Downtown MRT Line
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This article or section contains information about a planned or expected public transportation infrastructure. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available. |
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| Downtown Line | |
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|---|---|
| The Downtown Line is tentatively coloured brown. The line is indicated here as the blue line. |
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| Info | |
| Type | Rapid transit |
| System | Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) |
| Status | Under Construction (Stage 1) Planning (Stages 2, 3) |
| Terminals | Chinatown Bugis |
| No. of stations | 33 |
| Service routes | 1 |
| Operation | |
| Owner | Land Transport Authority |
| Operator(s) | TBA |
| Rolling stock | Alstom Metropolis |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 40 km (24.9 mi) |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) Standard gauge |
| Electrification | Third rail |
The Downtown Line (DTL) will be the fifth Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore, with construction commencing on 12 February 2008 on the first Stage.[1] When fully completed, the line will be about 40 km long with 33 stations. It will be a fully automatic and driverless system similar to the North East Line and the Circle Line, and will be mostly underground. The line will serve the Bukit Timah and the Eastern regions and bring commuters to the New Downtown area. The line is tentatively coloured brown in the rail map.
The Land Transport Authority of Singapore is currently studying final sites for the stations,[2] and announced a list of interchange stations on 27 April 2007.[3] Specific locations of all stations for Stage 1 of the Downtown Line, namely Bugis, Promenade, Bayfront, Landmark, Cross Street and Chinatown have been announced. These stations will be run separately from the Circle Line. Stage 1 of the Downtown Line is targeted for completion in 2013, while Stage 2 is targeted for 2015 and Stage 3 is targeted for 2016.[4]
For some time, Stage 1 of the Downtown Line was referred to as the "Downtown Extension" of the Circle Line.
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[edit] Stage 1 (former Downtown Extension)
On 14 June 2005, the Land Transport Authority announced that it would construct the (then known as) Downtown Extension of the Circle Line, to serve the Downtown at Marina Bay (DTMB) area, where an integrated resort and Singapore's second botanical garden will be located. The 3.4-kilometre fully underground line was estimated to cost S$1.4 billion. Construction of the extension was slated to begin in 2007, with completion by 2012.
On 27 April 2007, it was announced that Stage 1 of the line will connect Promenade station with Bugis.[3][5][6] As such, the former Downtown Extension of the Circle Line became known as the Downtown Line Stage 1, a 4.3km 6 station segment running fully underground from Chinatown Station on the North East Line to Bugis Station on the East West Line, due to be operational in 2013, a year later than originally planned.
Three new stations will be constructed underground, linking the Bugis station on the East West Line, Promenade station on the Circle Line and the Chinatown station on the North East Line. Two stations, Bayfront and Landmark, will be built to serve the DTMB area. Another station, Cross Street, will be built along Cross Street near the Chinatown area.[7]
A maintenance facility will be build adjacent to the Circle Line Marina Bay station to stable the Downtown Line rolling stock.[8]
[edit] Stage 2 (Bukit Timah Section)
In its preliminary plans, stage 2 of the Downtown Line was called the Bukit Timah Line, supposedly to a 20-kilometre line that would connect the new downtown with the Bukit Panjang, Upper Bukit Timah and Bukit Timah corridor. It was to intersect the Circle Line and all other current lines along the way. When constructed, it was expected to alleviate the heavy traffic along Bukit Timah, Dunearn Road and Upper Bukit Timah. Provisions have been made at Promenade Station which would have been the line's southern interchange with the Circle Line. Preliminary works by the LTA, including possible station locations, soil profile and engineering challenges, had begun.
Stage 2 of the Downtown Line will be 16.6km long, consist of 12 stations, and be completed by 2015.[6][9]
A depot will be built at part of the Kwong Hou Sua Teochew Cemetery off Woodlands Road.[10]
[edit] Stage 3 (Eastern Region Section)
In its preliminary plans, stage 3 of the Downtown Line was part of the Eastern Region Line, a 40-kilometre rectangular loop that would complement the existing East-West Line and enhance inter- and intra-town travelling in the eastern region. It would have looped around the Jalan Besar and East Coast areas, intersecting the Circle Line and other lines along the way, benefitting residents in Tampines, Bedok, Marine Parade, MacPherson and Kaki Bukit. Stage 3 now only comprises the northern segment of that line, from Chinatown to Expo. Provisions were made at Chinatown Station, which would have been the line's western interchange with the North-East Line and the Downtown Extension. The northern segment of the loop was to be constructed first, passing through Jalan Besar area and eastwards to parts of Bedok and Tampines. Like Stage 2, preliminary work by the LTA had begun.
Stage 3 of the Downtown Line will be 19.1km long, consisting of 15 stations and the line would have been completed by 2018. But in 2008, the government decided to accelerate this sector's opening to 2016.[4][9]
[edit] List of Stations
Station locations for Stage 1 and interchange stations with existing lines for Stage 2 and Stage 3 have been officially announced. A short animation shown on a local news programme showed several stations along Stage 3.[1] However, these were also shown in another news report a few weeks prior to the official rail announcement by the Ministry of Transport, on speculative maps of future rail lines based on fan maps,[11] and thus cannot be deemed as official.[12]
| Station Number | Station Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | ||
| DT1 / NE4 | Chinatown | Interchange with North East Line |
| DT2 | Cross Street | Provisional name |
| DT3 | Landmark | Provisional name |
| DT4 | Bayfront | Interchange with Circle Line Marina Bay Extension, Provisional name |
| DT5 / CC4 | Promenade | Interchange with Circle Line |
| DT6 / EW12 | Bugis | Interchange with East West Line |
| Stage 2 | ||
| Little India | Interchange with North East Line | |
| Newton | Interchange with North South Line | |
| Botanic Gardens | Interchange with Circle Line | |
| Bukit Panjang | Interchange with Bukit Panjang LRT | |
| Stage 3 | ||
| MacPherson | Interchange with Circle Line | |
| Tampines | Interchange with East West Line | |
| Expo | Interchange with Changi Airport Extension | |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Locations of Downtown Line stations will depend on commuter traffic", Wong Wai Mun, Channel NewsAsia, 12 February 2008
- ^ "Bus services to be improved, vehicle growth rate to be reviewed", Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia, 9 March 2007
- ^ a b "Government Approves Building Of The Downtown Line", Land Transport Authority. Accessed on 27 April 2007.
- ^ a b SPEECH BY MR RAYMOND LIM,MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT, AT THE VISIT TO KIM CHUAN DEPOT, 25 JANUARY 2008, 9.00 AM. Singapore Government Media Release (2008-01-25).
- ^ "Govt approves S$12b MRT Downtown Line to be built by 2018", Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia, 27 April 2007
- ^ a b "33-station Downtown Line gets go-ahead, will be ready by 2018", Christoper Tan, The Straits Times, 28 April 2007
- ^ "Expanding The Rail Network With Downtown Extension", Land Transport Authority Press Release, 14 June 2005
- ^ Contract 901QP: Terms of Reference, Land Transport Authority, 9 November 2007 (tender document from www.gebiz.gov.sg)
- ^ a b "Groundwork begins for new MRT lines", Christoper Tan, The Straits Times, 13 March 2006
- ^ "Downtown Line depot to be located off Woodlands Road", Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia, 26 February 2008
- ^ "Speculative future MRT map"
- ^ "Speculative maps on future MRT plans appear on the Net", Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia, 4 January 2008
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