In what is likely to be his last public announcement, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said yesterday that the planned Jurong Region Line could be extended to join the Circle Line at Haw Par Villa station, reports The Straits Times.

The new 20km medium-capacity MRT line serving the west, with some 16 stations, will also stop at the North-South Line's Choa Chu Kang station and at Jurong East to link up with the planned Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail terminus, the future Cross Island Line and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

Mr Lui said engineering studies are currently being done on the Jurong Region Line. The line is estimated to be ready by 2025, while the extension - if found to be feasible - will be completed by 2030.

The so-called West Coast Extension, roughly 7km long, "will allow those who use the Jurong Region Line a direct connection into the new downtown, Marina Bay and the area around it", he added.

Mr Lui said the project will make life more convenient for those who live and work in the west, and at the same time "add redundancy and resilience into the (rail) network", so that when there is a breakdown on one line, commuters can switch to an alternative line without travelling too far. Plans are also under way to expand the platform area at 16 older stations to accommodate a fast-growing commuter population.