Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded the final civil contract for the design and construction of Elias station and tunnels part of the Cross Island Line-Punggol Extension (CPe) to CES_SDC Pte Ltd – Chip Eng Seng Contractors (1988) Pte Ltd Joint Venture.
The contract, valued at around S$562 million, completes the appointment of contractors for all four CPe stations. Construction work on this project is expected to start in the second quarter of 2023, with passenger service targeted to commence in 2032.
The CPe Elias station is an underground station located along Pasir Ris Drive 3. It will be built at a depth of about 40 m and will have five entrances, according to LTA. The ground at this site is made up of old alluvium, a predominantly soil-like material comprising sandy and silty clay.
LTA said a tunnel boring machine (TBM) will be used to construct a pair of tunnels, each approximately 1.4 km long, linking Elias and Pasir Ris stations, with the deepest section approximately 50 m below ground level.
CES_SDC Pte Ltd and Chip Eng Seng Contractors (1988) Pte Ltd are construction and civil engineering contractors with established track records in rail and infrastructure projects. CES_SDC was involved in the construction of the Marina South station for Thomson-East Coast Line and the company is currently working on the construction of two stations along Jurong Region Line.
The Cross Island Line (CRL) is Singapore’s eighth MRT line. It will serve existing and future developments in the eastern, north-eastern and western corridors, linking major hubs such as Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District and Changi region.
The CRL will be constructed in three phases. Announced in 2019, the first phase is 29 km long featuring 12 stations. Construction works have commenced and are expected to complete by 2030.
The CRL Phase 2, announced in September 2022, is about 15 km with six underground stations. Engineering studies for the CRL Phase 3 are ongoing and more details will be revealed after these studies are completed.
The 7.3-km CPe will include four stations, namely Punggol, Riviera, Elias and Pasir Ris. This line aims to provide better rail connectivity and greater accessibility for those living in eastern areas such as Pasir Ris and Tampines North as well as north-eastern areas such as Punggol and Sengkang. More than 40,000 households are anticipated to benefit from the CPe.
All images: LTA
