Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan and religious leaders tour new TEL station
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Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan with (front row, from left) Masjid Yusof Ishak chairman Mohd Ayub Johari, Pastor Ivan Ho of the Covenant Evangelical Free Church, BW Monastery resident monk Venerable Ben Si and other religious representatives yesterday at the Woodlands South MRT station, one of the three stations under the opening phase of the Thomson-East Coast Line. The station, which opens today, is a five-minute walk from the church and mosque, and three bus stops away from the monastery.
ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
Wong Kai Yi
The Wuhan virus will not stop the opening of the first stage of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday.
He stressed the point in a Facebook post, after accompanying community religious leaders on a visit to the new Woodlands South station, which opens today.
The religious leaders were from BW Monastery, Covenant Evangelical Free Church and Masjid Yusof Ishak.
Mr Khaw said staff had worked through the Chinese New Year celebrations period to complete all safety tests. It is "all systems go" for the opening, he added.
The station - a five-minute walk from the church and mosque and three bus stops away from the monastery - will help reduce congestion and bring convenience to their worshippers, the leaders said.
Ustaz Mohd Aiman Abdul Khalid, senior head for Islamic learning at Masjid Yusof Ishak, said the station could ease the illegal parking problem during Friday prayers.
Venerable Ben Si, resident monk at BW Monastery, said the station will benefit elderly devotees and those attending Buddhism courses at night, while Pastor Ivan Ho believed younger people would find it more convenient to attend church.
Sheltered walkways connect the church and mosque to the station.
The Woodlands North, Woodlands and Woodlands South stations form the opening phase of the 43km-long TEL, which will stretch from Woodlands to Sungei Bedok when completed in 2024.
The next phase - with six stations from Springleaf to Caldecott - will open later this year.
