Jurong Region MRT line

The Jurong Region Line (JRL) is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line under development in Singapore. It will serve the western parts of the country, particularly the new town of Tengah and its surrounding areas. First envisioned as a Light Rail Transit (LRT) line in 2001, it was put on hold throughout the 2000s before its current iteration as a MRT line was confirmed in 2013. The line is set to open in stages from 2027 to 2029. It will be the first MRT line to be fully elevated, and the fifth MRT line to be completely automated and driverless.

The JRL will have 24 stations, serving Choa Chu Kang in the north, Jurong Pier in the south, Peng Kang Hill in the west and Pandan Reservoir in the east. A West Coast extension to Haw Par Villa station, which is a part of the Circle Line, is under consideration. The line is coloured teal on the rail map. It will be the seventh MRT line in Singapore. It will use J151 trains supplied by Hyundai Rotem in a three to four-car formation, and a moving block signalling system supplied by Siemens.

History

Origins and development

A white paper released in 1996 showed a light rail line connecting to the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) from Boon Lay station on the East West Line (EWL). An LRT line for the Jurong area was first announced in November 1998 as part of feasibility studies by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), though communications minister Mah Bow Tan said the sustainability of such a project would depend on demand and ridership.

The Jurong Region line (JRL) was formally announced on 23 October 2001 by transport minister Yeo Cheow Tong. The light rail line was planned to serve the residents of Jurong living in areas beyond the EWL alongside the students of NTU. However, in May 2008, the project was put on hold due to the lack of financial viability based on passenger demands of the time.

The JRL was included as part of the 2013 Land Transport Masterplan announced by transport minister Lui Tuck Yew in January that year. In addition to new developments in Tengah, the line would serve NTU, Jurong West, Jurong Industrial Estate, West Coast and Choa Chu Kang.

Initial phases

The finalised alignment of the JRL and 24 stations were announced on 9 May 2018. Spanning 24 kilometres (15 mi), the JRL would be built in three phases. The first phase, JRL west, consists of ten stations from Choa Chu Kang to Bahar Junction and two branches to Tawas and Boon Lay. The second phase, JRL east, consists of seven stations branching from Tengah to Pandan Reservoir. The final phase comprises seven stations extending the line to NTU and Jurong Pier. These phases were expected to be completed from 2026 to 2028. However, the restrictions on construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to delays of the JRL project, with the completion dates pushed by one year.

The alignment, however, was considered confusing by many residents due to its many branches. Plenty of NTU students, while they welcomed the line connection, had commented they would prefer taking a direct bus route when travelling between the school and Boon Lay as they would have to transfer at Bahar Junction. Transport analysts said the finalised alignment was a compromise as the line had to navigate through built-up areas. While the JRL would be an MRT line instead of an LRT, the line would use smaller train carriages that could navigate the tighter curves of the line alignment.

To construct the line, a multi-storey car park in Choa Chu Kang was acquired along with the partial acquisition of 19 land plots, affecting only ancillary features such as green verges and fences. The Choa Chu Kang and Jurong East bus interchanges were relocated on 16 December 2018 and 6 December 2020 respectively. Pioneer Primary School merged with Juying Primary School in 2022 to facilitate a revised alignment of the line which would run through the former school premises.

The first contracts for the construction of JRL stations were awarded in September 2019. The contract to construct the line's Tengah Depot was awarded in November 2019, followed by the rolling stock contract in February 2020. The last station contract was awarded in May 2022. Construction of the JRL officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony on 13 January 2023. In May 2023, the LTA is calling for tenders to appoint operators for the JRL.

West Coast extension

On 25 August 2015, transport minister Lui announced the possibility of extending the JRL from Pandan Reservoir to connect with the Circle line at Haw Par Villa station via the Pasir Panjang area. The extension would improve connections between the western part of Singapore and the Central Business District. If built, the extension would be completed in 2030. As of September 2022, feasibility studies are ongoing.

Network and operations

Route

The 24-kilometre (15 mi) JRL will serve 24 stations in Jurong and the west of Singapore. 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. The JRL is a general H-shaped network.

Trains departing from Choa Chu Kang will switchback at Jurong Pier, then run towards Peng Kang Hill. Lastly, trains from Peng Kang Hill will switchback again and heading back to Choa Chu Kang, with Bahar Junction acting as an interchange point for the 3 converging services. The operation method will be similar to the Capital Airport Express in Beijing. 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.

Stations

Notes: Names stated are working names, except for stations that are already opened.

Legend

List

Infrastructure

Rolling stock

The JRL's rolling stock will comprise 62 J151 trains manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. The fully-automatic trains will run in a three-car formation, which can be lengthened to four cars when ridership increases. To navigate the tight curves along the route, the JRL trains are smaller than those on the other MRT lines. Each car will be 18.6 metres (61 ft) long with a width of 2.75 metres (9.0 ft). Both sides of the carriage will have three wider doors of 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) each to allow easier boarding and alighting.

Powered by 750V DC third-rail, the trains can run up to 70 km/h (43 mph). In addition, the trains will have two new systems – Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) and Automatic Track Inspection (ATI) – to allow real-time detection of train and track faults. In the event of a power failure, the trains will have emergency batteries to bring passengers to the nearest station.

Depot

Tengah Depot will be the service and storage area for JRL trains. Being constructed by China Railway 11 Bureau Group Corporation for S$739.5 million (US$498 million), the at-grade 44.5 ha (110-acre) depot includes the Operation Control Centre and can accommodate up to 100 JRL trains. Located west of Tengah, the depot is also integrated with a bus depot and a workers’ dormitory. There were plans for a stabling facility near Peng Kang Hill station that would have allowed enhanced launching and withdrawal operations of trains.

Signalling

The JRL is fully automatic, using Siemens' Trainguard Sirius Communications-based train control (CBTC) moving-block signalling system. The radio-based signalling system manages the line's Automatic train control (ATC) under Automatic train operation (ATO) GoA 4 and can provide live data of JRL trains' positions and speeds. Previously installed for the Downtown line (DTL), the CBTC subsystems consist of Automatic train protection (ATP) to govern train speed, Controlguide Rail 9000 Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) to track and schedule trains and Trackguard Westrace MKII Computer-based interlocking (CBI) system that prevents incorrect signal and track points to be set.

Platform screen doors by Siemens provide safety for passengers.

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

• Jurong Region Line