Three stations on Thomson-East Coast Line open
01 Feb 2020|1,544 views
Nearly seven years after the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) was announced, three of its stations began operations on 31 January 2020.
Woodlands North, Woodlands and Woodlands South stations on Singapore's newest MRT line opened their doors to passengers at 5.30am.
For some, like Administrative Executive Margaret Yeoh, 53, the line was a welcome alternative to the crowded feeder buses commuters have been taking to get to Woodlands MRT station. She was seen taking a selfie at the Woodlands station, which she called "new and grand".
Ms. Yeoh usually takes feeder buses 962 or 901M from her home in Woodlands to Admiralty MRT station, then takes the train to Commonwealth MRT station to reach her workplace, transferring at Jurong East interchange. "The 901M feeder bus can get very crowded in the morning," she said, adding that with the new Woodlands South station at her doorstep, she can now take the train directly to Woodlands station and transfer to the North-South Line (NSL).
When the TEL is completed in 2024, commuters from Woodlands taking the train into town can expect to halve the time of their current journeys. For now, the limited service in Woodlands allows commuters to use it as an alternative to feeder buses such as 901 and 901M, which are usually packed during the morning rush hour.


With the new line, he hopes his commute will be faster than taking the bus, although he noted that train intervals at the Woodlands TEL station were slightly longer than at stations on other lines.
The Straits Times observed that trains on the TEL were arriving at nine-minute intervals, compared with the two to three minutes during peak periods on other lines.
The longer waiting period did not seem to deter many commuters, but Mr. Anamul Haque, 28, a Senior Construction Supervisor at the upcoming Woodlands Health Campus, said it took him the usual 30 minutes to get to work on the TEL. "Luckily, my workplace is next to Woodlands South station, so it does not take very long for me to walk to work," he said.


The TEL is Singapore's sixth MRT line. It will be 43km long, with 32 stations, eight of which are interchange stations, when it is fully operational in 2024. The line will link neighbourhoods such as Thomson, Toa Payoh, Marine Parade and Bedok to the Central Business District. Six more stations, from Springleaf to Caldecott, are expected to open later this year.
Nearly seven years after the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) was announced, three of its stations began operations on 31 January 2020.
Woodlands North, Woodlands and Woodlands South stations on Singapore's newest MRT line opened their doors to passengers at 5.30am.
For some, like Administrative Executive Margaret Yeoh, 53, the line was a welcome alternative to the crowded feeder buses commuters have been taking to get to Woodlands MRT station. She was seen taking a selfie at the Woodlands station, which she called "new and grand".
Ms. Yeoh usually takes feeder buses 962 or 901M from her home in Woodlands to Admiralty MRT station, then takes the train to Commonwealth MRT station to reach her workplace, transferring at Jurong East interchange. "The 901M feeder bus can get very crowded in the morning," she said, adding that with the new Woodlands South station at her doorstep, she can now take the train directly to Woodlands station and transfer to the North-South Line (NSL).
When the TEL is completed in 2024, commuters from Woodlands taking the train into town can expect to halve the time of their current journeys. For now, the limited service in Woodlands allows commuters to use it as an alternative to feeder buses such as 901 and 901M, which are usually packed during the morning rush hour.


With the new line, he hopes his commute will be faster than taking the bus, although he noted that train intervals at the Woodlands TEL station were slightly longer than at stations on other lines.
The Straits Times observed that trains on the TEL were arriving at nine-minute intervals, compared with the two to three minutes during peak periods on other lines.
The longer waiting period did not seem to deter many commuters, but Mr. Anamul Haque, 28, a Senior Construction Supervisor at the upcoming Woodlands Health Campus, said it took him the usual 30 minutes to get to work on the TEL. "Luckily, my workplace is next to Woodlands South station, so it does not take very long for me to walk to work," he said.


The TEL is Singapore's sixth MRT line. It will be 43km long, with 32 stations, eight of which are interchange stations, when it is fully operational in 2024. The line will link neighbourhoods such as Thomson, Toa Payoh, Marine Parade and Bedok to the Central Business District. Six more stations, from Springleaf to Caldecott, are expected to open later this year.
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