T307 - Marine Parade update Q2 2023

 

2 June 2023 - A view of Exit A seen in the evening, along Marine Parade Road.

Diagram showing the various exits at the station. For ease of reference, we will be using the
lettering as above when referencing to the various exits.
Source: Grand Mercure Roxy

Contract T307 is for the construction of Marine Parade station and associated tunnels is one of the highly anticipated stations along the East Coast stretch of the line Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). The station will open up connections for the area which includes several hotels, Parkway Parade & I12 Katong malls, the surrounding neighbourhoods & Marine Parade town centre, where the hawker centre can be found. Adjoining the station will be a cut & cover tunnel which houses a cripple siding at track level and a pedestrian retail linkway at concourse level. The cut & cover tunnel will be connected to 4 exits (D - F & Marine Parade CC exit).

10 May 2023 - Exit A in front of the stretch of hotels along Marine Parade Road (eastbound).

10 May 2023 - A view of ongoing works at Exit A.

10 May 2023

2 June 2023 - Exit A seen in the evening from Parkway Parade's pick-up/drop-off (PUDO) point.

2 June 2023 - A close up view of Exit A, using the harsh, temporary white construction lights to
illuminate the work area.

2 June 2023 - A view of the entry area leading to the elevators to the underground bicycle parking
facility within the station.

2 June 2023 - A close up view of the additional entry area.

2 June 2023 - The main elevator for the exit visible shrouded in green netting.

Exit A
Unlike the previous two stations at Katong Park & Tanjong Katong, which had the station permanent lighting switched on to aid with works being carried out at night, Marine Parade station still uses the temporary construction lighting at night. Exit A was observed to be undergoing internal work such as the installation of floor tiling. Judging by the works ongoing, the station is at a further stage from completion than the other stations observed thus far.

10 May 2023 - A view of Exit B along Marine Parade Road (eastbound) being fitted with
equipment.

10 May 2023 - Air conditioning condenser units sit atop the station exit.

10 May 2023

10 May 2023 - The installation of cladding has begun at the station.

2 June 2023 - A view of Exit B as seen in the evening.

2 June 2023

2 June 2023 - Installation of cladding has not progressed very far.

Exit B
Over at this exit, it appears that the contractor has tested the installation of cladding with the quirky vine-like design. Angular black lines contort in a seemingly random pattern, giving the station exit a rather cool look. Behind the black lines are some pieces of glass that will enclose the exit. Roughly a month later, and the exit only had the same 2 pieces of external cladding and design added. There is not much visible progress at the exit within the short span of time. Nonetheless, it is heartening to see some of the station exterior going up.

2 June 2023 - A view of Exit C in the evening.

2 June 2023 - A close up view of Exit C, showing bare concrete floors and lots of scaffolding
still on site.

2 June 2023 - A view of Exit C from the street level.

2 June 2023

2 June 2023 - Exit C as seen from Parkway Parade.

2 June 2023 - A close up view from Parkway Parade.

Exit C
Exit C has progressed slightly since we last checked in here. The roofing appears to be more completed than the corrugated metal sheets we saw on top the last time. Rebar is no longer visible from the core components that stick up above the metal structure either as the concrete has been poured and the structure cast. Judging by the station exit's structure featuring bare walls and concrete floors, it is probably safe to say that this exit has some work to complete before being anywhere near ready for commissioning. Scaffolding is still visible, segregating workers from the stairs and escalators of the exit.

2 June 2023 - An aerial view of Exit E.

2 June 2023 - A street level view of Exit E.

2 June 2023 - A close up showing the amount of scaffolding still present.

2 June 2023

2 June 2023 - Another close up showing an escalator, still covered with a protective layer of fabric.

2 June 2023 - The metal frame for the station exit's roof at the entryway has been installed.

Exit E
Progress at this exit repeats the same story that the rest of the station has been telling - there's a long way more to go till completion. Full of scaffolding, some parts of rebar are still visible along the sides of the station exit. Much more work appears to be needed here, to get the exit close to completion. There is a possibility that this exit might open later than the other station exits to get the project to completion and allow for the station's earlier operation - similar to how the exits at Great World station on the third phase also opened in a phased manner. Given that Exit E connects to the pedestrian retail linkway rather than directly to the station concourse, its later completion will not affect the operation of the station.

10 May 2023 - A view eastwards along Marine Parade Road. Exit D is on the right.

10 May 2023

2 June 2023 - A view of Exit D in the evening, seen from the estate car park.

2 June 2023 - A close up view of the station exit.

Exit D
Similar to Exit E, this station exit appears to be less completed than Exits A to C. Scaffolding is also extremely abundant at this exit, meaning that works on features such as the wall cladding or floor tiling are still some way off. Like Exit E, this station exit also connects to the pedestrian retail linkway. Although the exit's location will enable it to serve many residential blocks, there is a possibility of a later opening as the contractor attempts to have the main station area completed in time for inspections ahead of the Temporary Occupancy Permit review.

10 May 2023 - A view of Exit F as seen from Marine Parade Road.

10 May 2023 - The former Marine Parade Community Club being demolished to be rebuilt as
a more modern community building.

2 June 2023 - The project board for the community club indicates a future link to the MRT
station via the pedestrian retail linkway at concourse level.

2 June 2023 - A render of the new community club facade.

2 June 2023 - A view of Exit F in the evening.

2 June 2023

2 June 2023 - A view of Exit F from the junction of Marine Parade Road & Still Road.

Exit F & Marine Parade CC exit
Exit F will be located next to the eastbound carriageway of Marine Parade Road. This appears to be the least complete of the station exits under contract T307. The frame of the metal roof was still visible at the time when the photos were taken.

The Marine Parade Community Club is being rebuilt, hence the connection to the building will only be available upon completion of the new club building. Owing to the underground nature, it will only be visible when completion draws near. At this juncture, the old building is still being demolished, hence the connection is unlikely to be visible any time soon.

In general, the station has quite an amount of work to be completed ahead of the line's opening. To date, only Exit B has any cladding completed, with all the remaining exits yet to begin any form of installation. The 3 exits connecting to the station box proper are in a more advanced stage of construction as compared to the remaining 3 that will connect to the pedestrian retail linkway. A further exit will be built to connect the community club building further into the future. We hope that the subsequent quarter will enable works to pick up pace ahead of the line's completion date next year. This would allow testing to begin, signaling the line moving one step closer to completion.

As Marine Parade is an integral station along the East Coast stretch of the TEL, it is imperative that the station be opened to allow users in the intended service area to utilise the line. Do stay tuned as we bring you progressive updates on the completion of construction works along the TEL East Coast stretch.

This post will also be available on Instagram & Facebook on 26 June 2023.