ST : Circle Line's city leg to open on April 17

Jan 27, 2010
Circle Line's city leg to open on April 17
11-station stretch links Bras Basah, Suntec, Beach Road to suburbs
By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent



The entrance of Stadium MRT station is adorned with sports-inspired artwork. The opening of the new stations means those living in the north, north-east and east can head to the city without having to pass the busy City Hall and Raffles Place interchanges. -- ST PHOTO: BRYAN VAN DER BEEK
CATCH a concert at the Indoor Stadium, go shopping at Suntec City, then hop over to the Old Airport Road hawker centre for supper.

All this will be just a train ride away when the next stretch of the MRT Circle Line opens on April 17.

The line's 11-station city leg will link the Suntec, Beach Road and Bras Basah areas to the suburbs.

Among the stations to open will be Nicoll Highway - the station that delayed construction of the Circle Line when its former site collapsed in April 2004.

The station has been rebuilt about 100m from its old site.

The 11 new stations join five others that opened last May, linking Bartley to Marymount.

With more stations up and running, the Circle Line's ridership is expected to soar, from a current daily average of 30,000 to about 200,000.

Announcing the opening date of the next stretch, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said the Circle Line will cut travel time for many.

For example, it takes about 25 minutes for a Serangoon resident to travel by bus to Singapore Post's Paya Lebar headquarters. From April 17, the same trip by train will take 12 minutes.

An Ang Mo Kio resident heading for the Old Airport Road food centre now takes 40 minutes to get there by bus. With the Circle Line, the trip will take 25 minutes, including a transfer at Bishan station.

The upcoming stretch of the Circle Line has two new interchanges: the Dhoby Ghaut mega-exchange and Paya Lebar, which links the Circle Line to the East-West Line.

This will allow people living in the north, north-east and east to head to the city and back without going through the busy City Hall and Raffles Place interchanges.

Other operational interchanges on the Circle Line are the Serangoon and Bishan stations.

Asked why the new stretch could not be opened earlier, say in time for Chinese New Year, Mr Lim said April 17 was a date the Land Transport Authority (LTA) was comfortable with.

'They had to be sure that it is safe and reliable,' he said.

Asked if bus services along the line would be reduced, he said the LTA would work with bus operators to see how they can feed commuters to the line.

He added that the rest of the 33km Circle Line will open some time next year. This will link areas like Thomson, Farrer, Holland Village, Pasir Panjang and Telok Blangah, with stops at places such as the Botanic Gardens, the National University of Singapore, the One-North techpark, Haw Par Villa and HarbourFront.

The LTA said construction work on this portion of the line is almost complete.

LTA group director Sim Wee Meng said track-laying will be completed by April, followed by the remaining electrical and mechanical works.

All roads diverted by Circle Line work will be back to their original alignment by December, he added.

Meanwhile, residents are looking forward to the new stations opening in April, after more than eight years of construction.

Retiree and MacPherson resident Bernard Ng, 66, said: 'I'll definitely use it. It's convenient, wherever you're going.'

Businesswoman and Upper Paya Lebar resident Vivien Toh, 51, said she will hop onto the line from the Bartley station. 'It's a 15-minute walk away, so I'll probably get my husband to drop me off there,' she quipped. 'The children will also find it convenient.'

Marine Parade GRC MP Lim Biow Chuan is happy that three new stations are in his ward: Mountbatten, Dakota and Stadium. He noted that there are at least 25 blocks of flats within walking distance of the Mountbatten and Dakota stations.

Rail operator SMRT Corp is expected to improve takings from the Circle Line, which has been running at a loss since last year. Besides the expected spike in ridership, it will also enjoy a jump in rentable space.