THE next leg of the MRT Circle Line, which connects the suburbs to the downtown area, will open on April 17.
Transport Minister Raymond Lim made the announcement on Tuesday morning at a visit to the line's Stadium and Paya Lebar stations. The 11km stretch from Tai Seng in Paya Lebar to Dhoby Ghaut via the Suntec area consists of 11 stations. They join a 5km, five-station leg linking Marymount to Bartley which opened last year.
Minister Lim said with this half of the Circle Lim opened, commuters will enjoy significant time-savings. The latest stretch of the orbital line offers train commuters a new interchange: Paya Lebar, which links the Circle Line to the East-West Line.
This allows residents living in the north, north-east and east to head to the city and back without having to pass the busy City Hall and Raffles interchanges. Likewise, commuters travelling between satellite towns can bypass the two hubs, opting to change trains at either Dhoby Ghaut or Paya Lebar. Other operational interchanges on the Circle Line the Serangoon and Bishan stations.
Mr Lim said the rest of the 33km Circle Line will open next year. This final stretch links the northern and western parts of Singapore, with stops at notable places such as Botanic Gardens, Holland Village, and HarbourFront.
The Land Transport Authority expects Circle Line ridership to soar from April 17: from an average 30,000 rides per day today to 200,000.
Time-savings for commuters
For instance, a Serangoon resident travelling to SingPost's Eunos office currently goes by bus, which takes around 25 minutes. From April 17, the same trip by train will take 12 minutes (excluding walking time to station).
And someone living in Ang Mo Kio heading for the Old Airport Road hawker centre currently go on a 40-minute bus ride. With the Circle Line, the commute will take 25 minutes - including transfer at Bishan station.
Paya Lebar Station
* The Paya Lebar station is an interchange station that connects the circle line to the East-West Line.
* It is the first interchange station integrating above-ground and underground lines.
* Commuters can gain access to the station from three new entrances located along Paya Lebar Road.
* Connectivity is a key consideration for the station's design. It is seamlessly bridged to the East-West line station via two passageways designed to move high volume of human traffic safely and efficiently.
* The station is designed inhouse by LTA.
Stadium Station
* The station is designed to accommodate surge crowds from nearby facilities with its open-air concourse and plaza with entrances at both ends.
* The concourse and plaza are naturally ventilated, and facilitate air flow.
* A central skylight creates an attractive, day-lit platform. Openings above ground allow views down to the platform from the ground level plaza.
* The station won the International Architecture 2008 Award conferred by the Australian Institute of Architects for its functionality and aesthetics.
Striats Times 26 Jan 2010
