SINGAPORE’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded the joint venture of Taisei and China State Construction Engineering a $S 1.1bn ($US 774.2m) civil contract for the design and construction of Riviera station under the Cross Island Line (CRL) Punggol Extension (CPe).

Construction works for the CPe Riviera station are expected to start in the first quarter of 2023, with passenger service targeted to commence in 2032. The station, located along Punggol East and Punggol Central, will improve transport accessibility for residents.

Safety measures, such as ground improvement works, will be implemented before the construction of earth retaining structures and excavation works start at the worksite. Traffic diversions to facilitate construction will be carried out in phases so that any inconvenience to residents and motorists is minimised, LTA says.

A 12m-high Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) will be used to construct a 4.3km-long single-bore double-track tunnel, which will be 25m deep.

LTA and the contractor will closely monitor the works to ensure that they are carried out safely and in a timely manner and minimise the impact to the nearby stakeholders.

CRL is Singapore’s eighth MRT line, and will serve existing and future developments in the eastern, north-eastern and western corridors, linking major hubs such as Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District and Changi region. Nearly half of the CRL stations will interchange with other rail lines.

CRL will be constructed in three phases. Announced in 2019, the 29km CRL Phase 1 comprises 12 stations from Aviation Park to Bright Hill, with construction due to be completed by 2030. The 15km CRL Phase 2, announced in September 2022, comprises six underground stations. Engineering studies for the CRL Phase 3 are being prepared.

The 7.3km CPe will comprise stations at Punggol, Riviera, Elias, and Pasir Ris.

The Taisei and China State Construction Engineering joint venture is currently involved in the construction of bored tunnels between Aviation Park station and Loyang station for CRL Phase 1. Taisei was involved in the construction of Marina Bay station on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), while China State Construction Engineering is involved in the construction of Keppel and Cantonment stations for the Circle Line.

Thomson-East Coast Line stage 3

LTA has also announced that the Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 3 (TEL3) will open for passenger service on November 13, reducing travel times by more than 40%.

The 13.2km stage includes 11 stations: Stevens, Napier, Orchard Boulevard, Orchard, Great World, Havelock, Outram Park, Maxwell, Shenton Way, Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay. This includes four interchanges connecting to all existing MRT lines.

When fully opened, the TEL will be about 43km long with 32 stations. It will initially serve approximately 500,000 commuters a day, increasing to about one million commuters in the longer term.

The 11 stations were handed over to SMRT on August 17 and the operator has since been conducting operational tests in preparation for the commencement of passenger service.

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