Canberra station on North-South Line to open on Nov 2, Latest Singapore News - The New Paper
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Canberra station on North-South Line to open on Nov 2

This article is more than 12 months old

Three-quarters of work completed at site between Sembawang and Yishun

The new Canberra station, located between Sembawang and Yishun on the North-South Line (NSL), will open on Nov 2 this year.

Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan announced this during a visit to the construction site yesterday.

The station, which is only the second to be built on an existing line after Dover station on the East-West Line, is no more than a 10-minute walk away for residents in an estimated 17,000 households.

When it is open, passengers travelling towards the city or Jurong East will save up to 10 minutes on their daily commute.

About 75 per cent of construction work on the station has been completed.

Five MRT stations on the NSL, from Admiralty to Yio Chu Kang, were closed over the Vesak Day long weekend to facilitate the construction of a crossover track near the upcoming station. Train services return to normal from today.

The 72m-long crossover track built between Sembawang and Canberra stations will allow trains on the NSL to bypass stretches of the track by crossing from the northbound track to the southbound track, or vice versa, when a track fault occurs.

Madam Sarala J. Pillai, 65, a retired mediation officer, said the new station will make it more convenient for her to visit her daughter's family in Canberra Crescent. She visits every weekday after shopping at Tekka Centre.

Currently, a taxi ride costs about $10 a trip, but she will soon be able to take a train from Little India and then walk about 10 minutes to her daughter's home.

"MRT is actually faster than taxi because there's no traffic jam," said the Yishun resident.

Canberra station is one of the most accessible for commuters with five entrances.

It is also the first elevated MRT station to provide commuters with direct access to the city-bound train platform via a link bridge across Canberra Link.

Covered linkways will also connect the station with bus stops and bicycle parks.

Works began in April 2015.

The estimated cost of the project, including the crossover track, is around $90 million.

Transport