Route predictions

Finally, here is our speculative map of the station locations for Eastern Region Line (ERL). We expect the announcement to be made sometime in August, so here are our take on the locations. Once again, we reiterate that these station locations are part of our prediction based on available information and site conditions, not the final location or announcement by relevant authorities.

Based on information that we have collected over the past few years, we have established the following parameters for ERL:

1.  The line will be 13km long, and will be a continuation of the Thomson Line from Gardens by the Bay.
2. There will be 10 stations, named E1 to E10, on the line. E10 on the eastern end of the line will connect directly to Changi Depot. The downtown line will also be extended by 1 station to E10, where it interchanges with the ERL
3.  One of the stations within the section of E1 – E5 will be a future station.

Looking into the available space, construction feasibility and the locations of soil investigations done in the past 2 years, we have come out with 2 possibilities of the overall alignment of ERL. The 2 options differ by the locations of E3 and E4. These 2 scenarios are the result of conflicting locations of SI. We suspect that one of the 2 possible alignments for this section is an alternative proposal for comparison and costing purposes. Similar exercises had been done for Thomson Line prior to the official announcement of the station locations.

Expected alignment

We expect the alignment to run northwards from Gardens by the Bay towards Tanjong Rhu, where it will run along Tanjong Rhu Road, Meyer Road, swing up to Amber Gardens, and merge back to Marine Parade Road just before Parkway Parade. The line then runs along Marine Parade Road until Bayshore where it gradually merges with Upper East Coast Road. The advantage of this alignment is that it avoids most of the old beach and sea wall, and hence reduces complexity during construction.

Here’s a run through of the locations of the MRT stations.

Predictive route - Option A

E1 – Bay East / Gardens by the Bay East / Marina East

This station primarily serves the Bay East section of the Gardens by the Bay. The area to the east of the station will be developed after the lease for the Marina East Golf Course expires. We expect that the station will only open after Marina East is developed.

Approximate location station E1 - Bay East/Gardens by the Bay East/Marina East

E2 – Tanjong Rhu

Tanjong Rhu will serve the private residential estate of Tanjong Rhu, and is in walkable distance from the newly opened Singapore Sports Hub too. Hence it will join Kallang, Mountbatten and Stadium stations as the 4^th MRT gateway to the Sports Hub. We have sited the station next to areas planned for commercial developments.

Approximate station location - E2 Tanjong Rhu

E3 – Fort Road / Katong Park / Meyer

This station will serve the private residential developments around the Fort Road/Tanjong Rhu Road junction, and Dunman High School. It is also in close proximity to Kampong Arang HDB estate, which previously was only served by Mountbatten 600m away.

Approximate station location option A - E3 Fort Road

E4 – Tanjong Katong / Amber

The choice for locating the station was a hard one as soil investigations were spread over a very large area. For this scenario we have chosen Amber Gardens since the road is straight, compared to Amber Road which has very tight bends and not conducive to construct a station. Buildings along Amber Gardens have to larger setback too, and the line does not affect any conserved building too.

Approximate station location option A - E4 Tanjong Katong

E5 – Marine Parade

We are very confident of this one. The station will definitely be located near Parkway Parade and Marine Parade Central, since this is essentially the heart of the region. We expect the station to be long and narrow with structures avoiding the north side of Marine Parade Road where the old sea wall is located. We are also expecting a pair of crossovers or cripple siding on the east side of this station, towards E6.

Approximate station location - E5 Marine Parade

E6 – Marine Terrace / Telok Kurau

This station serves another important part of the area, Marine Terrace and Marine Crescent. This area forms the main bulk of the HDB estate, and is also between many schools, including Tao Nan School, St Patrick’s School, CHIJ Katong Convent, Victoria Junior College and Ngee Ann Primary.

Approximate station location - E6 Marine Terrace/Telok Kurau

E7 – Siglap

After cutting through 2 major canals, we arrive at Siglap, we have sited the station next to Laguna Park and Lagoon View and near to Victoria School. This location is very convenient too since it is next to the Siglap Linear Park, hence allowing residents and visitors in this area to walk or cycle to the station using a car-free path.

Approximate station location - E7 Siglap

E8 – Bayshore

This station is next to a cluster of high density private housing along Bayshore Road. It also potentially serves a new residential district on the east side of the road.

Approximate station location - E8 Bayshore

E9 – Bedok South

Located right next to Temasek Secondary School, this station will also serve the new residential district. There is also a cluster of HDB flats on the north side of Upper East Road which will also benefit from this station.

Approximate station location - E9 Bedok South

E10/DT36 – Bedok Corner / Upper East Coast

This is an interchange station for ERL and DTL, and is also the terminal station for ERL until it is extended towards Changi Airport T5 and eventual link with the Cross Island Line. The station is next to the famous Bedok Corner Food Centre and Bedok Camp. From here commuters can transfer from ERL to the DTL towards Expo and Tampines, and vice versa. The ERL platform will occupy the upper platform level while the DTL will be housed in the lower platform level. With this station, the original oblong-loop of the former Eastern Region Line announced back in 2001 is complete.

Approximate station location - E10/DT36 Bedok Corner

Alternative route

For the alternative route, the alignment is swung towards the south between Fort Road and Marine Parade. This alignment avoids Meyer Road entirely. We now believe that this is the alternative alignment due to changes to the master plan and also our understanding of the challenges during the construction stage.

Predictive route - Option B

E3 – Fort Road / Katong Park / Meyer

We have located the station near the flyover for this option, hence avoiding any land acquisition and road realignment. This location is also directly on East Coast Park, hence providing an opportunity for a new recreational hub to be located here and allow visitors direct access to the park without having to pass through residential areas.

Approximate station location option B - E3 Fort Road

E4 – Tanjong Katong / Amber

For this option, we have located the station on Amber Road. In this alignment option, we expect that there will be some acquisition of land.

Approximate station location option B - E4 Tanjong Katong

In closing, we would like to reiterate that these station locations are part of our prediction based on available information and site conditions, not the final location or announcement by relevant authorities. That said, do let us know your thoughts/opinions/views on the predicted route for ERL.

Edit: Expected project completion (final handover) is 30 March 2022. We expect that the route will become commercially operational (open to public) from mid-2022.