MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA
The modifications are being done to convert the three EWL stations, including Changi Airport station (pictured), into Thomson-East Coast Line stations.
SINGAPORE - MRT passengers will need to bear with adjustments to train services along certain stretches of the East-West Line (EWL) in the coming years, as extensive modifications to three EWL stations – Tanah Merah, Expo and Changi Airport – are set to begin in the third quarter of 2025.
The modifications are being done to convert the three EWL stations into Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) stations, as part of a larger plan to create a direct MRT connection from Changi Airport to Singapore's city centre.
More details about the works were released by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on July 25.
When converted, Tanah Merah, Expo and Changi Airport stations will become part of a new TEL extension, which will pass through the future Terminal 5 (T5) and connect with the upcoming Sungei Bedok TEL station, which is slated to open in the second half of 2026.
This 14km extension is expected to be completed in the mid-2030s, LTA said in response to queries. This is the same period that T5 will open.
At present, those taking the MRT between the city and the airport have to switch trains at Tanah Merah station. This is because Expo and Changi Airport stations are on a branch of the EWL that operates as a separate shuttle train service.
Preparatory works to modify Tanah Merah station into an interchange station between the EWL and the TEL have been under way since 2016.
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These works, which include building new viaducts, adding a new platform and expanding the concourse area, will be completed by the end of 2025.
With the new TEL extension, LTA said future passengers from the existing Changi Airport station and the new Changi T5 station will have seamless and convenient access to the TEL network.
For example, an MRT journey between Changi Airport and Gardens by the Bay will take 40 minutes with the new TEL extension, compared with an hour today.
LTA told The Straits Times that service adjustments will be needed in future to carve out additional engineering hours so that the modifications to Tanah Merah, Expo and Changi Airport stations , as well as subsequent system integration works, can be done.
These works will involve changing out key systems such as signalling, communications, controls and power supply, as well as altering the three existing EWL stations, and the connecting tunnels and viaducts, to accommodate these changes.
The alterations are needed because the EWL and TEL run on different systems.
For instance, the EWL uses six-car trains with four doors per train car, while the TEL uses four-car trains with five doors per train car. This will require changes to be made to the platform screen doors at Tanah Merah, Expo and Changi Airport stations.
Additional engineering hours will also be needed to connect the existing MRT tracks to new tracks leading to the future Changi T5 station, which will serve as an interchange between the TEL extension and the future Cross Island Line, LTA noted.
More information about the train service adjustments will be made public after detailed planning is carried out, LTA said.
Alternative travel options, such as shuttle bus services, will be made available to minimise the impact on passengers, it added.
LTA said the appointed contractor will carry out noise studies and put in place the necessary controls, such as noise barriers. There will also be other measures to control dust, soil erosion and vibration during construction.
The authority awarded a $94.3 million contract to Chiu Teng Construction on July 14 to carry out the modifications to Tanah Merah, Expo and Changi Airport stations.
Five bids were submitted, but only two were shortlisted after a technical assessment. The other shortlisted bid was by engineering company Swee Builders for $80.8 million.
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