AN opening ceremony for the Thomson - East Coast Line Stage 2 (TEL2) in Singapore was held on August 27 ahead of start of passenger services the following day.
Senior ministers physically attended the event at Mayflower station while others were able to be at the opening virtually from Springleaf station.
TEL2 is 13km long with six stations: Springlead, Lentor, Mayflower, Bright Hill, Upper Thomson and Caldecott. Its opening means 100,000 households are now within a 10-minute walk from a TEL station including the Thomson area which was not previously served directly by a rail line. Caldecott station is an interchange with the Circle Line.
Once TEL2 opens, trains will run along the TEL1 and TEL2 sections from Woodlands North to Caldecott at five-minute frequencies during peak hours and nine minutes during off-peak hours. As ridership increases, this will be reviewed.
TEL2 has been designed with passengers of reduced mobility in mind. There are high colour contrast signs and lift buttons, lighting along staircase handrails and platform seats with backrest and arm support to cater to seniors and visually-impaired passengers.
When TEL is fully open, it will be 43km long, adding 32 stations to Singapore’s metro network. It’s expected 500,000 passengers will use it daily when the line is complete with that figure set to double in the longer-term.
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