21 June 2024 - A view of our small exhibit at the Friends of Land Transport booth at Marine Parade station during the TEL4 Preview event.
The Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL)'s fourth phase was off to a roaring start this Friday with 9 hours of free rides during the preview event. Visitors to the event got to experience riding the trains on the line for free, while exploring the 7 stations stretching from Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore. Trains operated on an isolated loop along the stretch with trains terminating at Platform A at both termini. A separate shuttle train linked the TEL4's Tanjong Rhu station with TEL3's Garden by the Bay at both station's Platform B. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) really did go all out to make the event possible and accessible for everyone.
With the Thomson - East Coast Line (TEL)'s fourth phase about to open at the turn of the week, we thought it'd be a great time to take a walk down memory lane and look back at how far along the line has come. Join us as we take a stroll along the East Coast through time.
We're just under a month away from the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL)'s phase 4 preview which will be taking place at the 7 stations on 21 June 2024. In conjunction with this momentous event of the preview and subsequent opening of the line on 23 June, we're holding a contest where users re-create the renders by submitting photographs of re-creations of the renders.
11 February 2024 - Station signage on display outside Exit 1.
11 February 2024 - Station signage above the barrier-free access ramp at Exit 2.
Katong Park station, constructed under contract T305, is a stacked station with 3 basement levels. The upper platform level is combined with the station concourse and features 3 skylights that let natural sunlight shine into the station, all the way to the lower platform level. Above the concourse cum upper platform level is a mezzanine subway level that connects Exit 2 with the station. The station was the first to receive its station signage along phase 4 of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), ahead of any of the neighbouring stations. Construction under the contract also called for the construction of bored tunnels starting at the launch shaft adjacent to the contract T303 worksite near the Singapore Swimming Club and ended at Tanjong Katong station. These tunnels were bored right through Katong Park's station box before being dismantled as excavation proceeded further downwards.
A photo taken with LTA & SMRT senior management at Katong Park station today. Also in view is the updated platform screen door signage with TEL4 & 5 stations. Source: LTA
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) handed over the 7 new stations along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL)'s phase 4 to operator Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) earlier today. This is a significant step to rail transit reaching the east coast & Marine Parade, which have long had to live with road-based transport options. The arrival of the MRT line to these neighbourhoods this year may also usher in a period of revitalisation of the town centre and surrounding residential areas.
Phase 4 of the TEL will see service extended from the current southern terminus at Gardens By the Bay to 7 new stations in the east. The new terminus of the line will be Bayshore station for approximately a year, until the line is further extended to Phase 5's Sungei Bedok station. We provide you a run down of the 7 new stations and some analysis of the timeline where the line may open, based on historical records for the line's first few phases' openings.
23 September 2023 - A view of Exit 1 of Katong Park station.
23 September 2023 - Station name signage can be seen at Exit 1.
We're kicking off the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL)'s Q3 update at Katong Park. The stacked side platform station will feature 2 exits with Exit 1 located within the park itself and Exit 2 located along Fort Road. Both exits are significantly complete with most of the observable architectural works ready. Exit 1 even has the station name sign up and in place.
Marine Parade station. A TEL train can be seen at the platform. Source: LTA
Yesterday, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Minister of Transport, S Iswaran, teased several images of the 7 stations under phase 4 of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) - Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park, Tanjong Katong, Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap & Bayshore. These stations are due to open in 2024, with an indicative completion of works date by the end of Q1 of 2024. The line may open shortly after the completion of works. An eighth station that is part of Phase 4 - Founders' Memorial - will open at a later date, closer to the completion of the memorial. The images released by LTA & Minister of Transport are available on our Instagram & Facebook stories as well.
28 May 2023 - A view of Exit 1 during the evening.
20 May 2023 - A view of Exit 1 during the day. Image by Seloloving.
Despite Katong Park being one of the deeper stations along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) phase 4 due to its stacked configuration, the station has progressed quickly with the installation of architectural components. Electrical fittings are also being installed and the station has progressed to using its own permanent lighting to illuminate the work areas. We'd like to thank Seloloving for providing us with some photos to use in this update.
23 February 2023 - A view of Katong Park Exit 1 looking westwards along Meyer Road.
Katong Park is the next station on our quarter 1 update for the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). Like other stations along this sector, there is noticeable progress with cladding now visible at Exit 2 and also on the ventilation building/cooling tower. Take a look after the jump for more photos!
21 November 2022 - The northern station exit with cladding visible.
21 November 2022 - The southern station exit, within the Katong Park site.
Katong Park station is the first side-stacked station along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) phase 4 moving eastwards. The station will feature a simple design, much like that of Napier's station, where the faregates are co-located at the upper platform & concourse level. However, unlike Napier, there will be no intermediate mezzanine level at this station. Do keep reading to the end for a glimpse at the cut-aways from the 3D architectural models.
Undated - A view showing the lower platform level & the Woodlands bound track at the station. Source: STEC
Earlier when we were doing our recap of the National Day Virtual Tour, we mentioned that we'd drop by again one day to try obtain better pictures of the station progress. We're back with other images and also some throwback glimpses of the station's interior through images sourced online from contractors.
A view of the exit along Fort Road. The structural works appear complete.
On National Day, we conducted a virtual tour on the SG MRT Construction (SgMC) Instagram channel. During the tour, we covered several stations along the Thomson-East Coast Line and we'll be featuring some additional shots that we may not have showcased on the Instagram channel during the tour.
Newsletter for Thomson-East Coast Line. This covers this sector from Founders' Memorial up to Siglap. Source: LTA
Over National Day, we held a virtual tour where we visited several station sites along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) stages 4 and 5. Along the way, we saw some newsletters being displayed at nearby residential enclaves that updated on some of the construction progress. Do check out the images of the newsletter that we managed to obtain.
As is common practice for all rail lines being constructed, a Project Information Centre (PIC) has been established for the East Coast section of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). The PIC also covers Xilin station's construction on the Downtown Line (DTL) extension and the Tanah Merah Modification on the East West Line.
Along with the formal announcement of Founders' Memorial station, the Land Transport Authority yesterday also provided an update on the construction of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). In particular, a more in-depth look at the construction of Katong Park station was provided.
We understand that the Katong Park station will be of a stacked configuration whereby the upper platform level is shared with the concourse, similar to Stevens station on the Downtown Line. However, unlike Stevens station, passengers will be able to switch between platform levels without the need for tapping out of the system.
A 3-dimensional model of the Katong Park station showing the upper platform & concourse level.
Faregates are visible at both ends of the station.
According to LTA, excavation of the station could not progress until the tunnels for the station had been bored through. Tunneling from contract T305 involves launching the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) from a launch shaft abutting contract T303 near the Singapore Swimming Club, in the vicinity of the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway crossing. The TBMs will make their way from the launch shaft, through Katong Park station and emerge at Tanjong Katong (formerly named Amber) station where they will be dismantled.
Typically, when boring stacked tunnels, the lower tunnel is mined first followed by the upper tunnel. When approaching a station, the tunnel breaks through a portion of the retaining wall. If the station is at a sufficiently advanced stage of construction, the TBM can be pulled or pushed across the track bed at platform level to commence tunneling from the other end of the station.
Occasionally, station construction is not this advanced, particularly in tight sites where the top-down construction method is used. This would require the TBM to continue tunneling through the station box even after breaking through the retaining wall. The tunnel rings used during this portion of the drive may be concrete rings that are demolished subsequently or steel rings that are used to retain the shape of the tunnel. Such a technique was formerly used on the Circle Line during the construction of Buona Vista station, where the TBM tunneled through the station box and the temporary rings were later removed as station excavation progressed down.
The below video shows the launching of the TBM from the launch shaft along Tanjong Rhu Road in September 2017.
As both the upper TBM boring the Changi-bound tunnel and the lower TBM boring the Woodlands-bound tunnel have passed through the station box, they should be well on their way to Tanjong Katong station for their final breakthrough. As the distance for this portion of the drive is about twice a long, it can be expected that the duration of tunneling would take twice as long as well.
Below are some renders of the Katong Park station, showing the entrances and platform levels with natural sunlight filtering in.
A render of Entrance B of Katong Park station.
Source: LTA
A render of the upper platform & concourse level of Katong Park station.
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A render of the upper platform & concourse level of Katong Park station.
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A render of Entrance A of Katong Park station.
Source: DP Architects
A render of the lower platform level at Katong Park station.
Source: DP Architects
Render of Gardens Bay East station
Source: DP Architects
The consultant in charge of the Electrical & Architectural design for a stretch of the Thomson-East Coast Line from Gardens Bay East up to Marine Parade has recently released the first render of the station. Featuring entrance A which is situated in the park, DP Architects describes the design as "been developed with the concept of integrating into Garden’s Masterplan including the station entrances, cooling tower and vent shafts". Numerous water features can be seen in the render allowing the station entrance to blend into the lush green of the park. It is learned that the station may eventually open together with the rest of the stations along the East Coast stretch of the line. For renders of the other stations, do continue beyond the jump.
In May, we did a short drive around to get some videos of the construction progress along the East Coast Line. Do check out the video we have created below.
Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months as construction ramps up at the various station sites.
Compilation of the contracts that have been tendered and awarded to date.
Earlier today the Land Transport Authority announced the award of contracts for 3 stations along the East Coast sector of the Thomson - East Coast Line (TEL). Tanjong Rhu, Katong Park and Marine Terrace stations were awarded to their respective contractors with construction expected to begin by the end of this quarter.
Katong Park station sits right next to the Katong Park along Fort Road. This station will feature a stacked platform and is the second deepest station along the East Cost stretch of the Thomson - East Coast Line (TEL), at 29 metres. The station will have two entrances, one along Fort Road and another along Meyer Road.
Artist's impression of entrance along Fort Road.
A station map with the indicative locations of the entrances labelled
With the LTA road show making its way around the various malls, we've done our research and come up with a few diagrams to show you the locations of the station exits. The exits have been numbered, against LTA's tradition of assigning letters, to help give an idea of the exact number of entry points per station. We hope this will help give you a better idea of where the entry points for the station will be situated. With many thanks to Seloloving at SSC for his help.
Tanjong Rhu station will have 2 exits.
Katong Park, a stacked station, will have 2 entry points. One exit is located at the child learning & development centre.
Amber, another station with stacked platforms, will have 3 entry points. Properties are being acquired to accommodate this station.
Marine Parade station, together with a pedestrian subway above the cripple siding, will feature 6 entry points. Provisions for linkage to Parkway Parade are in the pipeline and depending on the developer's willingness, will be built eventually.
Marine Terrace station will also feature 6 entry points to expand the station's reach to schools and residents.
Siglap station will see 4 entry points being built, including two exits linked by a 100m long subway.
Bayshore station will see 5 entry points to cater to future developments in the area. A new road will be built over the station.
Bedok South is being built with proposed developments in mind and features 5 entry points.
Sungei Bedok terminus will feature 3 entry points.
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