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ST 22 Jan 2011
Woodleigh station may open by June
Plans to open MRT station started last year
By Christopher Tan
THE North East MRT Line's Woodleigh station in Potong Pasir - completed but shuttered since the line started running eight years ago - is expected to open by the middle of this year.
The Straits Times understands plans to open the mothballed station, which is just outside the exhumed Bidadari cemeteries as well as a cluster of condos, had started in the second half of last year.
Workers were seen sprucing up the stop, which is between Potong Pasir and Serangoon stations.
But SBS Transit, operator of the North East Line (NEL), would not confirm the news. Spokesman Tammy Tan merely said: 'We will make an announcement when a decision is made with regard to its opening.'
Industry watchers reckon Woodleigh would actually contribute to SBS Transit's revenue. This is because of a growing pool of commuters in the area.
New condo projects which have sprouted near the station in recent years include 8@Woodleigh, Parc Mondrian and Blossoms@Woodleigh. In total, they feature 670 units. The 179-unit Avon Park condo is also nearby.
Down the road, the Stamford American International School is being built. It is expected to have more than 3,000 pupils when it opens some time next year.
Mr John Rachmat, a transport analyst with Royal Bank of Scotland Asia Securities, said: 'As far as investors are concerned... the sooner Woodleigh station can start operating, the better.'
SBS Transit has also been enjoying fast-growing ridership on the NEL. Last year, ridership grew by 16.4 per cent to 138.2 million from 2009.
Last month, average daily ridership to the Serangoon station almost doubled to 36,783 - thanks largely to the opening of the nex megamall in November.
Residents living near the station cannot wait for it to open.
Financial consultant Fang Mei Ling, 50, is one of them. The Avon Park resident, who relies on public transport, said the area used to be well-served by buses.
'But since the North East Line opened, many were rationalised. Now I have to take a bus to Potong Pasir station, and then hop on a train to where I want to go,' she noted.
Another Avon Park resident, IT manager Ang Chwee Leng, 48, said: 'After seeing all the improvements in the rail network, it's frustrating to see one station that's ready for so many years and not opened.'
The PAP grassroots adviser to Potong Pasir Sitoh Yih Pin said that in his visits to Avon Park, residents have brought up the opening of the station time and again.
'If the news is true, then it is great news for Potong Pasir residents, especially those at Avon Park who live directly across the road from the station,' he said.
IT engineer Simon Su, 39, who lives in Joo Seng Road nearby, said he usually takes a feeder bus to Aljunied station. 'But if the weather is fine and I'm not in a hurry, walking to Woodleigh Station is one option,' he said.
Property developers were also excited by the prospect of the station opening.
Frasers Centrepoint chief executive Lim Ee Seng said although the company's 8@Woodleigh project has sold out completely, he will be on a lookout for new plots near Woodleigh now.
'Anything that's near MRT stations will be desired by developers, especially in a market where buyers have so many choices,' Mr Lim said.
Hong Leong Group spokesman Gerry de Silva concurs.
'Going forward, as the rail network grows and as more people switch to public transport,the interest in properties near train stations will grow.'
Woodleigh station was among three stations that were not meant to be built when the NEL was announced in the mid-1990s. The other two were Potong Pasir and Punggol.
But as construction progressed, the Government decided to open the other two, saying population around them had grown sufficiently.
However, when the line opened in 2003, there was a shock announcement that Buangkok station would stay shut. After strong lobbying led by MP Charles Chong, Buangkok opened in early 2006, just before the last general election.
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