Construction on phase 1 will begin next year. The line will have 12 stations, running from Aviation Park to Bright Hill. CIL will serve residential and industrial areas including Loyang, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Defu, Hougang, Serangoon North, and Ang Mo Kio.
More than 100,000 households are expected to benefit from the line, which will improve the accessibility of locations such as Changi Beach Park and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. It will also significantly reduce journey times for passengers travelling between central, northeastern and eastern parts of the city state.
The CIL will be Singapore’s eighth metro line and the longest to run entirely in tunnel. The approximately 50km-long line is expected to serve 600,000 people initially, and increase to more than 1 million in the longer term.
Engineering studies are underway for the remaining two phases of the project and LTA says it will announce details in due course. This includes two alignment options in the vicinity of the Central Catchment Natural Reserve. The proposal to potentially tunnel beneath the area was criticised when the project was announced in 2013. However, LTA says it is consulting with various stakeholders and will take all views into consideration before making a final decision.
A new 57-hectare at-grade depot at Changi East will provide stabling and maintenance facilities for up to 80 CRL trains.
