A review of the TEL4

 

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.

TEL4 - A walk down memory lane

9 May 2024

9 May 2024

27 May 2024

27 May 2024

27 May 2024

27 May 2024

27 May 2024

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.

TEL4 - Render Vs Reality contest

 

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.

T306 - Tanjong Katong update Q1 2024

 

10 February 2024 - A view of Exit 3 during the day, with station signage installed.

10 March 2024 - A view of Exit 3 in the evening, signage partly lit.

Minister Chee Hong Tat announced during the Ministry of Transport's 2024 Committee of Supply debates in parliament that phase 4 of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) will open to the public on 23 June 2024. With most of the stations ready for opening day, we take a closer look at Tanjong Katong station, one of the tightest places to squeeze a station in. Located underneath Amber Road, the station sits at the foot of the Tanjong Katong South flyover, which leads Tanjong Katong Road South into the East Coast Parkway.

Consisting of 3 exits, the station is poised to serve commuters in the vicinity and those arriving from further north along Tanjong Katong Road South. Like neighbouring station Katong Park, a hallmark of Tanjong Katong station is its stacked platform configuration and numerous skylights. Two of these will open up directly to the station's concourse, while the remainder allow natural light to filter into the station's exits.

TEL4 handover to SMRT

 

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.

T306 - Tanjong Katong update Q3 2023

 

23 September 2023

Tanjong Katong station along Tanjong Katong Road South has pretty much wrapped up most of its construction. Work within the last quarter has been focused on the finishing touches, such as completing the skylight that will allow natural light to illuminate the concourse area. We'll be updating this post in a month-by-month format.

TEL4 Update by LTA & Minister of Transport

 

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.

T306 - Tanjong Katong update Q2 2023

 

28 May 2023 - Roof for the pick-up/drop-off  (PUDO) shelter at the station main exit seen during
the evening.

20 May 2023 - The station main exit and PUDO shelter seen during the day.
Image by Seloloving.

Continuing our Q2 update heading east on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), our next stop is Tanjong Katong, formerly known as Amber. Another stacked platform station to fit into the tight station site at Tanjong Katong Road South, the station amazingly features 3 exits. That's more than some of the stations on the Circle or Downtown Lines. Works are at a pretty advanced stage with most of the lighting and station fittings in place. We were not able to observe any signage boards however.

T306 - Tanjong Katong Q1 2023 update

 

23 February 2023 - A view of Exits A (left) & C (right) from Tanjong Katong Road South.

Moving along eastwards, the next station along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) is Tanjong Katong. The station is located at the intersection of Meyer Road & Tanjong Katong Road South with 3 exits. Exit A is located directly in front of the Aalto condominium, Exit B along Tanjong Katong Road South & Exit C at the intersection of the two roads. The station's exits feature a beige cladding, consistent with the stone influences of other stations designed by DP Architects under contract E1003 - Tanjong Rhu & Katong Park.

T306 - 2022 Year end update

 

25 November 2022 - A view of Exit B, with the metal frame for the roofing taking shape.

21 November 2022 - A view of Exits A & C along Meyer Road.

Continuing our trek eastwards, our next stop is Tanjong Katong station. Due to site constraints, it is another side stacked station to fit within a very tight site. Some homes were also acquired previously to facilitate the construction of the station directly beneath the homes. Work is taking shape with metal supports reminiscent of the V, featured prominently along the Circle Line stages 4 and 5, clearly visible at the station's exits along Tanjong Katong Road South & Meyer Road.

T306 - Tanjong Katong station update

 

A view of the exit located along Tanjong Katong Road South.

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.

TEL East-Coast section newsletter

 

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.

Project Information Centre for East Coast Line

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.

A view of the PIC from Marine Parade Road.

Construction Progress

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.

Pre-construction: Amber (Tanjong Katong)

The third announced station is Amber station, located along Tanjong Katong Road South and Amber Road. This station is the deepest along the East Coast sector of the Thomson - East Coast Line (TEL) at 30 metres deep. It will also feature stacked platforms like the Katong Park station and it will have 3 entrances.

Indicative locations of the station's 3 entrances.

A view of one of the entrances, likely entrance 3 along Tanjong Katong Road South.

Station exit layout

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.

Thomson East Coast Line (TEL)

This morning the Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew unveiled the rebranded Thomson Line and Eastern Region Line stations. The exact locations of the stations for the former Eastern Region Line were also announced.

Amber Road

Did a walkabout several weeks ago and found some intense activity along Amber Road. Suggests that the line may pass through this route option.