CRL2 Groundbreaking ceremony

7 July 2025 - A group photo with contractors of CRL2.

Today, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official commencement of construction on phase 2 of the Cross Island Line (CRL). Connecting 6 stations over 15km of track, the section of line will see the expansion of Singapore's rail network reach areas in the west currently not well covered by the system. Notably, the future housing estate on the site of the former turf club will be served by the MRT and residents at West Coast will have a station to call their own. Also standing to benefit, students at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) will be served by the upcoming Maju station. Stations along this section of the line are Turf City, King Albert Park, Maju, Clementi, West Coast and Jurong Lake District. King Albert Park and Clementi stations will connect to the existing Downtown and East-West lines respectively, allowing convenient transfers for commuters.

Early works under the 9 contracts that make up phase 2 have already commenced, thus today's ceremony is more symbolic in nature. Some of the works that have begun include the demolition of existing structures at the project sites, utility diversions and construction of diaphragm walls for sections where excavation works will be required. The 9 contracts consist of 3 contracts for tunneling between stations and 6 contracts for the construction of stations, some which also include the construction of connecting tunnels.

A total of 11 tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be required to complete tunneling works along this section of the line, one of which is already busy at work under contract CR202. TBM Jane, launched in May 2025, is a large diameter TBM that will construct the tunnels connecting Turf City station with Bright Hill station on phase 1 of the line. This tunnel will undercross the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) without disturbing the surface, a decision that was not undertaken lightly when the line was first planned. Due to concerns from nature groups and other communities, studies were initiated to weigh the benefits of pursuing the direct route over an alternative route avoiding the CCNR entirely. Ultimately, following the studies conducted, the direct route through the CCNR was selected, albeit with some adjustments to the work areas to mitigate impact to the flora and fauna found within the reserve.

In addition to the symbolic start of construction along the second phase, the Minister for Transport - Mr. Jeffrey Siow - also officiated the opening of the phase's Project Information Centre (PIC). Located in Clementi and next to the project site, the PIC serves to allow the community to learn more about the project and its development. On display is a model of the upcoming Clementi station and exhibits of the contracts under this phase of the line. Similar PICs exist in Hougang for Phase 1 of the line and in Punggol for the Punggol extension section.

7 July 2025 - Opening plaque

The PIC will be open to the public from 8 July 2025. Operating hours will be 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. Walk-ins are allowed, but booking an appointment through a link to be released is encouraged.

We look forward to the continued progress along CRL2 with the phase officially underway. May the project be completed safely & in a timely manner.

Edited 2.15pm on 7 July 2025:

We've got more exciting coverage from the CRL2 groundbreaking & PIC opening ceremonies earlier this morning. With a wide range of information available, here's some information we've gleaned to start off with.

CRL2 Quick facts

Deepest station - King Albert Park (50m). Also to be the deepest in Singapore.
Longest station - Maju (400m)
Widest station - Clementi (57m)

Line length ~ 15km
Number of stations - 6
Number of facility buildings - 2

Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs)
Number - 11 to be used on CRL2
1 large diameter TBM (Contract CR202)
7 slurry TBMs
3 earth pressure balance TBMs

We'll move on to some station facts such as the number of exits each would have and other outstanding features.

CR14 - Turf City (Contract 203)
This station will kick off with 2 exits when initially built, with Exit 1 being located near to the North Grandstand. Exit 2 will be at the other end, further away from the grandstands and feature an integrated ventilation tower on top. The station is likely to comprise of 2 publicly accessible levels where the concourse & platform are located. We understand that from street level, there would be a number of mezzanine levels through which commuters will need to switch escalators to descend into the station.

Layout of exits at Turf City station.

Exit 1 of Turf City station.
Image by LTA.

Exit 2 of Turf City station.
Image by LTA.

Inside Exit 1 of Turf City station.
Image by LTA.

Interior concourse view.
Image by LTA.

Interior concourse view.
Image by LTA.

Interior concourse view.
Image by LTA.

CR15 - King Albert Park (Contract CR205)
This station will see 2 new exits added on as the station becomes an interchange complex. Exit 3 will be located near the existing King Albert Park Downtown Line station while Exit 4 is located further south. Being the deepest station on the line and in the country, the station will have several levels within. A long set of escalators at the station's southern end will connect passengers transferring between lines.

Layout of exits at King Albert Park station.

A view of the CRL station concourse.
Image by LTA.

A view of faregates at the CRL station concourse.
Image by LTA.

Exit 3.
Image by LTA.

A street-level view of Exit 3.
Image by LTA.

Exit 4.
Image by LTA.

There is likely an error in the heading as this should be the concourse level.
Image by LTA.

There is likely an error in the heading as this should read concourse level instead.
Image by LTA.

CR16 - Maju (Contract CR206)
The station located under Clementi Road will feature 3 exits, with Exit 1 being located next to the southbound carriageway. Exits 2 and 3 are located adjacent to the northbound carriageway, with Exit 2 directly outside SIM. The station would feature approximately 3 levels, with a subway level, concourse level and platform level.

Layout of exits at Maju station.

Exit 2 in front of SIM.
Image by LTA.

A view of the platform of the station.
Image by LTA.

Exit 1, along the southbound carriageway and Clementi forest.
Image by LTA.

Exit 2, along the northbound carriageway and next to SIM.
Image by LTA.

Another view of the platform area within the station. Also in view are the concourse and subway
levels.
Image by LTA.

A view of the subway level, located above the station's concourse.
Image by LTA.

CR17 - Clementi (Contract CR208)
As previously covered, upgrading the existing station to an interchange facility will see some major reconfiguration of the existing East-West Line station. A new annex structure will be added on to the western end and new linkbridges will connect the station to exits, roughly where they are today. The existing Exit B will be reconfigured with a new paid transfer linkbridge to allow paid transfers while maintaining a separate bridge for unpaid commuters who are using the station as an overhead bridge to cross Commonwealth Avenue West. The station features 3 basement levels, with B1 being the subway level, B2 the concourse level and B3 where the platforms are located.

Layout of exits at Clementi station.

A view of Exit 4 which will feature unpaid access & paid transfers between the lines.
Image by LTA.

Another view of Exit 4.
Image by LTA.

Exit 3, the current day Exit A which will be reconfigured to allow access to the annex.
Image by LTA.

An aerial view of Exit 4.
Image by LTA.

Exit 5 of Clementi station.
Image by LTA.

Exit 6 of Clementi station, along Clementi Avenue 4.
Image by LTA.

An interior view of Exit 4 showing the paid transfer between lines.
Image by LTA.

CR18 - West Coast (Contract CR209)
This station will feature 3 exits, numbered from the south. Connections to the future Jurong Region Line West Coast Extension are not immediately obvious at this point.

Layout of exits at West Coast station.

Image by LTA.

Image by LTA.

Image by LTA.

Image by LTA.

Image by LTA.

Image by LTA.

CR19 - Jurong Lake District (Contract CR211)
The final station along this section of the line also features 3 exits.

Layout of exits at Jurong Lake District station.

Exit 1 of Jurong Lake District station.
Image by LTA.

Exit 2 of Jurong Lake District station.
Image by LTA.

Edited 7 July 2025 4.06pm

What better way to end off this post than with a compilation of the station flythrough videos? Here's a snippet of what you can expect when you visit the CRL2 PIC.

CRL2 compilation of station flythroughs

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