Yew Tee residents look forward to DTL extension connecting ‘remote’ neighbourhood to the city

SINGAPORE – While Yew Tee Village resident Kelvin Loke uses public transport daily, he always opts for a taxi or private-hire car ride when he needs to head to the city, as the bus and train journey from his home takes too much time.

This is set to change, as

a new underground MRT station will be built near Yew Tee Village

around Choa Chu Kang Drive and Choa Chu Kang Crescent as part of a planned extension of the Downtown Line (DTL) from Bukit Panjang to Sungei Kadut, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Jan 6.

Mr Loke, who is self-employed, said the new DTL station will make travelling to the city via public transport a more viable option. For instance, using the DTL to go to the city today would take over an hour, as he would need to get on bus service 979 to Bukit Panjang, with the journey taking 30 to 40 minutes.

With the new station within spitting distance of his home, Mr Loke said he would definitely take the train when travelling downtown in future. Another benefit he hopes to reap is an increase in the value of his flat after the new rail extension is completed.

The 4km-long rail extension will also include a new interchange with the North-South Line (NSL) in Sungei Kadut Central.

The stations will open in 2035, with construction to start by the fourth quarter of 2025.

The first new station after the current DTL terminus in Bukit Panjang, codenamed DE1, will be located in Sungei Kadut Avenue. DE1 will be connected to Yew Tee Village, Pang Sua Fishing Deck and Pang Sua Park Connector via a new pedestrian bridge.

This will be a short walk away from Choa Chu Kang Crescent, where Mr Loke lives, and will bring residents much closer to places such as the Botanic Gardens, Newton and Little India.

Another Yew Tee Village resident, Mr Cheng Heng Joon, travels more than an hour by bus to his office in Newton, a commute he described as “tedious”.

Mr Cheng, 51, an IT engineer who has lived in the neighbourhood for 20 years, said this is a problem shared by many residents of the area who work downtown.

He opts for the bus because he usually gets a seat.

Residents of Choa Chu Kang Crescent The Straits Times spoke to on Jan 6 are looking forward to the new station at their doorstep, but bemoaned the fact that they will have to wait 10 years.

Mr Ben Ward, 44, said he and his wife are excited about the new stations, as their “main challenge (of living in this part of Yew Tee) is connectedness”. It takes them about an hour and 15 minutes to travel to Orchard Road or the Marina Bay area.

“I wish the timeline could be moved up, but I’m excited it’s a priority,” said Mr Ward, who works for a US non-profit organisation.

Ms Lim Sze Ling, a property agent, was surprised at the news that an MRT station would be built a stone’s throw from her block. While 10 years is a long time to wait, it is “better than nothing”, the 40-year-old said.

The perception is that “there is nothing in this area; it is very ulu (‘remote’ in Malay)”, Ms Lim said.

“But if we have an MRT station, it will be different,” she said, adding that this may have an effect on property prices.

Mr Alex Yam, an MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, said the new MRT stations were a result of “much lobbying and discussion” with LTA.

He said that in 2015, he had raised concerns that Yew Tee residents would not benefit from the DTL, “even though it was right next to us”.

“Today’s confirmation of DE1 by LTA shows that those efforts have paid off,” Mr Yam said on Facebook.

“Once completed, these new stations will save residents up to 20 to 30 minutes in travel time to Downtown Line destinations, making commutes more seamless and reducing the need for multiple transfers,” he added.