New Jurong Region Line station added in Tengah; opening of line delayed to mid-2028: Jeffrey Siow

SINGAPORE – A new station will be built on the Jurong Region Line (JRL) between Tengah and Choa Chu Kang, and is slated to open in the mid-2030s, said Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.

He also told the House that the opening of the JRL has been delayed by six months to the middle of 2028 due to construction delays and testing.

The first stage of the JRL – which comprises 10 stations that will connect Choa Chu Kang to Boon Lay and Tawas within Jalan Bahar – was slated to open in end-2027. It was previously delayed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We will do our best to complete the works as soon as possible,” said Mr Siow during the debate on his ministry’s budget on March 4.

The Transport Ministry is projected to spend $16.15 billion in financial year 2026, up 1.4 per cent from $15.93 billion in the 2025 financial year.

In the interim, two shuttle bus services will be introduced to connect residents from selected JRL stations to “key destinations” in the region until the line opens, he said in response to Mr Ang Wei Neng (West Coast-Jurong West GRC).

On the new JRL station in Tengah, Mr Siow said it will serve future residents of the Forest Hill district in Tengah and open in tandem with the completion of nearby housing developments. Work has started on the new station, located at Jalan Lam Sam. It will bring the total number of JRL stations to 25.

In a statement on March 4, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it had worked with its JRL contractors to boost manpower and deploy more equipment to speed up construction, but could not make up the lost time from earlier delays due to the pandemic.

LTA also cited the complexity of the project as a factor. The JRL – Singapore’s seventh MRT line – is being built entirely above ground in a densely populated area.

Sections of the line are built close to HDB blocks and over major roads and expressways, including the PIE. Construction of the rail viaduct over the PIE could be done only at night, with road closures in place, LTA noted.

Certain works also took longer than planned, LTA said, citing the construction of a viaduct over a 25m-wide canal. It said its contractors had to carry out more extensive ground preparation around the canal to ensure the stability of the viaduct and other structures.

The JRL will open in three stages, with Stage 1 now set for mid-2028. LTA said it would provide updates on Stages 2 and 3 as work progresses. Stage 2, from Tengah to Pandan Reservoir, is currently slated to open in 2028. Stage 3, which will extend the JRL into Nanyang Technological University and towards Jurong Pier, is scheduled to open in 2029.

LTA said the interim shuttle bus services will begin in end-2027 to improve transport capacity and connectivity between areas due to be served by the line. More details will be announced later, it added.

In his speech, Mr Siow also gave updates on upcoming MRT projects.

Third phase of Cross Island Line to be built from 2027

Construction of the third phase of the Cross Island Line (CRL) is slated to start in 2027, he said.

LTA said engineering studies have been completed on phase three, which will run from Jurong Lake District to Tuas. Further details on alignment and station locations will be shared when ready, said LTA in response to queries.

Phase 1 of the line – comprising 12 stations from Aviation Park to Bright Hill – is on track to open in 2030. Phase 2, which will extend the line westwards to the Jurong Lake District, is also progressing steadily, with tunnelling works under way, LTA said.

The CRL-Punggol Extension is also making progress, with station design and construction in progress, LTA added. Phase 2 and the CRL-Punggol Extension are slated for completion in 2032.

The CRL is Singapore’s eighth MRT line, and will link developments across the eastern, western and north-eastern parts of the island.

Responding to MPs who sought updates on future rail lines, Mr Siow said LTA will begin engineering studies in 2026 for the Seletar Line, Tengah Line and West Coast Extension of the JRL.

For the Seletar Line, LTA will “prioritise studying a corridor to serve Sengkang West and Serangoon North”, he said, with possible connections to the CRL and Circle Line.

As for the West Coast Extension, studies will centre on the first phase, which will extend the JRL from the JE7 station near Teban Gardens to a future CRL station in West Coast.

LTA said it would study the feasibility of subsequent phases of these lines. The development of new rail lines in Singapore typically begins with feasibility studies to assess viability, followed by engineering studies to decide the alignment and detailed design.

Several new MRT stations are slated to open in 2026.

In the middle of 2026, Stage 6 of the Circle Line will open and complete the loop between HarbourFront and Marina Bay, with three new stations: Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road.

In the second half of the year, the final stretch of the Thomson-East Coast Line will open, adding Bedok South and Sungei Bedok stations

after earlier delays

.

The Downtown Line 3 Extension is also set to open in the second half of 2026. It will add Xilin station and Sungei Bedok station, which will serve as an interchange with the Thomson-East Coast Line.

LTA said the new stations will move it closer to its goal of having eight in 10 households within a 10-minute walk of a train station by the 2030s.

New entrance for Yishun station

Mr Siow also gave an update on plans to rejuvenate older MRT stations along the North-South and East-West lines.

Works to upgrade Yishun station are slated to begin in 2027, with a new entrance built on the station’s southern side to cater to higher ridership.

The station’s toilets, wayfinding and signage will be upgraded, while work on its facade will improve lighting and natural ventilation. The concourse will also be expanded to ease commuter flow, LTA said.

Mr Siow added that LTA is studying other stations for rejuvenation, including Admiralty, Khatib and Sembawang.

LTA said it is focusing on stations such as these three, where ridership is expected to increase due upcoming developments. Works may be needed to improve the stations’ capacity and accessibility, it added.

Turning to the issue of crowding – particularly on the North-East Line – Mr Siow said he has brought back free morning off-peak travel on the NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT to encourage more commuters to shift out of the morning peak.

So far, around 8 per cent of passengers have started their commutes at one of six NEL stations before 7.30am, or between 9am and 9.45am, after free morning off-peak travel was introduced in October 2025.

“Crowdedness has come down, akin to the effect of adding two extra trains or 20 buses,” Mr Siow said.

LTA said 14,500 passengers have signed up for the free travel scheme since it was enhanced on Dec 27, taking the total number to 25,500. About 2,100 passengers benefit daily, it added.

In the longer term, new MRT links such as the CRL and the Seletar Line are expected to ease congestion in the north-east, Mr Siow said.

Responding to WP Non-Constituency MP Andre Low’s suggestion on express train services, Mr Siow noted that such services can shorten journeys for some passengers but typically require a separate set of tracks and additional signalling systems.

That would mean greater land take, higher costs and more time needed for construction, he said.

On Mr Low’s proposal for skip-stop services, Mr Siow said this is technically possible, but regular trains would have to wait at stations to let express trains pass, significantly affecting passengers on those services.

During the debate, Ms Poh Li San (Sembawang West) sought an update on

fares for the upcoming cross-border Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link

between Johor Bahru and Woodlands.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke on Feb 13 said the proposed fare range was

between $5 and $7

.

Mr Siow told the House he has not discussed the fares with his Malaysian counterpart.

“Under the terms of our bilateral agreement, it is the operator, RTSO, who has to determine the fares,” Mr Siow said, adding that RTSO will announce the fares in due course.

The RTS Link, slated to begin operations by the end of 2026, will provide a direct, five-minute connection from Woodlands North station on the Thomson-East Coast Line to Bukit Chagar in downtown Johor Bahru.