Cross Island Line

WHAT IS THE CROSS ISLAND LINE?

Spanning across Singapore, the Cross Island Line (CRL) will be about 50km in length and is targeted to complete around 2030.

The CRL is our eighth MRT line, and our longest fully underground line. When fully completed, it will serve existing and future developments in the eastern, western, and north-eastern corridors, linking major hubs such as Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District and Changi region. The projected daily ridership of the entire CRL is more than 600,000 in the initial years, increasing to over 1 million in the longer term.

WHERE IS THE CROSS ISLAND LINE?

When completed, the Cross Island Line (CRL) which starts from Changi, passing through Loyang, Pasir Ris, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Timah, Clementi, West Coast and Jurong, is expected to have a daily ridership of at least 600,000 commuters. This will place the CRL higher, in terms of capacity and usage, compared to the North East Line.

LTA will construct the CRL in three phases. Phase 1 of the CRL (CRL1) is 29 kilometres long, and comprises 12 stations from Aviation Park to Bright Hill. This will serve residential and industrial areas such as Loyang, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Defu, Hougang, Serangoon North and Ang Mo Kio. More than 100,000 households will benefit from CRL1, and common recreational spaces such as Changi Beach Park and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park will also become more accessible by public transport. Construction for CRL1 is expected to commence in 2020 and be completed by 2029.

Read more: Cross Island Line1 - New links by 2029

HOW WILL COMMUTERS BENEFIT FROM THE CRL?

The CRL will be an important part of our MRT network – providing a faster commute between the east and the west. It will connect all of our existing radial MRT lines with close to half of the CRL stations being interchange stations. Besides relieving the load on several of the existing MRT lines, the CRL will also provide commuters with many more travel routes to get to their destinations, bring about greater comfort to commuters and shorten journey times.

For instance, a commuter travelling from Ang Mo Kio can reach almost any part of Singapore using public transport within less than one hour, saving up to 30 to 40 minutes of travel time. Residents in Punggol will be able to travel directly to Pasir Ris - a popular travel route - in only 10 to 15 minutes, as compared to a 40-minute bus journey today.

ALIGNMENT OPTIONS FOR THE CRL

The Government is currently studying two underground alignments in the vicinity of Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) in order to make an informed decision on the alignment option that best serves the public:

i) Direct alignment

• 4km tunnel in total, with 2km directly beneath the CCNR
• No physical structure on the surface level within the CCNR

ii) Skirting alignment

• Tunnels skirt around the CCNR
• A 9km tunnel route length under residential and commercial buildings.

Site investigations works for the two possible underground alignment options were completed in 2017. These were the first steps in assessing the feasibility of the two CRL alignment options, directly underneath or skirting around the CCNR.

Given that the CCNR and its vicinity are ecologically sensitive areas, a robust two-phase Environment Impact Assessment process has been adopted for studying the two alignment options of the CRL:

• Phase 1 evaluates the existing ecosystem and the physical conditions of the CCNR, and the environmental impact of site investigation works within the CCNR. The Phase 1 EIA report was gazetted in February 2016, and site investigation works have been carried out in accordance to the mitigating measures listed in the report.
• Phase 2, which incorporates findings from the earlier site investigation works, assesses the potential environmental impact of the future construction (e.g. tunnelling) and daily MRT operations of the CRL in the longer term. This phase of the EIA studies is currently ongoing.

No decision has been made on which of the two alignments to pursue. This is the first time an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of this scale is carried out for rail development because the Government is concerned about preserving nature and protecting the CCNR. Our extensive consultations with the nature groups have been very helpful, and we have taken on board many of their suggestions.

The Government will consult and consider the views from all stakeholders before deciding on the final CRL alignment. Apart from environmental impact, the decision on the final CRL alignment will also take into account the length of commute, engineering feasibility of both alignments, the impact on businesses and families, and the cost to our taxpayers.

EIA Reference Documents

Press Release: LTA Gazettes Environmental Impact Assessment (Phase 1) for Cross Island Line

Press Release: Site Investigation to Study Two Alignments Options for the CRL

Phase 1 Environmental Impact Assessment Reports