Photo taken at One North station & One North Xchange...
1 more station for DTL
TRANSPORT Minister Raymond Lim revealed the alignment of the
third stage of the MRT Downtown Line on Friday, and it turns out
the eastern and final arm is longer than originally announced.
Downtown Line Stage 3, which connects eastern suburbs such as
Tampines and Bedok to the Marina Bay downtown, will be 2km longer
at 21km.
It will also have 16 stations, one more than envisaged
initially. The additional station is in Jalan Besar.
This is partly why the budget of the entire Downtown Line
project - now 42km instead of 40km - will bust the forecast $12
billion budget, and will be completed in 2017 instead of 2016.
The other reasons include a sharp increase in construction costs
since the Downtown Line was first announced three years ago.
Minister Lim said Downtown Line Stage 3 will offer commuters in the
eastern part of Singapore, 'who are currently not served by the
rail network, an alternative transport choice'.
'For instance, a person living in Tampines and working at the
Kaki Bukit Industrial Estate will take half the time to get to
work,' he said, adding that his 25-minute journey by bus today wil
be cut down to just 10 minutes by train.
Residents will have to wait till 2017 though. Although the new
deadline is a year later than previously forecast, it is still
earlier than the 2018 target envisaged in 2007.
Part of Downtown Line Stage 3 will pass through one of the
busiest parts of the city, including Sungei Road, Bencoolen and
River Valley.
This eastern and final stretch of the line will have three
interchanges: MacPherson station which connects to the Circle Line;
as well as Tampines and Expo stations, which connect to the
East-west Line.
The alignment will involve some property acquisitions. Private
plots that are affected are a Shell station in Upper Changi Road
East, two parking lots in Bencoolen House, part of a foodcourt in
Peony Mansion, vacant spaces behind Kaki Bukit Techpark and
Techview Building, as well as a vacant plot next to Plaza by the
Park. Fifteen terrace houses along Merpati Road and Jalan Anggerek
in MacPherson will also be acquired to form part of free up a
2.7-hectare site that will be redeveloped.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority said with the announcement of
Downtown Line Stage 3, 'it is essential to gazette the acquisition
sites now... to provide certainty for affected land owners and to
prevent undue speculation and anxiety'.
Affected land owners of the 15 landed houses will be given five
years to hand over their properties.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_569112.html
Next In Line
http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/pdf/20100820/210810artdowntown.pdf
OS: Tampines DTL station were have 2 new exit outside Tampines
Bus Interchange...