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| A view of the launch shaft. Image from LinkedIn. Thanks to Yekai for the heads up. |
Have you ever wondered what the tunneling site for a large diameter bored tunnel looks like? Are there any appreciable differences from the tunneling of a regular twin bored tunnel? We've come across a few images online of the launch shaft for contract CR110 that allow us to see what these look like.
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Overview of CRL1 works under contracts CR106 - CR117 as at July 2025. |
There's a fair bit to update in this snapshot of the Cross Island Line (CRL) for July 2025. This update will mainly focus on progress along phase 1 of the line, the section with the most progress thus far due to the section's earlier announcement, contract award and commencement in general. Nonetheless, tunneling is also underway across all announced phases thus far, so we will touch a little on the progress made on that front thus far. All this & more after the jump.
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| An overview of 2 CRL1 contracts as of August 2024. Top: Changi East depot Bottom: Contract CR110 launch shaft at Paya Lebar Air Base |
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Overview of CRL1 stations CR3 - CR11 as of August 2024. |
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Overview of CRL1 stations CR12 – CR13, CPE stations CP2 –
CP4 & CRL2 stations CR15 – |
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Overview of CRL1 contracts CR102 - CR115 as of July 2024. |
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Overview of CRL1 contracts CR116 & N109A, CPE contracts P102 - P103 & CRL2 contracts |
July was a momentous month for the Cross Island Line (CRL). All civil contracts for the construction of stations across phases 1, 2 and the Punggol extension were awarded. Along phase 1, several contracts were in the midst of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) assembly and subsequent launch as well. In this update, we take a brief look at the progress made across the line's first few phases.
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| Tunnel Boring Machines of Cross Island Line Phase 1. Top (L - R) : Contract CR102, Contract CR106 Middle (L - R) : Contract CR105, Contract CR115, Contract CR110 Bottom (L - R) : Contract CR109, Contract CR116 |
Tunnel Boring Machines, also known as TBMs, have been described as mechanical moles or earthworms that dig through the ground, leaving behind hollow concrete tubes through which trains eventually run. These huge machines often work their way along the future MRT lines, most members of the public unaware of their existence right beneath them.
TBMs used on previous MRT projects were huge at approximately 6.3m in diameter. The ones used on the Cross Island Line (CRL) are even bigger, owing to the extra space required to run an additional rail supplying the trains with power along the top of the eventual tunnel. These will measure at around 7.22m for single tube tunnels that carry one track and 12.66m for large diameter tube tunnels that carry several tracks within.
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| Overview of CRL1 stations CR4 - CR13 as of April 2024. Top (L - R): CR4 - Pasir Ris East, CR5 - Pasir Ris, CR6 - Tampines North Middle (L - R): CR7 - Defu, CR8 - Hougang, CR9 - Serangoon North Bottom (L-R): CR10 - Tavistock, CR11 - Ang Mo Kio, CR13 - Bright Hill |
We're pretty much done with April of 2024 - what a quick first third of the year it has been! Things are quickly becoming serious over along the Cross Island Line (CRL)'s first phase of 12 stations stretching from Aviation Park to Bright Hill with tunnel boring machines (TBMs) being delivered to site and lowered into launch shafts, station box excavation starting and bored piling continuing. We'll do a brief overview of the CRL1 stations as of the end of April 2024. More after the jump!
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Overview of CRL1 stations CR4 - CR11 & Contract CR110 as at September 2023. |
Our snapshot update for the Cross Island Line (CRL) phase 1 in the month of September 2023 is here. We have also begun the Q3 updates for some stations, so those updates will be more detailed than the ones reflected here. Nonetheless, do enjoy the brief update on the 9 contracts for September.
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| 29 August 2023 - Operating hours as displayed on the site office hoarding. |
Recently, the Cross Island Line (CRL) phase 1's Project Information Centre (PIC) has been opened to the public. Operating hours for the PIC are during weekdays during office hours. Do note that you will need to get in touch with the Public Relations Officer to secure a slot before heading down so that the PIC will be manned during your visit. Not doing so may result in disappointment should the officer be engaged and unable to open the centre for you. Nonetheless, the team paid a visit to the PIC today and are here to relay what you can find once you are there.
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| The event stage before the commencement of the ceremony. |
The SG MRT Construction team is once again grateful for the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) invitation to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Cross Island Line (CRL) phase 1 this morning. Held at the contract CR117 site for Bright Hill station, it was indeed a bright and cheery morning, fit for a momentous occasion. The ceremony's stage was decked out in CRL Lime Green and decorated with drums and barrels of sorts whilst event attendees mingled around, awaiting the guest of honour's arrival.
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| 16 December 2022 - A view of the site office. |
Contract CR110 is for the construction of a large diameter bored tunnel from Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) to Defu station. The launch shaft for the large diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM) will be located near a row of shophouses along Tampines Road. Work has been going on here for some time with heavy machinery progressively being brought on site. A hydrofraise machine was also recently seen here, awaiting deployment for the construction of diaphragm walls.
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| Credit: y2koh |
