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Tuas Link MRT station

Tuas Link
 EW33 


大士连路
துவாஸ் லிங்க்
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) terminus
Photograph of the island platform of Tuas Link station, with a cylindrical roof
Platform level of Tuas Link station
General information
Location20 Tuas West Drive
Singapore 638418[1]
Coordinates1°20′25″N 103°38′12.5″E / 1.34028°N 103.636806°E / 1.34028; 103.636806
Operated bySMRT Trains (SMRT Corporation)
Line(s)
  East–West Line
Platforms2 (1 island platform)
Tracks2
Connections
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Platform levels1
AccessibleYes
History
Opened18 June 2017; 7 years ago (2017-06-18)[2]
Passengers
June 20244,981 per day[3]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station
Tuas West Road
towards Pasir Ris
 East–West Line Terminus
Location
Singapore MRT/LRT system map
Singapore MRT/LRT system map
Tuas Link
Location of Tuas Link station in Singapore

Tuas Link MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station in western Singapore. Located in Tuas along Tuas West Drive, it is located close to Tuas Depot and Tuas Checkpoint. The station is the terminus of the East–West line (EWL) and the westernmost station in Singapore.

First announced in 2011 as part of the Tuas West Extension (TWE), the station began operations on 18 June 2017. The station is operated by SMRT Trains. It is the only elevated station in Singapore to feature a concourse above the platforms, due to space constraints at the ground level.

History

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An extension to Tuas from Joo Koon station was first announced in January 2008 by transport minister Raymond Lim to improve public transport access to Tuas and the Jurong Industrial Estate.[4][5] The station, first announced on 11 January 2011, would be constructed as part of the 7.5-kilometre (4.7 mi) Tuas West Extension (TWE) of the East West line (EWL).[6] The extension consisted of four stations between this station and Tuas station (now renamed Gul Circle).[7][8]

The contract for the construction of this station and the adjacent Tuas West Road station was awarded to China Railway 11 Bureau Group Corporation (Singapore Branch) in November 2011. The S$150 million (US$119.26 million) contract included the construction of 2.2 kilometres (1.4 miles) of elevated MRT viaducts.[9] Construction of the TWE began with a groundbreaking ceremony held at the station's construction site on 4 May 2012.[10][11]

On 25 August, a construction worker died when he fell into a bore hole at the station's work site. The Singapore Civil Defence Force recovered the body 24 hours after the incident. The incident happened when the rebar cage the workers were lowering dislodged and led to the worker falling into the hole.[12]

Initially expected to open in 2016,[7][13] the TWE completion date was pushed to the second quarter of 2017 to allow more time for the testing of the new signalling system implemented for the extension.[14][15] As announced by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on 27 April 2017,[2][16][17] the station began operations on 18 June that year.[18][19] Prior to the station's opening, passengers were offered a preview of the station at an open house on 16 June, with an opening ceremony held at this station hosted by second transport minister Ng Chee Meng.[20][21]

Construction progress of the station
Pillars installed along a road, with a bare station structure
Station in February 2014, with pillars and the bare station structure
Station structure completed with access to the station still closed off
Exterior of the station in June 2016 nearing completion
The station exterior along the road, with an overhead bridge connecting the station to the bus stop on the other side.
Existing station exterior

Station details

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View of the concourse with faregates. The passenger service office is located on the left
Concourse level of the station
Refer to caption
Station exterior with the roof sloping upwards

Tuas Link station is the terminus of the EWL, with the adjacent station eastbound being Tuas West Road. The official station code is EW33.[22] Being part of the EWL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[23] The station operates between 4:55 am and 1:00 am.[24] Train frequencies are ranged as follows due to low demand:[25]

Hours Frequency
Peak hours 4 - 6 minutes (Alternate trains terminate at Joo Koon)
Transition hours (9am - 11.30am and 8pm - 12am) 2 - 3 minutes (Only applicable for westbound)
Off-peak hours 15 minutes (1 out of 3 trains terminate at Tuas Link, all others terminate at Joo Koon)

Westbound trains on the EWL alternate between terminating at this station or Joo Koon station.[25] The station is located along Tuas West Drive and has two entrances.[1][26] The station serves developments such as Tuas Depot, Tuas Bus Terminal, Raffles Marina and Tuas Checkpoint.[27] The station also serves cross-border bus services to Johor Bahru.[28]

The overrun tracks have provisions to connect to the further MRT extension to Wrexham, Poyan Reservoir, Murai Reservoir, Sarimbun Reservoir and Lim Chu Kang in the Western Water Catchment, but due to the under-development of the vicinity, the short term plan would be connected to the Singapore Rail Test Centre.[29] Tuas Link is the first elevated station to have the concourse located above the platforms at one end of the station. The concourse has an open view of the platforms. This was due to the limited space at the ground level, with the station site bounded by Raffles Marina and land reserved for road expansion. The tracks also have to be at a lower level to allow a safe descent for trains travelling between the station and the nearby Tuas Depot. The 2,300-square-metre (0.57-acre) concourse at 16 metres (52 ft) above ground is the smallest concourse among the elevated stations.[30]


References

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  1. ^ a b "Tuas Link MRT Station (EW33)". OneMap. Singapore Land Authority. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Tuas West Extension MRT stations to open Jun 18". Channel NewsAsia. Mediacorp. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Land Transport DataMall". mytransport.sg. Land Transport Authority.
  4. ^ "Speech By Mr Raymond Lim, Minister For Transport, At The Visit To Kim Chuan Depot, 25 January 2008, 9.00 am". nas.gov.sg. Ministry of Transport. 25 January 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Land Transport Master Plan 2008" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. p. 34. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Speech By Mr Raymond Lim, Minister For Transport And Second Minister For Foreign Affairs, At Visit To Bedok MRT Station, 11 January 2011, 11:00 Am At Bedok MRT Station". nas.gov.sg. Ministry of Transport. 18 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Tuas West Extension Stations Unveiled". Land Transport Authority. 11 January 2011. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Tuas West Extension Stations Unveiled Better Connectivity for Workers to Jurong and Tuas Industrial Estates". sla.gov.sg. Land Transport Authority. 11 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  9. ^ "LTA Awards Contract for Tuas Crescent, Tuas West and Tuas Link Stations". Land Transport Authority. 18 November 2011. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Construction Starts for Tuas West Extension". Land Transport Authority. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Speech by Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs at the Tuas West Extension Groundbreaking Ceremony on Friday 4 May 2012". Ministry of Transport. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  12. ^ "Worker dies after falling into hole at worksite". AsiaOne. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Factsheet: Four New Stations on Tuas West Extension on Track for Completion by 2016". Land Transport Authority. 29 October 2015. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  14. ^ "The Rail Report: New Signalling System, Rail Line and Extension and Trains Next Year". Land Transport Authority. 26 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  15. ^ Lim, Kenneth (26 October 2016). "Launch of upgraded signalling system on NSL delayed for more rigorous testing: LTA". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 29 October 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  16. ^ Chew, Hui Min (27 April 2017). "4 MRT stations on Tuas West Extension to open on June 18". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  17. ^ "Tuas West Extension Opens on 18 June 2017". Land Transport Authority. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  18. ^ Lim, Kenneth (16 June 2017). "Tuas West Extension opens after six-month delay". Channel NewsAsia. Mediacorp. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  19. ^ Yap, Li Yin (19 June 2017). "First weekday morning operations running smoothly for newly opened Tuas West Extension". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  20. ^ Cheng, Kenneth (16 June 2017). "Free MRT rides at Tuas West Extension Open House on Friday". Today. Mediacorp. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  21. ^ "Speech By Mr Ng Chee Meng, Minister For Education (Schools) And Second Minister For Transport, At Opening Ceremony Of Tuas West Extension, 16 Jun 2017, 11.50 Am At Tuas Link Station". nas.gov.sg. Ministry of Transport. 16 June 2017. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  22. ^ "MRT System Map" (PDF). lta.gov.sg. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2020.
  23. ^ "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  24. ^ "Tuas Link – First and last train". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  25. ^ a b "Daily MRT train services to commence at four new stations along Tuas West Extension from 18 June 2017". SMRT Corporation Ltd. 18 June 2017. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  26. ^ "Tuas Link – Map". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  27. ^ "Tuas – Exits". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  28. ^ "Design and Construction of Rail Viaduct Link between Tuas West Extension and Singapore Rail Test Centre". GeBIZ. Archived from the original on 7 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  29. ^ Lim, Adrian (27 May 2017). "Stroll through 'grand' Tuas Link MRT station". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 24 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
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