Jurong Region MRT line

The Jurong Region line (JRL) is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line which will open in 2026 to serve the western part of Singapore. It reaches north to Choa Chu Kang, south to Jurong Pier, west to Peng Kang Hill and east to Pandan Reservoir and will be the seventh MRT line. The line is coloured turquoise on the rail map.

The Jurong Region line is the third MRT line in Singapore to be constructed with elevated tracks after the East West line and the North South line, the first MRT line to be built fully elevated with no underground or ground level sections, and the fourth medium capacity line in Singapore.

Overview
The Jurong Region line mainly serves Jurong and the surrounding area and has three branches centered around Bahar Junction station.

Trains travelling from Choa Chu Kang will terminate at Jurong Pier. Trains travelling from Jurong Pier will terminate Peng Kang Hill. Lastly, trains travelling from Peng Kang Hill will head towards Choa Chu Kang, with Bahar Junction acting as an interchange point for the 3 converging services. Transfer to the east branch can only be done at Tengah. 

Feasibility studies for an extension to connect the east branch to the Circle line at Haw Par Villa are currently ongoing. However, this sector was not mentioned in the Land Transport Master Plan 2040 despite it being first announced in Aug 2015.

History

Origins and development
As early as 1996, consideration was given to provide a rail connection to the Nanyang Technological University from the rest of Singapore. The white paper published by the Land Transport Authority indicated that a Light Rail Transit line would run west of Boon Lay station on the East West line towards the university campus. The Jurong Region line was first announced on 23 October 2001, but was subsequently put on hold.

It was only decided in 2013 that the line would be a Mass Rapid Transit line running from Choa Chu Kang, crossing Boon Lay and Tengah, Jurong East, Jurong Industrial Estate and Jurong West, following plans to develop Tengah New Town.

The stations and alignment were announced on 9 May 2018 as a 24-kilometre line with 24 stations. The Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange and one HDB block will all be acquired for the construction of the line.

Construction will begin in 2020 and operations will commence in 3 phases, from 2026 to 2028.

System
The Jurong Region line would have 24 kilometres (15 mi) of tracks with 24 stations. There are four branches: to Choa Chu Kang in the north, Jurong Pier in the south, Pandan Reservoir in the east and Peng Kang Hill in the west.

Stations
Notes: Names stated are working names, except for current operational stations.

Depot
There will be a depot at Tengah and a stabling facility near Peng Kang Hill to support the operations of the Jurong Region line. Rolling stock will be kept at both locations, which will have stabling facilities for trains. The Tengah Depot, which will also house the Operations Control Centre, will have a bus depot and a workers’ dormitory integrated with it to optimise land use. The Peng Kang Hill stabling facility is located near Peng Kang Hill station, whereas Tengah Depot is located along the western perimeter of Tengah.

Rolling stock
The Jurong Region Line will be operated by three-car CJ151 trains that can be expanded to four-cars when ridership increases. Each carriage is 18.6m by 2.75m, which is smaller than those used on other MRT lines because of the elevated nature of the line and the need for trains to maneuver through sharp bends in densely populated areas.

On 6 February 2020, Hyundai Rotem of South Korea was awarded the contract to build 62 of these train sets for the Jurong Region Line.

Proposed extensions

West Coast extension
A proposed extension from Pandan Reservoir to Haw Par Villa via Pasir Panjang would connect the Jurong Region line to the Circle line and improve the connectivity between the western part of Singapore and the Central Business District. It would support the future developments along the line while enhancing the overall resilience of the Mass Rapid Transit network. New stations would be added in West Coast and Pasir Panjang. The plan was announced in 2015. As of 2019, feasibility studies are ongoing. If built, the extension would be ready in 2030.

References

External links
 Jurong Region Line

Category:Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) lines
Category:Proposed public transport in Singapore