AECOM’s work on the new MRT line will improve transportation connectivity for Singaporean residents, while also helping reduce carbon emissions.
The Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) is a 43-kilometer fully underground train line comprising 32 stations and eight interchange stations. The line will improve accessibility to the Central Business District (CBD) and developments in the Marina Bay area for those Singapore residents living in the east and along the North-South Corridor.
Once completed, the project will mean that more than 180,000 households will now live within a 10-minute walk from an existing TEL station. The line also reduces commuters’ travel time between Northern Singapore and the city center by around 40 percent, and lightens the load on existing rail lines and bus services.
From an environmental perspective, the line will also play a part in fulfilling the Singapore Green Plan 2030, which aims to advance the national agenda on sustainable development.
“We hope that bringing MRT stations closer to homes and destinations will encourage more to use public transport. Taking the train generates 90 percent less carbon emissions than driving an internal combustion engine car, while the carbon footprint of active modes is practically zero.”
S. Iswaran, Singapore’s Minister for Transport
Engineering challenges
AECOM provided the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore with consultancy services for the detailed design and construction support of the TEL Line Stage 3 (TEL3), which was officially opened on November 11, 2022.
The scope included a route length of a 6-kilometer-long bored tunnel and five underground stations, including two interchanges station threading through a high-end residential area to Singapore’s main shopping area.
We also worked with the client to overcome the engineering challenges posed by the site during the design and construction stage, including tunnelling and underpinning below residential houses and a nine-story high-rise building.
Integration of existing stations
AECOM provided detailed design and construction support for mechanical and electrical services for 11 stations, including alteration and addition works to the services at four existing interchange stations – Outram Park Station, Orchard Station, Steven Station and Marina Bay Station – to integrate them with TEL3.
Our responsibilities included the environment control system, fire protection system, electrical services, authority and agency statutory compliance, and submissions under the appointed Qualified Persons for mechanical and electrical services.
Meanwhile, our team provided civil and structural, architectural, geotechnical, plumbing and sanitary services, and were involved throughout the contract in the completion of the environmental impact assessment (EIA), traffic impact assessment, utilities diversions, reinstatement works, CSD/SEM production and construction throughout the contract.