, serving residential areas such as Loyang, Pasir Ris, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Sin Ming, Bukit Timah, Clementi and West Coast.

There are two proposed alignments. One cuts through the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) and the other skirts around it, said Mr Khaw, also the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure, in reply to Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC), who had asked about them.

The CRL has drawn much public attention since the release of the first phase of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report last month, especially from among those concerned that part of the line may disrupt the environment near the CCNR.

Mr Khaw said the studies and consultations in the next two years will "adequately factor in all views", including "the potential impact on the nature reserve, the travelling distance, the time for commuters, the cost to taxpayers and the potential acquisitions of homes and businesses".

He said the two proposed alignments are still be evaluated. The 4km "direct" option will lay 2 km of tracks 40 m or 12 storeys below the CCNR; the 9 km alternative skirting the area may cost S$2 billion more.

He told the House that the first option going directly under the CCNR would entail no construction on the surface level.

The second option, requiring a longer tunnel, will entail the building of ventilation shafts on the surface. Land may also be acquired.

"The Cross Island Line is a massive project and the government will decide on its entire alignment only after making a total assessment, including financial viability, technical feasibility and other relevant considerations," he said. "The EIA is only one of the many studies which we need to undertake to help us determine the best alignment for the stretch of the line in the vicinity of the CCNR."

To Mr Ng who wanted to know the total construction cost of the line - and how much more, in percentage terms, the "skirting" option would cost, Mr Khaw said: "A short answer to both questions is: 'I don't know yet'."