Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 2 (TEL2) opening ceremony was held today, in the lead up to the commencement of passenger service from tomorrow. Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean attended the ceremony held at TEL2 Mayflower station. Minister for Transport S Iswaran, advisers such as Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat and representatives from the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped were also present. Senior Minister of State for Transport Dr Amy Khor and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Baey Yam Keng also joined the ceremony virtually from TEL2 Springleaf station, along with representatives from nearby businesses.  

2          TEL2 spans 13km and comprises six stations, namely Springleaf, Lentor, Mayflower, Bright Hill, Upper Thomson and Caldecott. With the opening of TEL2, 100,000 households will be within a 10-minute walk from a TEL station. This includes residents in the Thomson area who were previously not served directly by a rail line. With the new Caldecott station being an interchange with the Circle Line (CCL)[1], residents in the north will have more travelling options. We hope that with the increased rail connectivity, motorists will try out the new TEL2 and experience the convenience of travelling by public transport more regularly.

3          Commuters will also enjoy shorter journeys with TEL2. For example, a Sin Ming resident travelling to Republic Polytechnic will have his journey time halved, from the current 50 minutes via bus and train to 25 minutes by TEL. Similarly, a resident staying in the Mayflower area will be able to get to Jurong East in 40 minutes by train, as compared to 60 minutes via bus and train today.

4          TEL2 is designed with the community in mind, with multiple station entrances for the convenience of the commuters. It also incorporates inclusive features such as high colour contrast signages and lift buttons, lighting along handrails of staircases, as well as platform seats with backrest and arm support, to cater to seniors and visually-impaired commuters.

5          When TEL2 opens, trains will be running along TEL1 and TEL2 stations from Woodlands North to Caldecott at frequencies of five minutes during peak hours and nine minutes during off-peak hours. As ridership increases, the frequencies for both peak and off-peak hours will be reviewed.
 

6          With more stages of TEL opening in the coming years, residents living along the TEL corridor will have a faster and more direct option to travel towards the city centre via the train. We will also monitor changes in travel patterns, in particular for bus services which duplicate the TEL, and make adjustments to these services where necessary to optimise the bus network and reallocate resources to other areas of need.

Springleaf Station

7          Springleaf station is located along Upper Thomson Road, between Springleaf Road and Thong Soon Green. The station will improve connectivity for the neighbouring residential estates and various dining establishments around the vicinity, as well as enhance access to Springleaf Nature Park.

Lentor Station

8          Lentor station is adjacent to the residential areas. Residents of Lentor Estate and Teacher’s Estate can look forward to greater accessibility to the city centre via this station.

Mayflower Station

9          Mayflower station is located in the mature Ang Mo Kio and Kebun Baru estate. The station will bring rail connectivity to schools, community amenities and residential developments in the Kebun Baru estate, such as CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, Mayflower Secondary School, Ang Mo Kio Primary School, Mayflower Market and Food Centre and the Kebun Baru Community Club.

Bright Hill Station

10        Bright Hill station is located along Sin Ming Avenue and will be an interchange station with the future Cross Island Line (CRL). The station is designed to serve residents of Sin Ming Garden, Faber Garden and Gardens at Bishan, as well as Ai Tong Primary School and Midview City. The station will also provide residents and students with direct connectivity to the city centre as well as the eastern region of Singapore when more stages of TEL open.

Upper Thomson Station

11        Upper Thomson station will serve the neighbouring residential estates such as Soo Chow Estate, as well as developments such as Thomson Plaza, Church of the Holy Spirit, and dining establishments along Upper Thomson Road.

Caldecott Station

12        Caldecott station will bring further convenience and connectivity to commuters working and residing in the Thomson Road and Toa Payoh Rise estates. It will also provide easier access to the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped, Lighthouse School, Mount Alvernia Hospital, St Joseph’s Institution International (SJII) and MacRitchie Reservoir. Caldecott is also an interchange station, connecting commuters on TEL to CCL.

About TEL

13        The 43km TEL is Singapore’s sixth MRT line, adding 32 new stations to the existing rail network, eight of which are interchange stations. When fully operational, TEL is expected to serve approximately 500,000 commuters daily in the initial years, and increasing to about one million commuters in the longer term.

14        Besides enhancing connectivity between the northern, central, and eastern parts of Singapore, TEL will strengthen the resilience of our rail network by providing alternative travel routes for commuters on other lines. As TEL runs parallel to the North-South Line (NSL), it will also help to reduce reliance and commuter load on NSL.    

[1] Bright Hill station will also be an interchange with the future Cross Island Line (CRL).