From green to brown: Tanah Merah, Expo and Changi Airport MRT stations to be converted to TEL stations , Singapore News
A new interchange station - the TEL-Cross Island Line (CRL) interchange station at Terminal 5 - will also enable a direct rail connection between Changi Airport and the city centre.
This new TEL-CRL interchange station will be part of the Thomson-East Coast Line extension (TELe).
This 14km addition will extend the TEL from Sungei Bedok station to the new interchange station which will then connect to Tanah Merah station.
From there, the TEL will be further extended to connect to Tanah Merah station, with the existing East-West Line stretch between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah stations converted to TEL systems.
"Future passengers from the existing Changi Airport station and the new Changi Terminal 5 station will enjoy seamless and convenient access to the TEL network," said LTA.
Preparatory works to modify Tanah Merah station into an interchange station between the East-West Line and TEL have been ongoing since 2016.
The integration of Tanah Merah, Expo and Changi Airport stations as TEL stations will come next, and will include changes to platform screen doors, tracks and controls, among others.
To facilitate these station modification and systems integration works, train service adjustments will be required along select stretches of the East-West Line near these stations, LTA said, adding that more details on these service adjustments will be shared when ready.
[[nid:717957]]
khooyihang@asiaone.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
17 hours ago
- CNA
Jetstar Asia bids farewell as final flight from Singapore departs, marking end of 20-year journey
SINGAPORE: Jetstar Asia flew its final flight from Changi Airport on Thursday (Jul 31), concluding more than 20 years of operations for the Singapore-based budget airline under the Qantas Group. The 2.55pm service – flight 3K685 to Kuala Lumpur – marked the end of an era for cabin crew and ground staff, many of whom gathered for a final farewell. 'When I got up this morning, I couldn't believe it. Today is the last day,' said 61-year-old flight attendant Jocelyn Chow, who spent 13 years at the airline. 'I feel very sad that there's no more Jetstar Asia, and I'm also honoured to know that I'm operating the last flight out of Changi Airport.' Ms Chow said she hopes to leave passengers with a lasting memory on what is likely her final flight as a stewardess. 'It's good to close this chapter. I always tell my crew that how you enter Jetstar (Asia), you should exit the same way,' she added. Fellow flight stewardess Flora Foo, 65, reflected on her 14 years of service. 'Even though it is a low-cost airline, it is the little gestures and the simple requests that make their flight much more comfortable,' she said. 'And at the end of the day, when they disembark and just say a thank you to you, it really melts your heart.' As the final Jetstar Asia flight pulled away from Changi Airport, airport staff stood along the tarmac waving. SUPPORT FOR RETRENCHED STAFF Jetstar Asia announced in June that it would cease operations at the end of July. Linked to the airline under the same group are budget carriers Jetstar Airways – serving New Zealand and Australia – and Jetstar Japan, which will continue operations. More than 500 staff members were retrenched as part of the closure. Of about 900 job applications submitted by affected employees, 54 per cent have resulted in job offers or interviews, said CEO John Simeone on Thursday. He added that some had received offers to work in airport lounges or the tourism sector. Ms Chow, for example, will be working in an airline lounge at Changi Airport, while Ms Foo is still job hunting. 'We're probably a bit impatient, because we'd like everyone to land (a job) today,' he said Mr Simeone. Some of those who have yet to secure new roles or interviews are taking a break, exploring other careers or still waiting for responses, he added. Mr Simeone also acknowledged the support shown by partners in the aviation and accommodation sectors. 'The industry had leaned in and tried to support the staff wherever possible,' he said. He also noted that nearly all customers had received refunds for cancelled flights. 'We've probably just a couple of customers we haven't been able to get hold of,' he said. 'It's minuscule how many haven't been contacted.' FAREWELLS FROM THE FLIGHT DECK Chief pilot Nico Van Der Schyff, who piloted the final flight, said the June announcement came as a shock. 'It took time to recover from that for all of us … but again, that's where the resilience came in, it brought us all together,' said the 56-year-old, who has been a Jetstar Asia pilot for 15 years. Since the closure was made public, the crew has received strong support from passengers and colleagues, he said. Passengers have given crew members handwritten cards and soft toys, and asked for pictures with them. 'Messages of support, encouragement and appreciation for what we've done … it's been absolutely incredible,' he said. 'Hopefully, Singapore customers will miss us.' Despite the emotions, Mr Van Der Schyff said his focus remained on safe operations and customer service. 'We want to continue safety of flight and then customer satisfaction.' Mr Simeone, who has been at the helm for 15 months, said he had been in the crew lounge from 5.30am to send off staff. He will also be present to welcome the final inbound flight from Manila at 9.30pm. Passengers on the final inbound flights from Labuan Bajo and Manila will receive model Jetstar planes as mementoes. A private gathering for crew and staff will also be held after the flights land. TRANSITION AND ROUTE CHANGES About 70 employees will stay on until October to support regulatory processes with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, while 30 more will remain until December to handle administrative matters and office closures. Looking back on Jetstar Asia's legacy, Mr Simeone called it an 'amazing operation' that helped democratise travel in Southeast Asia. 'It absolutely provided a service that was needed at the time ... for people to travel to new and unique destinations that they just couldn't have had the chance to operate to in the past,' he said. The airline's closure affects 16 routes, with four – Broome (Australia), Labuan Bajo (Indonesia), Okinawa (Japan) and Wuxi (China) – exclusively operated by Jetstar Asia. Scoot is set to begin services to Okinawa and Labuan Bajo as early as August. Mr Simeone said the day he announced the closure of Jetstar Asia was the most difficult of his 27-year aviation career. 'It was a tough day for all our people, it was a tough message to hear, but they just came together,' he said. 'They put their arms around each other, they looked after each other and they supported each other, and I think the one thing Singapore is going to miss is the friendly nature of the Jetstar Asia crew and (their) professionalism.'
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Bus and train services to be extended on eve of National Day
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Several train and bus services will operate later into the night on Aug 8, the eve of the National Day public holiday. SINGAPORE – Some train and bus services will operate later into the night on Aug 8, the eve of the National Day public holiday, to accommodate commuters heading home from celebrations. The last trains from City Hall MRT station will depart at 12.30am in all four directions – towards Jurong East, Marina South Pier, Pasir Ris and Tuas Link. On the Circle Line, the final train from Dhoby Ghaut station heading to HarbourFront will leave at 11.55pm, while the last train in the opposite direction will depart at 11.30pm. For the Thomson-East Coast Line, the last train will leave Woodlands North station at midnight, and Bayshore station at 12.12am. However, there will be no extension of operating hours for the Bukit Panjang LRT service and the Changi Airport extension. Public transport operator SMRT said that several bus services will also run later that night. The last buses for services 300, 301, 302, 307 and 983A will leave Choa Chu Kang interchange at 1.40am. In Woodlands, services 901, 911, 912A, 912B and 913 will depart from the Integrated Transport Hub at 1.25am. Services 920, 922 and 973A will leave Bukit Panjang interchange at 1.25am, while service 974A will depart from the bus stop opposite Choa Chu Kang MRT station at 1.40am. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Thirty dead, over 80,000 evacuated, following heavy rain in Beijing Asia Thai army accuses Cambodia of violating truce Singapore NDP 2025: Enhanced security measures to be put in place around the Padang Business SIA shares tumble 6.8% after first-quarter profit slide Sport World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro among list of top names for Singapore football coach World Trump says many are starving in Gaza, vows to set up food centres Business BYD tops Singapore car sales in first half of 2025 with almost one-fifth of the market Singapore ST Explains: What we know about the Tanjong Katong sinkhole so far
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Straits Times
For the privileged few, airport food hits a new height of luxury
UNITED STATES – Few places feel as engineered to remind you of your social standing as the airport. Each of its protocols, from check-in to security to boarding, imposes a hierarchy. Are you Executive Platinum? Premier ? The peak of that pecking order has long been the airport lounge, which allows elite passengers a cushioned escape from the tumult of the terminal. Now, even as airline stocks have tumbled and ticket demand slows, American airlines and credit card companies are reaching for a higher level of luxury and exclusivity – particularly when it comes to food. At the one-year-old Delta One Lounge at John F. Kennedy International Airport, it is common to hear an employee asking passengers: 'Would you like an ounce of caviar before your flight?' At the lounge, which includes a full-service brasserie with leather banquettes and gold finishes, the menu of complimentary offerings features sirloin steak with red wine jus and salmon sashimi with blood orange ponzu. The caviar will run you an extra US$85 (S$109) or 8,500 miles. Amble around the rest of the 40,000 sq ft space, and you might spy Japanese cheesecakes and earl grey lemon shortbread cookie s behind a glass pastry case ; or a spa-goer nursing a pineapple, lemon and butterfly pea flower juice after a massage. You might even catch a bartender pouring a nip of rare Japanese whiskey at the gold-lined Art Deco bar. To enter, you will need to flash a business class ticket for a long-haul flight on Delta or a partner airline . Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole backfilled; road to be repaved after LTA tests Singapore Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts Singapore Authorities say access to Changi intertidal areas unaffected by reclamation, in response to petition Singapore New Mandai North Crematorium, ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15 Singapore Not feasible for S'pore to avoid net‑zero; all options to cut energy emissions on table: Tan See Leng Singapore With regional interest in nuclear energy rising, S'pore must build capabilities too: Tan See Leng World US and EU clinch deal with broad 15% tariffs on EU goods to avert trade war Asia Displaced villagers at Thai-Cambodian border hope to go home as leaders set to meet for talks Airport lounges were once pit stops where business travellers could grab a paper cup of coffee and a handful of wasabi peas before a flight. Now, they dangle wood-fired pizza ovens, seafood towers, sushi bars and espresso martinis on tap. Lounges operated by American Express are introducing menus by award-winning chefs Kwame Onwuachi, Mashama Bailey, Michael Solomonov and Sarah Grueneberg. A seafood tower order in the Chase Sapphire Lounge at Laguardia Airport in East Elmhurst, New York. PHOTO: AMIR HAMJA/NYTIMES The escalating opulence of lounge food – and the mediocrity of the other offerings in airports – is a sign of just how wide the American wealth gap has grown, said sociologist Cecilia L. Ridgeway, who is a professor emeritus of social sciences at Stanford University. Airline trave l u sed to be a symbol of luxury. As more people fly, and as tickets become cheaper , she said, the wealthy still want to feel distinguished from th e public in visible ways. 'We need more signs and symbols that you are doing okay, that people are seeing it, that you are moving up.' A quick tour of seven of the US' new airport lounges showed that the quality of food is similar to what you would find at a wedding buffet – ranging from lacklustre to surprisingly satisfying . A salad of radicchio and roasted peaches at the United Polaris Lounge in Houston was cloying, while the French toast at the American Express Centurion Lounge at LaGuardia Airport had a crisp exterior and subtle sweetness that explain why it has a following. But taste may matter less than the fact that the food is free, fancy and makes the lounge guest feel important. The sit-down restaurant at American Airlines' Chelsea Lounge at Kennedy Airport feels like a lavish library – hushed, with lots of gold and glass. 'We like exclusivity,' said Ms Laura Parkey, a luxury real estate adviser from Florida, who was eating there before flying in business class to Switzerland for a river cruise. She sipped Moet & Chandon Champagne and eyed the pommes Anna with caviar at the next table. Compared with the terminal outside, she said, 'the food is better, and you don't have to deal with the masses'. These luxe touches are nothing new for international airlines such as Emirates and Cathay Pacific, which for years have accessorised their lounges with dim sum, cocktail pairings and cigar bars. Their American counterparts have only recently approached that calibre. But today, adding a full-service restaurant has become a baseline part of the expectation for lounges in the US, said Mr Aaron McMillan , managing director of hospitality programmes for United Airlines. It was one of the first American carriers to offer an in-lounge restaurant. Competition is intensifying as credit card companies enter the lounge game, unburdened by the logistical challenges and costs of running an airline, and seeking to attract frequent travellers as cardholders. The Chase Sapphire Lounge at LaGuardia Airport – accessible to those who have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card (with an annual fee of US$795), the J.P. Morgan Reserve card (US$795) or the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card (US$450) – looks like a chic hotel lobby. Its centrepiece is a circular bar with purple velvet chairs. The cocktail menu comes from the popular New York bar Apotheke, and the baristas can make you a sea salt and oat milk latte. Each table has QR codes for guests to order gnocchi with zucchini and mint, or marinated beets with whipped feta – both created by Fairfax, an all-day cafe in Manhattan. The Capital One Landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington has a full-service tapas bar created by chef Jose Andres. Crisp jamon croquetas and gambas al ajillo with a pleasant kick are made to order. Negronis and espresso martinis are available on tap. While most airport food comes from the same roster of approved suppliers, Andres gets his Iberian ham and picos from the purveyors who supply his restaurants. Each of these vendors had to be approved by airport security, with background checks and X-ray scans. The 1,200 sq ft kitchen was custom-built to Andres' specifications. One of his company's culinary directors works at the lounge full time. Ms Charisse Grey, the company's senior director of research and development, said: 'If there was a budget, I was not aware of it.' The lavish menus in these lounges speak to a new class of affluent travellers, said Mr Ben Schlappig, founder of the travel website One Mile At A Time. 'It used to be that lounges were thought of as stuffy and for business travellers,' he said. Today, the clientele 'skews much younger, and the increased focus on food and drink, and partnering with cool brands is part of that'. A Capital One spokesperson contended that the company's lounges were more approachable for everyday travellers, who do not need a first-class ticket to experience the luxury amenities – just a Capital One Venture X card, which costs US$395 a year. But at lounges with that easier accessibility, customers often wait in long lines, or are denied entry because the spaces get overcrowded. This has prompted some credit card companies to tighten lounge access, just as airlines have. Capital One, which allows cardholders to bring in a certain number of guests without charge, will charge for most additional visitors starting 2026 . Mr Mitch Radakovich, a data scientist from Cincinnati who was spending his layover en route to Copenhagen at the Capital One Lounge at Kennedy Airport, said it felt almost too good to be true to enjoy such amenities – cheesemongers who will customise a charcuterie board and freshly baked bagels from Ess-a-bagel – with just a US$395-a-year credit card. 'I'm sure the price will go up,' he said. 'It's an interesting maths problem: exclusivity versus luxury.' With all the money being poured into elite lounges, he wondered what airlines and airports were doing for the average traveller, who has to contend with shrinking onboard amenities, long security lines and thronged terminals. 'I used to fly Cincinnati to Atlanta, and now soda isn't even an option – it's coffee or water,' he said. 'The overall quality has decreased for the public.' NYTIMES
