Future Cross Island Line stations revealed in LTA exhibition

12 future MRT stations on the Cross Island Line (CRL) were revealed in a virtual exhibition by the Land Transport Authority in late November 2021.

These stations were indicated in an MRT system map included within the “Connecting People, Places & Possibilities” Virtual Exhibition. In a panel titled “MRT Network as the Backbone of Public Transport”, a new iteration of the MRT system map was showcased with the alignment of Phase 2 of the Cross Island Line, indicated by a dotted line with a lighter shade of green.

Previously, only Phase 1 of the CRL had been made known to the public, comprising 12 stations from Aviation Park to Bright Hill as announced in 2019. A further Punggol Extension of the line from Pasir Ris to Punggol was announced in 2020.

The LTA took down the Virtual Exhibition site on 4 December 2021, shortly after the publication of this article and increasing public interest in the map. The Straits Times also carried an article on the new CRL stations with reference to this map.

The Virtual Exhibition was reinstated around 2 weeks later, with a revised version of the system map that omitted the planned Changi Airport Terminal 5 station, as well as all stations along the CRL’s western leg.

CRL Phase 2 Update:

CRL Phase 2 was officially announced on 20 September 2022, with the following stations:

• CR14 Turf City
• CR15DT6 King Albert Park
• CR16 Maju
• CR17EW23 Clementi
• CR18 West Coast
• CR19 Jurong Lake District

The most updated CRL map

NOTE: These stations have yet to be finalised or announced by LTA as of November 2021, and no opening date has been set for any of the stations mentioned below.

This latest version of the MRT system map is the first to map out the Cross Island Line in its entirety. At the eastern end of the CRL, a new CR1 station is shown, which interchanges with a future extension of the Thomson-East Coast Line. This is likely to be the future Changi Airport Terminal 5 station, but notably does not show the EWL’s Changi Airport branch as part of the TEL, as was previously outlined in the Land Transport Master Plan 2040.

Continuing westward from Bright Hill station are 11 new stations numbered CR14 to CR24, including 4 new interchange stations, namely King Albert Park, Clementi, Jurong Pier and Gul Circle, with Gul Circle being the western terminus of the CRL. Intermediate stations were not named.

On 20 September 2022, the names and locations of six CRL2 stations were announced:

• CR14 Turf City
• CR15DT6 King Albert Park
• CR16 Maju
• CR17EW23 Clementi
• CR18 West Coast
• CR19 Jurong Lake District

Leaving the following stations to be announced:

• CR20
• CR21JS12 Jurong Pier
• CR22
• CR23
• CR24EW30 Gul Circle

First announced in January 2013, the Cross Island Line will connect with all radial lines, with several interchange stations along its 30-odd station alignment significantly enhancing the connectivity of the rail network. In addition, it will provide an important rail link between the Central, North-East and West areas.

The first phase of the Cross Island Line was previously announced on 25 January 2019, comprising 12 stations. A further 3-station extension from Pasir Ris to Punggol was announced on 10 March 2020:

CRL Phase 1 – Opening 2030

• CR2 Aviation Park
• CR3 Loyang
• CR4 Pasir Ris East
• CR5EW1 Pasir Ris
• CR6 Tampines North
• CR7 Defu
• CR8NE14 Hougang
• CR9 Serangoon North
• CR10 Tavistock
• CR11NS16 Ang Mo Kio
• CR12 Teck Ghee
• CR13TE7 Bright Hill

Punggol Extension – Opening 2032

• CP1CR5EW1 Pasir Ris
• CP2 Elias
• CP3PE4 Riviera
• CP4NE17PTC Punggol

More information, including the latest system map:

Notably, the system map featured at the actual “Connecting People, Places & Possibilities” physical exhibition located at the SG Mobility Gallery – of which this virtual exhibition is modelled after – only contains the CRL’s previously announced sectors (i.e. Aviation Park to Bright Hill, with the Punggol extension).

Post-release

The “Connecting People, Places & Possibilities” Virtual Exhibition“, where the system map had been available for a few days, was taken offline sometime on 4 December 2021.

On 7 December 2021, The Straits Times carried an article on the new CRL stations, while adapting the since-deleted system map into one of its illustrations. In response to its queries, LTA told The Straits Times the station alignments for the remaining two phases of the CRL as shown in the MRT system map were “conceptual alignments” that have not been finalised. It claimed that the interchange stations shown were also indicative in nature and subject to detailed engineering studies that take into account localised factors such as land availability and ground conditions.

LTA’s reply to The Straits Times thus implied that the Western leg of the Cross Island Line would be built in two phases – which was previously not known to the public.

Replacement map

The Virtual Exhibition was reinstated around two weeks after it was first taken down. The following screenshots of the replacement system map were captured on 17 December 2021:

The replacement map contains a few notable differences from the previous version. Firstly, it no longer illustrates an eastern interchange station between the TEL and CRL where Changi Airport Terminal 5 station was expected to be located at. The TEL and CRL terminate at Sungei Bedok and Aviation Park respectively.

The western leg of the CRL is illustrated along the same alignment as the previously released map – but makes no reference to any stations along the route. King Albert Park, Clementi, Jurong Pier and Gul Circle are no longer illustrated as interchange stations.

External links to originally-released map: skyscrapercity forums | CRL construction blog

Refer to Cross Island line