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| 23 March 2023 - An overview of the Choa Chu Kang JRL site. |
Choa Chu Kang is going to be the station that connects it all - the Jurong Region Line (JRL), North-South Line (NSL) & Bukit Panjang LRT. Works have been on-going for a while now, when the site looked extremely different. Now a multi-storey carpark with commercial units on the ground floor has gone and the bus interchange has shifted to allow for the JRL construction. To say that the place looks different would be an understatement.
Nonetheless, we're showcasing a few images from back in February & January 2023, living up to this post's title of being an update for Q1 of 2023. Some changes are more subtle, whilst others more apparent. The progress from January to March at the site of the former hardcourt near the existing NSL station is most apparent with the pits being dug for the construction of the viaduct pier foundations.
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| 2 January 2023 - The same view a few months back. |
Where only the outline of the pit to be excavated could be seen previously, 2 pits now exist with exhaust lines going in to provide some fresh air to the workers within. These pits will eventually form part of the viaduct, allowing for switches to be installed ahead of the station.
Moving onto the station itself, works are still at the foundational stage before the structure of the station begins creeping upwards. The changes are apparent since the start of the year, with pits being dug to facilitate beam casting for the station floor.
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| 23 March 2023 - A view of the JRL station site from an MRT train. |
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| 2 January 2023 - A view of the JRL station site at the beginning of the year. |
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| 25 February 2023 - Another view of the JRL station site. |
Upon leaving the station, the tracks run parallel to the existing NSL and LRT lines. Piers are beginning to spring up along this stretch, which will allow for 3 different lines to run parallel to each other. Back in February, the pier was only being cast but has since shed its formwork skin to unveil a new pier that will carry the weight of the viaducts on top.
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23 March 2023 - The first pier along the stretch parallel to the existing
NSL & LRT tracks. |
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| 25 February 2023 - The first pier at this section being cast. |
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| 23 March 2023 - The pier cap has been temporarily covered over. |
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| 2 January 2023 - A view of the completed pier cap. |
Just before Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3, the last pier of the parallel stretch has seen slower progress than its counterparts a little further north. The going is slow, with the site looking pretty much the same over the last few months. Work has been concentrated along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3 with the construction of the portal piers underway. These piers are necessary to support the viaduct above the roads as it navigates the tight turn.
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| 23 March 2023 - A view of the pier that will come up along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3. |
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| 2 January 2023 - The same site earlier this year. |
Within Choa Chu Kang station, addition & alteration works have begun. The sound of pneumatic drills, repeatedly jabbing at the old concrete structure can be heard while at the station, accompanied by a thud that can be felt with each jolt of the drill bit. Parts of the existing NSL station are being demolished and reconfigured to make way for an expanded station concourse that will link the 2 MRT lines together. It is anticipated that the concourse may be expanded to include the LRT concourse as well.
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25 February 2023 - A view of the NSL station concourse with hoarding
surrounding the fare paid area. |
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25 February 2023 - The structure of the former Choa Chu Kang Xchange stores, brainchild of
ex-CEO Saw Phaik Hwa, can be seen as reconfiguration works take place. |
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25 February 2023 - A view of one of the station's open-air atriums, showing
a view of the reconfiguration works taking place behind the hoarding. |
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| 25 February 2023 - A yet-to-be-touched portion of the station. |
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| 25 February 2023 - At the southern end, more works are taking place to reconfigure the station. |
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| 25 February 2023 |
Works are going on steadily and it should only be a matter of time before the station extension begins to rise and take shape. Stay along for the ride as we update over time on the progress at Choa Chu Kang.
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As a resident of CCK, do you think it'll connect to the LRT too? There's a level between the ground floor and platform to facilitate movement between the MRT and LRT. Maybe it'll connect there but I'm not sure, it's looking a bit tight.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I saw a walkthrough video of this station and it looks like there's going to be a major overhaul to the concourse. Wonder if once the JRL side is opened up, they will closed the NSL side and renovate the whole station.
The JRL station is essentially an expansion of the current NSL station. Based on the flythrough video, it would appear that they are linked via the mezzanine level - https://jrl-construction.blogspot.com/2023/02/j102-flythrough-videos.html . Ideally, the entire corridor between the LRT and MRT paid areas will be converted into a paid area to allow barrier-free access between both systems.
DeleteHi, Great blog. Any idea how the exits at CCK station are going to be positioned?
ReplyDeleteThank you. The locations of the exits would largely be similar to the existing layout, just that the western side of the station where the bus interchange used to be is likely going to be pushed out further. Map can be found in this post - https://jrl-construction.blogspot.com/2022/04/choa-chu-kang-closure-of-exit-d-and.html#more
DeleteWhereas for the prospect of having the Choa Chu Kang ITH, I am of the opinion that we should just forget about it. The Choa Chu Kang town centre has already been compact until like that already. We should just use the current Choa Chu Kang bus interchange permanently.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel that using the remaining land area, after the JRL construction is completed, to develop an integrated development with commercial below and office tower above would unlock greater value. It will also help in the decentralization efforts, by providing office spaces next to Choa Chu Kang MRT station, which is actually a centralized location from the surrounding places.
Agree. I think it is already integrated enough and is compact.
DeleteHowever, there is a real need to inject some life into the town center. Lot one is an apology for a town center shopping/recreation place. One walk in NTUC CCK will put you off, as it is so cramped that walking is difficult.
Newer food courts and better expressway led bus connectivity will bring some activity. Despite having an expressway just behind the town center, no trunk bus services use the expressway. I hope the planners are reading this forum, so that they listen to some of the angst from a forgotten suburb.
Just want to say, the local speculation is that the HDB blocks next to the JRL Choa Chu Kang station may be enbloc, so as to make space for the integrated transport hub with the required capacity.
DeleteNonetheless, this is just a speculation. Enbloc from announcement to moving in to replacement flat takes about 5 years.
JRL will be ready in 2027, 4 years from now. If enbloc was their plan, they would have already announced it as late as 2021, so that those flats can move out by 2026, and that area can redevelop into an Integrated Transport Hub from 2027 onwards.
Therefore, it's highly unlikely that Choa Chu Kang will have ITH, unless it's a very small ITH handling only about 7 bus routes (if we proportion the land area and capacity with Sengkang ITH), while we have another ITH elsewhere to take the remaining 10 bus routes.
To think about it, that is probably where the upcoming Tengah ITH comes in.