Five stations open, with work on rest of 33.3km line nearing completion
By
Yeo Ghim Lay
DPM Teo (second from right) finding out more about the trains plying the Circle Line from group director of Circle Line and Downtown Line Sim Wee Meng (right) and LTA chief executive Yam Ah Mee (left) at the launch of the new line yesterday. -- ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
TRAINS start rolling through the Circle Line's first five stations on Thursday morning, as work on the rest of the underground line nears completion.
Marymount, Bishan, Lorong Chuan, Serangoon and Bartley stations will begin operations on Thursday, with the first train arriving at about 6am.
The remaining 24 stations will open from next year. Progress at these stations is on track, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said on Wednesday.
About 98 per cent of the 33.3km-long Circle Line tunnels have been completed. The rest will be finished by September, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
While the LTA would not say which stations will open next, it is likely that Circle Line stages 1 and 2 are next in line.
With 11 stations in all, these two stages include those in the City Hall and Paya Lebar area.
Six stations - Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah, Esplanade, Promenade, Stadium and Tai Seng - have already obtained Temporary Occupation Permits, which means they can be occupied.
The Circle Line, which will eventually run from HarbourFront to Dhoby Ghaut, helps commuters transfer between existing lines without the need to travel to the city centre.
Among the five stations open today are two interchanges, Bishan and Serangoon, where commuters can transfer to the North-South line and North-East line respectively.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who opened the stations in a ceremony at Bishan MRT yesterday, said: 'It will open up multiple new connections for residents in the north and the north-east.'
Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
