Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded the civil contract for the design and construction of Bright Hill interchange station and tunnels under the Cross Island Line Phase 1 (CRL1) project to Penta-Ocean Construction Co Ltd.

With this final contract, valued at around S$526 million, LTA has now appointed contractors for all 12 stations along the CRL1 – a 29-km line running from Aviation Park to Bright Hill. It will serve residential and industrial areas in Loyang, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Defu, Hougang, Serangoon North and Ang Mo Kio, benefiting more than 100,000 households.

Construction work on the CRL1 Bright Hill station is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2022, with passenger service planned to commence in 2030. When completed, commuters can conveniently transfer between CRL and TEL using this interchange station.

LTA explained that the Bright Hill station is located along Sin Ming Avenue where the ground is made up of predominantly Bukit Timah Granite. “Due to the abrasive nature of such ground conditions, which is expected to cause some wear to the cutting equipment on the tunnel boring machines (TBMs), close monitoring will be carried out to ensure optimal equipment performance,” said the authority.

The new station will also be connected to a new Transit Priority Corridor (TPC) along Sin Ming Avenue, added LTA, to give commuters more accessibility options via bus and active mobility travel modes. When the TPC is fully completed in 2029, residents in Sin Ming area will have more access options to Bright Hill MRT station and recreational spaces such as Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. Furthermore, educational institutions such as Ai Tong School and Eunoia Junior College will be within convenient reach by public transport and active mobility modes.

Penta-Ocean has undertaken infrastructure, building and tunnelling projects in Singapore. The company previously worked on the Bright Hill station along the Thomson – East Coast Line (TEL). It is currently constructing the station, tunnels and the CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) building for the Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, as well as the tunnel between Suffolk Walk and Novena Rise for the North-South Corridor.

All images: LTA