SINGAPORE - Members of the public can check out six new stations on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) virtually from Aug 23 to Aug 27, ahead of their opening on Aug 28. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Friday (Aug 13) that the online open house is linked to the Covid-19 situation. The new stretch, named TEL2, connects Springleaf, Lentor, Mayflower, Bright Hill, Upper Thomson and Caldecott stations. Three other stations - Woodlands North, Woodlands and Woodlands South - opened in January last year TEL2 will have two interchanges - Caldecott, with the Circle Line; and Bright Hill, with the future Cross Island Line. LTA said one virtual activity is a preview of the new stations to learn about their architecture and features, civil defence shelters and sights around them. The public can also hear stories from engineers about the challenges faced during the construction of TEL2. In addition, there will be online workshops on how to build a TEL train set, and Facebook live sessions to engage the public. LTA said further details of the activities are available via this website. TEL2 was initially set to roll out in the second half of last year. But this was delayed due to the pandemic and a review of the rail system software because of a major signalling fault at TEL1 last December. Transport Minister S. Iswaran has said that TEL1 and TEL2 alone will benefit about 100,000 households. When fully completed in around 2025, the 43km, 32-station TEL is expected to have an average daily ridership of 500,000 initially, rising to one million in the longer term. The line, which will run from Woodlands to Sungei Bedok, will also connect to the upcoming cross-border rapid transit line to Johor Baru. Former transport minister Khaw Boon Wan said the TEL will cost more than $25 billion to construct. More on this topic Related Story TEL's Mayflower station to have bird sculptures, Springleaf station gets tree of memories
SINGAPORE - A fire broke out in a lift at Block 537 Woodlands Drive 16 on Thursday night (June 3), said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in a Facebook post on Friday. The SCDF said it was alerted to the fire at about 11.25pm, which involved a personal mobility device (PMD) in a lift. The fire was extinguished by members of the public using buckets of water before the SCDF arrived. SCDF said a person was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital with severe burn injuries. About 90 residents from the affected block were evacuated by the police as a precautionary measure. SCDF said preliminary investigations into the cause of the fire indicated it was of electrical origin from the PMD. SCDF reminded the public that non-UL2272 PMDs and any form of modifications to PMDs pose a fire risk and threaten public safety. It said owners of these devices are strongly encouraged to dispose of their devices at the appropriate recyclers. From now till June 30, the public may dispose of their PMDs at any KGS collection point at no cost. For more details, visit this website. More on this topic Related Story State coroner finds death of man killed in PMD-related fire an 'unfortunate misadventure' Related Story PMD and PAB battery fires: Victims recall close shaves
SINGAPORE - A white sport utility vehicle was seen flipped on its back on the Seletar Expressway (SLE) in the direction of Woodlands on Monday (March 1). At about 8.05am, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to a road accident before the Woodlands Avenue 12 exit. SCDF officers assessed a man for minor injuries, who then declined to be taken to hospital. The Straits Times understands that no other cars were involved in the accident. The driver is understood to have lost control of the vehicle, which spun around before flipping over. The car appeared to have suffered damage to its front, with bits of debris scattered on the road nearby. There was also a small cordon on the road near Mandai at about 8.40am when an ST reader saw the car and workmen surveying the site. More on this topic Related Story 10-vehicle pile-up on ECP during Monday morning rush hour, three injured Related Story 12 injured after collision between lorry and bus on PIE
SINGAPORE - The second civil contract for the construction of the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link was awarded on Friday (Jan 29), a week after Singapore broke ground on the cross-border rail shuttle service connecting the island with Malaysia. The $180 million contract covering the construction of a 25m-tall viaduct spanning the Strait of Johor and connecting rail tunnels was given to China Communications Construction Company Limited (Singapore Branch), which is currently constructing the Boon Lay station on the Jurong Region Line, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said. The construction firm, which has previously completed rail projects in other countries such as China and Kenya, is expected to start work on the viaduct and tunnels in Singapore next quarter. The viaduct will stand above the Johor Strait within Singapore's territory, LTA said, and will then continue inland and transition to underground tunnels connecting to the RTS Link terminus station in Woodlands North. At the groundbreaking ceremony last week to mark the start of construction at the Woodlands North site, LTA revealed that the viaduct would be constructed using the balanced cantilever method. This would entail lifting concrete segments weighing up to 180 tonnes. The 4km RTS Link is expected to be operational in end-2026 and connect commuters to Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru, where construction began last November. The line is expected to carry up to 10,000 passengers every hour in each direction, and the trip between both stations should take only five minutes. The rail link should help ease congestion on the Causeway. Before Covid-19 restrictions were imposed, close to 300,000 people crossed the Causeway daily. LTA has said that commuters on the RTS Link will be served by a terminus station and an immigration complex in Woodlands North about 10 times the size of a typical MRT station. Penta-Ocean Construction, which was awarded the first civil contract worth $932.8 million last November, is building the station, the Customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) building and the tunnels. Built underground at a maximum depth of 28m, the Woodlands North RTS Link station will have three storeys, including two basement levels and an underground linkway to the CIQ building. The station will be connected to the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) station via an underground concourse. CIQ facilities for both Singapore and Malaysia will be co-located at both the Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar stations, meaning commuters have to clear immigration only once, at their point of departure. The RTS Link project was first announced in 2010 with an initial target completion date of 2018. But in 2019, it was suspended at Malaysia's request for a review of its scope, structure and costs. The project officially resumed in July last year with several key changes, including the use of a standalone light rail transit system instead of the same trains and systems as the TEL. More on this topic Related Story Singapore-Johor RTS Link station and Customs building in Woodlands North to be 10 times the size of typical MRT station Related Story KL-Singapore High Speed Rail cancellation will have little impact on other plans for Jurong: Experts LISTEN TO THE BIG STORY PODCAST
SINGAPORE (THE NEW PAPER) - An eight-year-old girl who was flung out of a van in a road accident in Woodlands last month woke up on Tuesday (Nov 3) after 11 days in a coma. Her father, Mr Eric Tan, 45, told The New Paper on Tuesday night that Lovelynn regained consciousness at about 4pm. "She cannot speak or respond yet. She just woke up and can only move the left side of her body," he said in Mandarin. Earlier in the day at about 7.30am, Mr Tan had posted an update on social media on his daughter's condition. He said the swelling in her brain had gone down and the blood clots were gradually dissolving. But the mobility on the right side of her body would be affected, and she is estimated to need a longer time to recover. "She will be required to stay in ICU (intensive care unit) for further observation," he wrote. Lovelynn is warded at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, where Mr Tan and his wife have been keeping vigil. She was one of four people injured in the accident involving a van driven by her uncle and a red Audi car on Woodlands Avenue 12 just after 8pm on Oct 23. More on this topic Related Story Father overwhelmed by support from public for 8-year-old in coma after Woodlands crash She had a head injury, broke both legs and needed emergency surgery. Also in the van were her sister Lovelle, six, and two cousins - a woman, 23, and a man, 27, who needed surgery for a ruptured spleen. A 32-year-old male passenger in the Audi was also taken to hospital. Lovelle was unhurt and has been staying with her aunt. Mr Tan's brother-in-law, 56, was arrested for dangerous driving causing hurt. The police are investigating the case.