Five MRT stations to be closed over Vesak Day weekend
Five MRT stations, from Admiralty to Yio Chu Kang, will be closed during the Vesak Day long weekend (May 18 to 20) for the construction of a crossover track near the upcoming Canberra station.
The closure of the five stations on the North-South Line (NSL) will be staggered.
Admiralty and Sembawang stations will be closed from May 18 to 20.
Yishun, Khatib and Yio Chu Kang stations will also be closed on May 20. Train services are expected to resume on May 21.
The 72m-long crossover track, which will be built between Sembawang and the upcoming Canberra station, will allow trains on the NSL to cross from one track to another, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a statement yesterday.
"For example, if the northbound track is faulty, affected trains can use the crossover to bypass the faulty stretch by travelling on the southbound track," said the LTA.
SHUTTLE SERVICES
During the closure, shuttle bus services will be available between the affected stations.
The Shuttle 10 bus service will ferry commuters between Woodlands and Yishun stations on May 18 and 19, and between Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio stations on May 20. It will operate every one to three minutes.
The Express 17 bus service will ferry passengers between Woodlands and Bukit Panjang MRT stations.
It will arrive every five to eight minutes.
The bus services will operate with the same fare structure as the trains.
LTA said it will monitor the bus shuttles and work with public transport operators to ramp up services if needed.
With 75 per cent of construction completed, Canberra station is set to open at the end of the year.
Work on the station, including the crossover track, is expected to cost around $90 million.
Located between the Sembawang and Yishun stations on the NSL, Canberra station is roughly within a 10-minute walk of more than 17,000 households.
The station will have five entrances and will be connected by sheltered walkways to nearby bus stops, drop-off points and bicycle parking lots.
The LTA advised affected commuters to plan their trips during the Vesak Day weekend in advance and to factor in additional time needed for transferring between trains and shuttle buses.
As part of the works, the leftmost lane of Canberra Link, in the direction of Sembawang MRT station, will be closed on May 17 from about 10am for the deployment of a crane.
It will reopen on May 21.
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