LTA to study possibility of express trains for Cross Island Line

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will study the possibility of running normal and express trains on the Cross Island Line, which is slated to open by 2030. The authority has called for an engineering feasibility study for the proposed 50km line, which will run from Jurong industrial estate to Changi.

The consultant would be expected to propose alignments, which will allow the line to run both normal and express trains, a feature found on metro systems in cities such as New York and Tokyo. Experts say that none of the existing rail lines are capable of running two types of trains as most stations only have two tracks, thus making overtaking impossible.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Transport Researcher Lee Der Horng from the National University of Singapore thinks that an express service is logical for the Cross Island Line, as it passes through areas where less people reside.

The new line could have between 30 to 34 stations, with nine to 12 of them serving as interchange stations. Hence, the study would also have to determine which stations the express train should serve.

Professor Lee added that Singapore needs to have a better and faster connection between the East and West, as the current journey from Joo Koon to Pasir Ris takes more than an hour.