SINGAPORE’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded contracts for the design and construction of the King Albert Park and Clementi interchange stations for the Cross Island Line (CRL) Phase 2.

The $S 447m ($US 327.3m) contract for King Albert Park was awarded to China Communications Construction Company (Singapore Branch), while the $S 514m contract for Clementi station was awarded to a joint venture between China Communications Construction Company (Singapore Branch) and Sinohydro Corporation (Singapore Branch).

CRL is Singapore’s eighth MRT metro line, serving the eastern, northeastern and western corridors and linking major hubs such as Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District and the Changi area. Almost half of all CRL stations will be interchanges with other lines.

The 15km CRL Phase 2, announced in September 2022, comprises six stations: Turf City, King Albert Park, Maju, Clementi, West Coast and Jurong Lake District.

The CRL King Albert Park station is located along Blackmore Drive off Bukit Timah Road, while the CRL Clementi station is adjacent to the junction of Commonwealth Avenue West and Clementi Avenue 4. Both stations are situated in busy areas surrounded by residential, educational and commercial buidlings. To mitigate the impact on residents, students and motorists, the traffic and utility diversion which will be required before main construction work can begin in phases.

LTA says the ground conditions at these two locations are also challenging. To ensure safety and ground stability throughout construction, earth retaining and stabilising structures will be constructed prior to excavation and construction of the station structures. LTA and the contractors will closely monitor the works to ensure that they are carried out safely, with minimal impact on nearby stakeholders and existing structures.

Alterations at King Albert Park station on the Downtown Line and Clementi station on the East-West Line will also be carried out to enhance connectivity with the new CRL interchange stations at these locations.

Construction works for the CRL King Albert Park and Clementi stations are expected to start in the first quarter of 2024 and passenger service on CRL Phase 2 is targeted to commence in 2032.

Construction is already underway on the 29km Phase 1 of CRL and is expected to be completed by 2030. Engineering studies for CRL Phase 3 are underway.

For detailed data on metro projects in Singapore and around the world, subscribe to IRJ Pro.