It has been a while since the last elevated line was constructed in Singapore, with the Tuas West Extension on the East-West Line being the most recent addition back in 2016 following the completion of construction along the line, and there after its opening in 2017. The city is now receiving its first new elevated line since things went underground with the third line in the network, the North East Line (NEL). What does it take to build an elevated system? Much of our recent rail construction has taken place underground, hence works may not be as visible as that of an elevated line. Join us as we deep dive into the stages of construction of an elevated line in a six-part series that gives you a better understanding of how the line is constructed.
Essentially, there are six distinct stages ranging from Preparatory works (Stage 1) to the line's eventual Operations (Stage 6). In between, we have Earthworks (Stage 2), Structural works (Stage 3), Systems works (Stage 4) and Testing & commissioning works (Stage 5). Each stage of construction is important to the overall aim of delivering an elevated line for the public and a tremendous amount of work goes into making it possible.
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| Stage 1 of the works begins with the preparatory phase. Gek Poh station - 07 February 2021 |
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| Stage 2 involves earthworks once the site has been prepared. Tengah area near Brickland Road - 24 January 2021 |
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| Stage 3 involves structural work, where the line becomes highly visible. Jurong West - 05 February 2023 |
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| Stage 4 is where the various systems begin installation after structural works are largely completed. Bukit Panjang station - Image by Chee Yam Contractor. |
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| Stage 5 involves system testing & commissioning, both individually and collectively. Buona Vista Circle Line - 10 May 2011. |
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| Stage 6 represents the line's operations at the end of the construction period. Stevens Thomson-East Coast Line - 11 November 2022. |
Stay tuned to this mini-series as we break down the various stages in a series of posts on building an elevated line.
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I really don't think the JRL is one of the last elevated systems within Singapore.
ReplyDeleteA good example is Tuas South.
I think hor, considering the low demand from the local Singaporeans for a train system in Tuas South, when they eventually want to build a train system in Tuas South, it will probably be the low-cost monorail system - needless to say, a monorail system is an elevated system.
Likewise for other parts of Singapore, like Lim Chu Kang, whereby it won't be economical to run an underground train system to serve those areas, due to low demand from the local Singaporeans.
In fact, other than monorail, and LRT (airport people mover), another option to consider is actually the tram system, like the Kaohsiung LRT that has established quite a presence in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, China.
All the above-mentioned are elevated train systems.
Elevated train systems require lower costs to build, operate and maintain. I'm quite sure there will still be other elevated train systems projects within Singapore in the future.