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

Contract Awards - T251

Today the Land Transport Authority announced the award of contract T251 for the supply of electric trains for the Thomson (TSL) and Eastern Region Lines (ERL). A total of 91 units will be procured for the two lines under the contract, awarded to the consortium of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, CSR Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd. and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

A render of the train to be procured from Kawasaki - CSR Qingdao Sifang for the TSL & ERL

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.

 

Golf Courses to make way for redevelopment

An article published today mentions that the Marina Golf Course is one of the two that will not have their lease extended once it expires. This is in line with station E1 along the Eastern Region Line (ERL) being planned as a future station. Soil Investigations in the Gardens by the Bay - Bay East indicate the likely spot of the station near the golf course. With the ERL expected to commence operations in the 2022-2023 range, this coincides with the redevelopment plans announced today as the Marina Golf Course lease expires in 2024. It hence makes sense for a station to be provisioned in a currently low-demand area to cater for the future expected developments largely like how Thomson (now Caldecott) and West Coast (now Haw Par Villa) stations on the Circle Line were conceived.

End-December update

Soil Investigations (SIs) seem to have intensified along the probable Eastern Region Line (ERL) alignment recently. Boreholes and rigs have been spotted at multiple locations along the corridor and may help to determine where the line runs and locations of the stations. In previous updates, we found that boreholes are noticed at Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap, Bayshore, Upper East Coast near Temasek Secondary School and at Bedok Corner. Today, we cover these areas again and provide a little more information.

Updates on Marine Parade & Siglap

Some updates on the soil investigations at Siglap and Marine Parade.

15 December 2013 - Marine Parade: Standard Chartered bank

SIs at Upper East Coast

Several SI rigs were noted near Upper East Coast bus terminal towards Temasek Secondary school. This is along the inferred route of the ERL from Bayshore towards Bedok Corner.

With thanks to deskoh91 for his submission

With thanks to deskoh91 for his submission