 |
Overview of CRL stations and contracts as at August 2026. |
Just a quick update for August, as time really does not seem to be on our side this year. Nonetheless, we've managed to spread our coverage over the various phases of the line - a little bit here and a little bit there. In this snapshot update, we cover some of the key observations across the line from existing interchange station modification works to tunnel progress. More after the jump!
 |
| A compilation of the various sites across Phases 1 and 2 in July 2026. |
With the announcement of the Cross Island Line (CRL)'s final phase on 31 July 2026, we now know that the line will stretch for 67km, making this line the longest in the country - beating out the East-West Line (EWL)'s record of 54km by a fair bit. This means that the CRL is a really big project, spanning end-to-end across the entire country. While the EWL also crosses the island from east to west, it mostly sticks to the southern section of the island. In comparison, the CRL swings further north and south than the EWL, making its route much more varied and spread out. This translates into it being much more difficult to easily visit and keep track of all contract sites.
For this update, we tried to cover as much ground as we could to give you an idea of where the line stands in progress. As phase 3 was only announced right at the end of the month, we won't be yet including that section in this update. Nonetheless, all the previous phases of the line that were officially announced are covered in this update in some way, form or manner. There's a lot to unpack, so jump right on in after the jump.
 |
| 31 July 2026 - The first two train sets for the Cross Island Line during the unveiling ceremony at the Singapore Rail Test Centre. |
 |
| Interior colours chosen from the online poll conducted during the public design consultation. Cars 1 and 6 will feature light blue, Cars 2 and 5 will feature green & Cars 3 and 4 will feature dark blue schemes respectively. |
Today, SgMC was at the Singapore Rail Test Centre (SRTC). The visit was premised under the pretext of the Transport Minister's visit to view the testing of Cross Island Line (CRL) trains in Singapore. During his opening speech for the visit, the Minister also unveiled the alignment and locations of stations & depot for the final phase of the CRL. There will be a separate post on that. In this post, we'll tackle the things that we're sure you're eagerly awaiting for - the design features of the CRL trains. You may recall that the LTA had solicited for the public's opinion on certain design features for the CRL trains. We're bringing you along on this visit to the trains that were on display in static mode at the SRTC today.
Special thanks to Land Transport Authority (LTA) for the invite.
 |
| January 2026 - Factory Acceptance Test for contract CR203 tunnel boring machines in China. Source: LinkedIn |
June was quite a significant month for the Cross Island Line (CRL)'s tunneling works. Significant progress has been made along Phase 1 and along the Punggol Extension. We take a look at the some of the contracts where tunneling works made progress in the month of June.
Today, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that the first Cross Island Line (CRL) trainset under contract CR151 had reached Singapore's shores. Upon arrival, the train will be transported to the Singapore Rail Test Centre (SRTC) in Tuas for testing & integration works. Similar tests were conducted there for the Circle Line (CCL)'s new batch of third generation trains under contract 851E. Did you manage to catch some of the details from the video that LTA put up? Here's what SGMC has uncovered after a closer look (after the jump).
 |
Overview of CRL1 stations CR4 - CR5 & CR8 - CR11 as at April 2026. |
Last week, we took a look at the progress of the Cross Island Line (CRL)'s Punggol Extension. This week, we catch up on progress along CRL's phase 1 section, covering 6 contracts under the phase. Join us as we take a look at progress made from Pasir Ris East to Ang Mo Kio in this snapshot update of CRL1.
We have just learnt that tunneling works for contract CR106, responsible for the construction of Loyang station and connecting tunnels to Pasir Ris East station, have been completed. The westbound (WB) tunnel boring machine (TBM) successfully docked with the Loyang station box earlier this month. This follows the earlier docking of the eastbound (EB) TBM in January this year. With the latest completion, approximately 16 of the 29 tunnel drives for phase 1 have now been completed.
 |
Overview of CRL1 stations CR2 - CR5, CR8 - CR10 & CPE station CP4 as at February 2026. |
It's been a while since we've had a Snapshot update for the Cross Island Line (CRL). Here's one from February 2026, covering several of the sites across Phase 1 and Punggol station along the Punggol Extension. How have works progressed, especially at the line's eastern end? We find out all that and more in this update after the jump.
 |
| Graphical representation of tunneling progress for contract CR117. Based on compilation of available information and may not be the most accurate nor up to date. |
Contract CR117 has been one of the more elusive contracts to track progress of, mainly due to the different geology at the location which necessitated different construction methods. For instance, the earth retaining & stabilising structure (ERSS) employed at the site uses bore piles instead of diaphragm walls. Similarly, it has been a little difficult to track the progress of tunneling works. Nonetheless, we've managed to probe a bit more and finally have some idea of the progress when it comes to tunneling.
 |
| Undated image - A photo of the slurry tunnel boring machine used for the contract. Source: Skymard / Hnjtx / China Construction Machinery Association |
Another tunnel that has recently been completed along the Cross Island Line's (CRL) phase 1 section is the eastbound tunnel under contract CR106. This contract will be responsible for the construction of Loyang station and tunnels connecting to neighbouring Pasir Ris East station. Two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are being used for the construction of the tunnels, with the launch shaft constructed under contract CR107, next to the Pasir Ris East station before being handed over to contract CR106.
 |
| A collage of images from the recent eastbound tunnel breakthrough. Source: CR109 Telegram group |
 |
| CRL1 tunnel chart as of end-2025, to the team's best knowledge. |
Tunneling works along the Cross Island Line (CRL)'s phase 1 have been progressing well, thanks to the favourable soil conditions in the eastern side of the island. Soil here is typically composed of old alluvium, great for tunneling as seen through the quick work made of tunnels under several contracts of late.
 |
| August 2023 - A view of the displays within the CRL1 Project Information Centre. The display on the left shows the Soil Profile along the CRL1. |
 |
| A screenshot of the Soil Profile along CRL1. Source: CRL1 Virtual PIC |
With the favourable Old Alluvium in Eastern Singapore, here are some updates on tunneling work across CRL1.
 |
Overview of CRL1 stations CR3 - CR10 as at August 2025. |
 |
| Overview of CRL1 station CR11 & CRL2 stations CR17 - CR19 as at August 2025. Top (L - R): CR11 – Ang Mo Kio, CR207 - Launch shaft Middle (L - R): CR17 - Clementi, CR18 - West Coast Bottom (L - R): CR210 - Launch shaft, CR19 - Jurong Lake District |
Roughly about three-quarters into the year, how has progress been along the Cross Island Line? We take a closer look at some of the key sites along the line in both phases 1 and 2 in this August look-back.
 |
| 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.
Beyond the upcoming road diversion mentioned in our post on the contract CR115 roadshow, several other Cross Island Line (CRL) contracts will be implementing similar diversions at their respective project sites. These changes to the road networks are scheduled to take place between mid & late August. The details after the jump.
 |
| 2 August 2025 - A view of the roadshow exhibition taking place. |
In early August, contractor Sato Kogyo held a roadshow for contract CR115 to update residents and stakeholders in the area on construction progress for the project. The roadshow was held at a pavilion in Tavistock Park, with a few exhibition panels on display covering various areas such as construction updates on the Earth Retaining & Stablising System (ERSS), tunneling works and road diversions. Various representatives from the contractor and the public relations team were on hand to interact with visitors and answer any questions raised.
 |
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.
 |
| A render of the Changi Terminal 5 station platform. Source: Changi Airport Group |
 |
| June 2025 - Completed Rectangular Tunnel Boring Machine drive for Exit 2 subway. Image from LinkedIn |
 |
| March 2025 - Assembly of the slurry TBM that will bore tunnels for the contract has commenced within the launch shaft. Source: LinkedIn |
