New MRT Line Connects Punggol to Pasir Ris in 10 Mins & Can Possibly Reduce Breakdowns on Other Lines

Last Updated on 2019-01-29 , 6:27 pm

Singapore is small. So small that the people up there have to put a red dot on the world map to show where we are.

But that’s not going to stop us from building as many MRT lines as possible.

Right now, Hong Kong might hold the world champion title for the “most complicated” MRT line ever to tourists.

But not for long.

Singapore’s now building our eighth MRT line called the Cross Island Line (CRL) and it’s able to cut down travelling time and stop the NS-EW lines from breaking down so often.

What Exactly Is The CRL?

Okay, for those who’ve missed the hype on the news due to an unfortunate death in the SAF, here’s what the Cross Island Line (CRL) is all about.

It’s the eighth MRT line in Singapore.

And it’ll connect the east, north-east and west regions of Singapore. All the way from just before Changi Airport, through Pasir-Ris, Serangoon, Bishan to Jurong Industrial Estate.

And there’s a possibility that the line might link up with Changi Airport.

It Could Possibly Result in Lesser Train Faults

What’s one thing SMRT always uses when it comes to defending their train faults?

Engineering hours not long enough. There’s too much wear and tear to fix overnight. The north-south-east-west lines account for the majority of commuters in Singapore.

And that’s where the CRL comes in.

The entire purpose of the line is to connect areas with no MRT connectivity to MRTs. Which means, there’ll be more people taking the new line to work, resulting in a lesser workload for the aged, poor systems of the north-south-east-west-lines.

According to Singapore’s transport minister Hui Ge Mr Khaw Boon Wan, the CRL will redistribute the passenger load on the NSL, EWL and NEL so “that the over-crowdedness that our commuters experience now will be eased”.

The First Phase Will Begin in 2020

Excited about the news? Can’t wait for it to be ready?

Now, here’s the bad news.

Easties and northeasties will get to enjoy this awesome line first. The first phase of construction will begin in the eastern and northeastern parts of Singapore.

And given Singapore’s previous track record of operating train lines in phases, these stations are likely to start operating at an earlier time.

So if you’re living in the following areas:

• Bright Hill
• Teck Ghee
• Ang Mo Kio
• Tavistock
• Serangoon North
• Hougang
• Defu
• Tampines North
• Pasir-Ris
• Pasir-Ris East
• Loyang
• Aviation Park

Good for you!

Punggol to Pasir Ris Could Mean a 10-min Ride (In the future, of course)

There are some things that we’ll never say enough to: money, salted egg food, Goody Feed articles and MRT line.

But still, our dear LTA has to explain why there’s a need for this line, and here’s a simple image they’ve done:

And here’s the ticket: while Punggol and Pasir Ris is technically pretty close to each other, travelling between these two areas is a bitch in a half: a bus journey takes about 40 minutes, and if you take the train, you’d have to go one big round (Purple Line to Yellow Line to Green Line).

With the new CRL, you can get from Punggol to Pasir Ris in ten to fifteen minutes. Living in Punggol and have a baby son? Even if he can’t speak now, he’ll thank the CRL in the future.

So what about westies?

While there’s no information on what phase 2 is going to be like, the LTA did say that the entire line will be operational in 2030.

Another 11 years time.

O well.

Maybe by then, aliens will have landed on Yishun and provide us with a new transportation technology.