The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded $526 million worth of contracts for the construction of two stations along the upcoming Thomson Line.

Construction of the Woodlands North and Napier stations and their associated tunnels will start early next year.

Penta-Ocean Construction, an established contractor in Japan, won the $337 million contract to build Woodlands North station and the $189 million Napier station contract was awarded to Sinohydro Corporation.

When completed, the two stations will connect the northern and central parts of Singapore through the North-South Line's Woodlands interchange, Circle Line's Caldecott interchange and Downtown Line's Stevens interchange to bring commuters to the rest of the rail network. Comprising 22 stations, the 30km-long and fully underground Thomson Line will be completed in phases from 2019 to 2021.