SINGAPORE’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced the alignment and station locations for the Cross Island Line Phase 2 (CRL2) from Bright Hill to Jurong Lake District. Work is due to begin in 2023, with the new stations opening by 2032.

To facilitate the construction of CRL2, three lots of private land, consisting of two industrial units owned by JTC that are currently leased to private entities, and a stratum of subterranean space located under part of a private land parcel, will be acquired by the government. LTA says the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has gazetted the acquisition of the affected land, and the agencies will work closely with the affected landowners and sublessees and assist them through the acquisition process.

The 15km CRL2 has six underground stations at Turf City, King Albert Park, Maju, Clementi, West Coast and Jurong Lake District, and will improve public transport accessibility for those living in the west, including areas such as Sunset Way and West Coast that are not currently served by an MRT line. Two of the six stations will be interchanges, with King Albert Park station also served by the Downtown Line, and Clementi station by the East-West Line.

CRL2 will shorten journey times for passengers travelling to and from the west of Singapore, including reducing the journey time from Hougang to Ngee Ann Polytechnic from more than 60 minutes by MRT and bus to 35 minutes on the CRL.

LTA says that together with the 12 stations on CRL Phase 1 and the four stations on the CRL Punggol Extension, CRL2 will provide alternative travel options and help to redistribute passenger loadings across the entire network.

The CRL is Singapore’s eighth metro line and at more than 50km the longest fully underground line. It will serve existing and future developments in the eastern, northeastern and western corridors, linking major hubs such as Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District and Changi. Almost half of the CRL stations are interchanges, making it easier and more convenient to travel across the network.

CRL will be built in three phases: the 29km Phase 1 from Aviation Park to Bright Hill, CRL2, and the 7.3km extension to Punggol. The final civil contracts for Phase 1 were awarded in March.

The Environmental Impact Study and Heritage Impact Assessment for CRL2 have been completed and the reports will be published on LTA and the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s respective websites this month for public feedback. Engineering studies for CRL Phase 3, which will serve the Jurong Industrial Estate, are ongoing.

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