Cross Island Line 1
A few days ago, Cross Island Line 1 (CRL 1) was announced. The detailed station location maps can be found here. Normally this would be front page news, but the unfortunate demise of Aloysius Pang happened a few days before the CRL 1 announcement, and stole the front page for many consecutive days.
One day before the announcement, a speculative map of the alignment and station locations of CRL 1 was posted. It turns out the speculation is spot on. This speculation was compiled from publicly available information, such as past Land Transport Authority (LTA) announcements and the locations of soil investigation rigs. The people at SkyscraperCity forums have done an excellent job.
Generally, I feel that this is a good line. It provides convenient connections between locations such as Ang Mo Kio, Hougang, and Pasir Ris, which is not well served by the current Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network for people wanting to travel being these places. Interestingly, it cuts under two airfields, Paya Lebar Airbase and Changi Airport. Going under the Paya Lebar Airbase will save quite a bit of time, for vehicles travelling at the surface must skirt around the northern end by travelling on Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and Tampines Expressway (TPE). My only comment regarding station locations is that it is quite a waste for CRL 1 not to have a station at Changi Village, given that it has already gone as far as Loyang. It is expected that CRL 1 will extend to Changi Airport Terminal 5 in the future, together with the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).
Even though the eastern part of Singapore already have a denser MRT network compared to the western part, I think the eastern leg of CRL is announced first because it has already been planned. On the other hand, the indefinite delay of the High Speed Rail (HSR) between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore would have thrown important parts of the public transportation plan for the western part of Singapore into disarray.
A couple of other comments:
1. To accomodate eight-car trains, the station footprints of all the stations are large.
2. Hougang station is likely a very challenging station to plan and build, due to the location of the existing North East Line (NEL) station. The line must swing up and down, and find its way around and under the densely built up housing flats.
3. Teck Ghee station will be built together with the North South Corridor (NSC), according to this LTA announcement.
4. When planning the TEL, Bright Hill station was to be a cross platform interchange with this line. For reasons unknown, this plan was scrapped in favour of two station structures. This is also quite a waste because transfer time is increased.
Finally, I really want to see the western section of this line go under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR). Choosing the skirting option would be a disservice to commuters.
One day before the announcement, a speculative map of the alignment and station locations of CRL 1 was posted. It turns out the speculation is spot on. This speculation was compiled from publicly available information, such as past Land Transport Authority (LTA) announcements and the locations of soil investigation rigs. The people at SkyscraperCity forums have done an excellent job.
Generally, I feel that this is a good line. It provides convenient connections between locations such as Ang Mo Kio, Hougang, and Pasir Ris, which is not well served by the current Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network for people wanting to travel being these places. Interestingly, it cuts under two airfields, Paya Lebar Airbase and Changi Airport. Going under the Paya Lebar Airbase will save quite a bit of time, for vehicles travelling at the surface must skirt around the northern end by travelling on Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and Tampines Expressway (TPE). My only comment regarding station locations is that it is quite a waste for CRL 1 not to have a station at Changi Village, given that it has already gone as far as Loyang. It is expected that CRL 1 will extend to Changi Airport Terminal 5 in the future, together with the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).
Even though the eastern part of Singapore already have a denser MRT network compared to the western part, I think the eastern leg of CRL is announced first because it has already been planned. On the other hand, the indefinite delay of the High Speed Rail (HSR) between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore would have thrown important parts of the public transportation plan for the western part of Singapore into disarray.
A couple of other comments:
1. To accomodate eight-car trains, the station footprints of all the stations are large.
2. Hougang station is likely a very challenging station to plan and build, due to the location of the existing North East Line (NEL) station. The line must swing up and down, and find its way around and under the densely built up housing flats.
3. Teck Ghee station will be built together with the North South Corridor (NSC), according to this LTA announcement.
4. When planning the TEL, Bright Hill station was to be a cross platform interchange with this line. For reasons unknown, this plan was scrapped in favour of two station structures. This is also quite a waste because transfer time is increased.
Finally, I really want to see the western section of this line go under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR). Choosing the skirting option would be a disservice to commuters.