http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/...40740,00.html?
Published June 17, 2011
Thomson Line to join rapid train link to JB near Republic Poly
LTA to build the line's northern-most MRT station there, expected by 2018
By UMA SHANKARI
THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) plans to build an MRT station near Republic Polytechnic in Woodlands to integrate the upcoming Thomson Line with a proposed rapid transit train link to Johor Baru.
This station will be the northern-most terminal station of the Thomson Line, said LTA.
The 30-kilometre Thomson Line - which will stretch from Woodlands in the north through the central business district to Marina Bay - is expected to be ready by 2018.
The rapid transit train link between Singapore and Johor Baru (JB) is also expected to be completed by then.
LTA also provided other details on the Thomson Line yesterday. The depot for the line will be located in Mandai, beside a portion of the Seletar Expressway, and will provide stabling and maintenance facilities for Thomson Line trains.
There are also plans for the Thomson Line to interchange with the North- South Line at the existing Woodlands MRT Station,
The Thomson Line is currently under detailed engineering study and LTA will announce more details at a later date, it said.
For now, the government agency said that work on the 32 hectare depot in Mandai is scheduled to commence at the end of 2012.
The site for the depot was gazetted yesterday after extensive engineering studies and site surveys. The government will acquire a 40 ha farm - which now houses Orchidville - to facilitate construction of the depot.
When completed, the depot will be able to hold up to 90 trains and will be the largest one in Singapore, LTA said.
The government has given the go-ahead for the fully underground Thomson Line - which will run through housing estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Sin Ming and Thomson before heading into the city - to be built by 2018.
'The construction of the Thomson Line is part of plans to develop a comprehensive rail network system to meet future travel needs. It will improve rail accessibility along the North-South corridor and improve connectivity to the other lines,' LTA said yesterday.
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