CR151 - Preview of the CRL trains

 

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.

CRL1, CPE & CRL2 - Tunneling update for June

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.

CR151 - The first train arrives

Source: Land Transport Authority (LTA)

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).

CRL1 - A snapshot in April 2026

Overview of CRL1 stations CR4 - CR5 & CR8 - CR11 as at April 2026.
Top (L - R): CR4 - Pasir Ris East, CR5/CP1 - Pasir Ris,
Middle (L - R): CR8 - Hougang, CR9 - Serangoon North
Bottom (L - R): CR10 – Tavistock, CR11 – Ang Mo Kio

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.

CPE - A snapshot in April 2026

Overview of CPE stations as at April 2026.
Top: CP2 - Elias
Middle: CP3 - Riviera
Bottom: CP4 - Punggol

We're beginning the April snapshots with a recap of the Cross Island Line's Punggol Extension (CPE) where things are beginning to ramp up as tunneling works for the entire length of the phase commence. Station works have also progressed at the three station sites under this phase of the line. Find out more as we cover the brief summary of progress made at each station site.

CR106 - Completion of WB tunnel

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.

CRL - A snapshot in February 2026

Overview of CRL1 stations CR2 - CR5, CR8 - CR10 & CPE station CP4 as at February 2026.
Top (L - R): Changi East Depot, CR2 - Aviation Park, CR3 - Loyang
Middle (L - R): CR4 - Pasir Ris East, CR5/CP1 - Pasir Ris, CR8 - Hougang
Bottom (L - R): CR9 - Serangoon North, CR10 - Tavistock, CP4 - Punggol

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.

CR117 - Completion of westbound tunnel

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

CR106 - Completion of eastbound tunnel

 

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.

CR109 - Completion of tunneling works

 

A collage of images from the recent eastbound tunnel breakthrough.
Source: CR109 Telegram group

It has been a rather quite time at SGMC since the end of the year due to the multitude of things going on in this author's personal life - lots of assignments for school while still holding down a full time job. Thankfully assignment season is over and we can celebrate a few milestones that we'd like to catch you up on. The first, and most recent one, being the completion of tunneling works for contract CR109.

Tunnel updates - CR106, CR109, CR111, CR112 & CR116

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

Old Alluvium is a dense and strong material, capable of supporting the surroundings while tunneling work is being carried out. While strong, it is also easier to tunnel through than Bukit Timah Granite, an extremely hard rock that dominates the soil profile of Western Singapore. The transition from Old Alluvium to Bukit Timah Granite takes place in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio and Teck Ghee.

With the favourable Old Alluvium in Eastern Singapore, here are some updates on tunneling work across CRL1.

• Contract CR106 - The second tunnel boring machine (TBM) has passed under housing blocks and is in the vicinity of Loyang Avenue.
• Contract CR109 - The westbound TBM has completed its second & final drive. Eastbound TBM was boring underneath Tampines Road in the vicinity of Tampines Dormitory.
• Contract CR111 - Both TBMs have completed their drives towards Hougang station.
• Contract CR112 - According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), both TBMs have completed their drives toward Serangoon North station.
• Contract CR116 - As of end-November, the TBM's second drive was 63% completed.

CRL - A snapshot in August 2025

Overview of CRL1 stations CR3 - CR10 as at August 2025.
Top (L - R): CR3 - Loyang, CR4 - Pasir Ris East
Middle (L - R): CR5/CP1 - Pasir Ris, CR8 - Hougang
Bottom (L - R): CR9 - Serangoon North, CR10 – Tavistock

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.

CR110 - Sneak peek at the action

 

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.

CRL1 & CPE - Upcoming traffic diversions (Aug 2025)

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.

CR115 - Tavistock roadshow 2025

 

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.

CRL - A snapshot in July 2025

Overview of CRL1 works under contracts CR106 - CR117 as at July 2025.
Top (L - R): CR106 - Loyang, CR4 - Pasir Ris East, CR5/CP1 - Pasir Ris, CR6 - Tampines North
Middle (L - R): CR110 – Large diameter tunnel, CR7 - Defu, CR8 - Hougang, CR9 - Serangoon North
Bottom (L - R): CR10 – Tavistock, CR11 – Ang Mo Kio, CR12 - Teck Ghee, CR13 - Bright Hill

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.

CR01 - Changi Terminal 5

 

A render of the Changi Terminal 5 station platform.
Source: Changi Airport Group

Today, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced the addition of a new station to the Cross Island Line (CRL), to be located at the line's eastern end. Tentatively named Changi Terminal 5, the station will allow transfers to be made to the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). The station will be built as part of the ground transportation centre (GTC) to be located at Changi Airport's Terminal 5 headhouse. We understand that the contract for the GTC, including the station, will be overseen by the Changi Airport Group. Pre-qualifications for the contract opened on 19 May and closed on 25 June.

The addition of Changi Terminal 5 station will see the CRL extended by a further 5.8 km and is expected to be completed in the mid-2030's.

This post will also be available on Instagram, Facebook and the ECL Construction blog.

CPE - A snapshot in June 2025

An overview of Riviera & Punggol stations along the CPE in June 2025.

Having missed out covering the remaining 2 stations along the Cross Island Line (CRL)'s Punggol Extension (CPE) in the CRL May 2025 snapshot, we visited these station sites in June to catch up. The sites were hives of activities, especially with a major road diversion at the junction of Punggol Central & Punggol Place being implemented this past month. More details after the jump.

N109A - Completion of Exit 2 subway

 

June 2025 - Completed Rectangular Tunnel Boring Machine drive for Exit 2 subway.
Image from LinkedIn

This month, a milestone has been achieved at contract N109A for the construction of Teck Ghee station - the second exit subway undercrossing Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 has been completed! As part of the station's construction, contractor Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (STEC) had utilised a rectangular tunnel boring machine (RTBM) to construct 2 subways linking Exits 2 and 3 within Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park to the station box.

CR116 - TBM assembly begins

 

March 2025 - Assembly of the slurry TBM that will bore tunnels for
the contract has commenced within the launch shaft.
Source: LinkedIn

Recently, we came across images of the slurry Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for contract CR116 being assembled within the contract's launch shaft. Located near the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenues 3 and 6, the launch shaft was completed some time back following excavation 25 metres down to the base level. Before TBM assembly could commence, adits were constructed to allow for the machine to be jacked forward to commence tunnel construction. This method is similar to the technique previously employed for several launch sites along the Downtown Line's Stage 3 section, with the use of circular shaped launch shafts near the former Tampines Prison (Prison shaft), Tampines Stadium (Stadium shaft) and Pan Island Expressway exit near Upper Changi Road (PIE shaft).