TEL extension to connect city centre to Changi Airport

From 2025, modifications will be made to three MRT stations on the East-West Line (EWL) to future-proof them for possible conversion to Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) stations. These are the Tanah Merah, Expo, and Changi Airport stations.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) called a tender on 29 April 2024 for a contractor who, on appointment, will take charge of the addition and alteration works. This is part of a broader plan in the longer term to connect our rail network from Changi Airport to Singapore's city centre by 2040.

Revealed in 2019, the 2040 Land Transport Master Plan includes objectives to extend the TEL beyond its last stop in the East at the upcoming Sungei Bedok station as well as Terminal 5.

This extension will then form a connection with the EWL stretch between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah. This means that the extended rail line will become part of the TEL in future. 

However, as the EWL and TEL operate on different systems, retrofitting will be required to ensure passengers are able to switch from one line to the other seamlessly. The two MRT lines currently run parallel to each other and only interface at the Outram Park station. 

But with the extension, the two lines will also meet in the East. It will also enable greater convenience for passengers who wish to travel to and from the city and Changi Airport. 

LTA's tender will close on 26 August 2024. It said it will share more details of the planned modification works once the contract has been awarded in early 2025. 

By the end of 2026, the TEL will additionally connect passengers to the cross-border RTS Link between Woodlands North and Johor Bahru. The TEL is Singapore's sixth MRT line and is fully underground. 

TEL's fourth stage - which comprises a 10.8km stretch between Tanjong Rhu and Bayshore - is slated to commence passenger service on 23 June 2024. Construction for its fifth stage is expected to conclude in 2026 due to delays.