Cross Island Line begins first phase of construction; 12 stations to be completed by 2030

The first phase of construction of the Cross Island Line (CRL) commenced officially on Wednesday (Jan 18), at a ground-breaking ceremony officiated by Minister for Transport S Iswaran.

Set to be the eighth Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line, the CRL’s first phase will consist of 12 stations from Aviation Park to Bright Hill. Construction is expected to be completed by 2030. 

The CRL will serve residential and industrial areas such as Loyang, Hougang and Ang Mo Kio, according to LTA. 

Its first phase will also be linked to four other MRT lines: East-West Line at Pasir Ris station, North-East Line at Hougang station, North-South Line at Ang Mo Kio station and Thomson-East Coast Line at Bright Hill station.

Residents, commuters and motorists in the Pasir Ris, Changi and Loyang area can also look forward to increased convenience and shorter travelling times, said LTA. 

They can also expect “improved intra-town and inter-town connectivity” upon the completion of the CRL Pasir Ris, Pasir Ris East and Loyang stations.

The CRL is also set to be Singapore’s longest fully underground line, spanning more than 50km. 

Construction for the CRL is broken down in three phases, where construction works for its second phase are expected to commence in 2023 as well. 

CRL Bright Hill station will also be connected to a new, 2km-long Transit Priority Corridor (TPC) along Sin Ming Avenue, added LTA.

This is to allow for “multi-modal transfer to the bus and active mobility networks”. 

Set to be fully completed in 2029, the TPC will include a dedicated bus lane, new cycling paths and wider footpaths.

Those residing in the Sin Ming area will have more travel options when travelling to locations such as Bright Hill MRT station and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, said LTA.

Mr Iswaran also shared that with almost half of the Cross Island Line stations being interchanges, many Singaporeans will benefit from shorter and faster journeys.

He cited an example of how the travel time of a Sin Ming resident from Bright Hill to Pasir Ris East, “will be more than halved from 80 to 30 minutes”.

More than 600,000 commuters are expected to take the CRL when it opens for service in 2030, where the number is expected to increase to over 1 million “in the longer term”. 

While the CRL will initially operate with 6-car trains, an expansion to 8-car trains will be made “to cater to higher demand in future”.

Construction works for the CRL’s second phase will see six more stations, expected to be opened by 2032.