Work on Stevens and Mount Pleasant MRT stations starts officially

Work on the Stevens and Mount Pleasant MRT stations, part of the 31-station Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) that links Woodlands to Bedok, has officially started yesterday. 

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew also revealed an extra addition - an underpass, which will connect the Singapore Chinese Girls' School (SCGS) with the Stevens MRT station and at the same time serve as an interchange for the new TEL and the Downtown Line (DTL).

The 60-metre underpass, which is due to open in 2019, will run under Bukit Timah and Dunearn roads and end in two entrances just outside the school. At its deepest, the underpass will be 11-metre underground.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the underpass will be built with a machine that is capable of drilling a rectangular-shaped tunnel. Another advantage of the new machine is that it allows digging to be conducted without affecting work on the surface.

Mr. Henry Foo, one of the Directors of the TEL, added that the new machine can save up to 30 percent of manpower.

Both the Stevens and Mount Pleasant stations are expected to be operational by 2021.