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Thursday, August 1, 2024

J103 - Hong Kah & Corporation update Q2 2024

Hong Kah & Corporation stations as seen in end-Q2.

Contract J103 has seen some of the greatest progress in station construction while at the same time, the slowest of viaduct progress among the first phase of the Jurong Region Line (JRL). Over the past quarter, Corporation station has emerged as the most complete along the line while Hong Kah's stagnated progress has finally made some headway. The viaducts however, were still far from completion - a critical component of the line and its operation, given that the viaducts under the purview of the contract also connect the main line with the depot. We'll explore the progress made under the contract over Q2 in greater detail after the jump - do be fair warned, this post is highly picture-intensive.

JS4 - Hong Kah
Work at the station has progressed from the concourse level to the platform level through the course of the past quarter. Casting of the horizontal beams that would support the trackbed and platforms was underway at the end of the quarter. However, as the platform level was not yet cast, the station could not be linked to the completed viaducts built under neighbouring contract J102 just north of the station building.

To the south of the station, work had been underway to construct the remaining viaduct piers that would allow the eastern reception tracks to split off from the main line and connect to the depot. Over the course of the past quarter, work to cast these missing piers has taken place up to the crown level with work on the crossheads not yet commencing.

13 April 2024 - A view of the station's progress as of early-Q2, with work still focused on the
concourse level columns.

23 May 2024 - A view of the station's progress as of mid-Q2. Work was beginning on the platform
level in the middle of the station.

13 April 2024 - A view from the south of the station as of early-Q2. Several viaduct piers were
yet to be constructed.

23 May 2024 - A view from the south of the station as of mid-Q2. Casting for more viaduct piers
could be seen compared to the previous month.

23 June 2024  - A view from the south of the station as of end-Q2. The gaps between the
completed viaduct pier columns had now reduced some.

JS5 - Corporation
With the station's platform level pretty much cast, work had begun concurrently on the installation of the metal roof frame - the first of any station on the JRL. As the quarter progressed, casting work for the plant rooms within the platform buffer (non-public) areas also commenced. At the concourse level, linkbridges connecting to the station's 3 exits were also installed. Based on the features seen at the station, it might be possible that one of the original 4 exits will be deferred for addition in the future when traffic warrants.

13 April 2024 - An aerial view of the station in early-Q2 with the first roof frames installed.

1 May 2024  - An aerial view of the station in mid-Q2 showing the progress of roof frame
installation.

23 May 2024  - An aerial view of the station in mid-Q2. Works had commenced on the casting of
the plant rooms at the platform buffer area.

16 June 2024  - An aerial view of the station in end-Q2 with the roof frames almost completely installed.

Local firm Asia Metals Engineering & Trading has been supplying contractor Wai Fong Construction Pte Ltd with the prefabricated metal roof frames for installation at Corporation & Hong Kah stations. They had recently posted a series of behind the scenes photos of the production, delivery and installation processes for the roof frames at Corporation station.

2 February 2024

24 May 2024 - A view of the station's platform level while installation works were being conducted.
Source: Asia Metals Engineering & Trading

24 May 2024 - A view of the Choa Chu Kang-bound platform.
Source: Asia Metals Engineering & Trading

24 May 2024 - A view of the station from street level near the former Jurong Junior College
campus.
Source: Asia Metals Engineering & Trading

24 May 2024 - A view of the roof frame support system and the Choa Chu Kang-bound trackbed.
Source: Asia Metals Engineering & Trading

24 May 2024 - A view of the platform area with the roof frame in view. An initial layer of material
can be seen installed on the roof frame.
Source: Asia Metals Engineering & Trading

June 2024
Source: LinkedIn

1 June 2024 - A view of the station's platform area, Jurong Pier-bound on the left and Choa Chu
Kang-bound on the right.
Source: LinkedIn

June 2024 - Progress of viaduct span construction across the junction of Corporation Road, Bulim
Avenue & Jurong West Avenue 2.
Source: LinkedIn

June 2024 - Another view of the viaduct under construction at the road junction.
Source: LinkedIn

In addition to the roof frames being installed over the past quarter, the lift frames connecting the station's concourse and platform levels were also installed.

13 April 2024 - A view of the station with scaffolding in place for casting of the trackbed and
outer parapet wall.

13 April 2024 - A close up view of the ongoing roof frame installation in early-Q2.

13 April 2024 - The station's outline as seen from further west along Jurong West Avenue 2.


13 April 2024 - The connection point for the linkbridge connecting to the station exits can be seen
where a portion of rebar remains exposed at the concourse level.

13 April 2024 - A close up view of the platform level in early-Q2.

13 April 2024 - The next segment of roof frame sits on site, awaiting installation.

13 April 2024 - A view of the station's western buffer area where the plant rooms will be located.

13 April 2024

23 May 2024 - More segments of the roof frame were installed by mid-Q2. Eventually, the roof
will be supported by a total of 7 V-shape columns. In the image, 5 of these had already been installed.

23 May 2024 - A view of the station looking westwards along Jurong West Avenue 2.

16 June 2024 - A view of the station looking eastwards along Jurong West Avenue 2 in end-Q2.

16 June 2024 - All 7 of the V-shaped columns had now been installed.

16 June 2024 - With the platform level cast, work could commence on the casting of the
connecting spans of viaduct to the first viaduct pier from the station.

16 June 2024 - In-situ casting will be used to construct the span bridging the gap between the
station and the first viaduct pier.

The contract boundary with neighbouring contract J105 is located to the west of Corporation station, just before the junction of Jurong West Avenue 2 & Jurong West Street 23. Viaduct construction was slowly commencing on this section of the line with hanger beams launching the first starter segments along the section. There will ultimately be approximately 11 spans between the contract boundary and Corporation station for each bound to be constructed.

13 April 2024 - An aerial view looking eastwards of viaduct construction for contract J103 as
of early-Q2.

13 April 2024 - Viaduct span construction ongoing at the junction of Jurong West Avenue 2 with
Bulim Avenue & Corporation Road.

13 April 2024 - One of the first few spans under construction near the junction with Bulim Avenue.

13 April 2024 - A view of the lifting frames in action.

13 April 2024


13 April 2024 - A view westwards along Jurong West Avenue 2 of the viaduct span construction.

1 May 2024 - Viaduct piers stand along Jurong West Avenue 2 but without signs of span
construction as yet in mid-Q2.

1 May 2024

23 May 2024 - The extended span on the eastern side of the junction was completed by mid-Q2.
Subsequently, the lifting frames were redeployed to the pier on the western side to repeat the process.

23 May 2024 - An aerial view looking eastwards of viaduct construction for contract J103 as
of mid-Q2.

23 May 2024 - The pier undergoing crosshead construction belongs to contract J105. The next
pier eastwards will be where contract J103 ends its viaduct span works.

23 May 2024 - The hanger beam making its first appearance along this stretch of piers.

23 May 2024  - Viaduct span construction ongoing at the junction of Jurong West Avenue 2 with
Bulim Avenue & Corporation Road.

16 June 2024 - A view of the progress of viaduct span construction along Jurong West Avenue 2
as of end-Q2. The hanger beam had been relocated for another pier.

16 June 2024 - After the segments are launched, they will need to be bonded to the pier before
works can move on to the next phase of construction with lifting frames.

16 June 2024 - A view of progress of the span construction at the junction of Jurong West Avenue 2,
Bulim Avenue & Corporation Road as of end-Q2.

16 June 2024 - Still some way to go before either side closes the gap.

23 June 2024 - A view of the viaduct piers along Jurong West Avenue 2, with sporadic segment
launching taking place.

23 June 2024 - A view of the progress of viaduct construction along Jurong West Avenue 2. The
hanger beam is still perched atop the second pier.

23 June 2024 - As of end-Q2, the hanger beam had launched segments for 2 piers along this stretch.

Reception tracks & mainline viaduct between Hong Kah & Corporation stations
The connections between Tengah Depot and the main line of the JRL are being constructed solely by contract J103. These consist of a pair of reception tracks located east of Corporation station that will branch off from between the main line tracks and fly over the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) to Tengah depot, negotiating an almost 180-degree turn en route. These reception tracks (RT) are known as the Western RT.

A second pair of RTs will connect with the main line just south of Hong Kah station, joining the main line from the outer sides. This set is known as the Eastern RT. Progress of the Western RT is much more advanced than that of the Eastern RT. Without the RT connections to the depot, the trains would not be able to enter the main line for testing or revenue service. Thus, these connections are vital for the line's operations.

13 April 2024 - An aerial view of the Western RT viaduct construction over the PIE in early-Q2.

13 April 2024 - A view of the Eastern RT viaduct pier columns on the far side of the PIE in
early-Q2. Also visible in the shot are the excavation pits for the main line viaduct piers that had yet
to be constructed.

1 May 2024 - An aerial view of the Western RT viaduct construction over the PIE in mid-Q2.

1 May 2024 - There does not appear to be much progress on the Eastern RT as of mid-Q2. The
stark difference can be observed with contract J102's completed viaducts seen in the background.

23 May 2024 - An aerial view of the Western RT viaduct construction over the PIE in mid-Q2.

23 May 2024 - A view of the Eastern RT viaduct piers, with several still not constructed yet. Also
in view are some of the main line piers just beginning to emerge.

2 June 2024  - An aerial view of the Western RT viaduct construction over the PIE in end-Q2.

2 June 2024 - No change to the Eastern RT viaduct piers at the start of end-Q2.

23 June 2024  - An aerial view of the Western RT viaduct construction over the PIE in end-Q2.

23 June 2024 - While progress on the Eastern RT piers may have stagnated, thankfully the main
line viaduct piers were showing some progress.

Undoubtedly, the arrangement of viaducts criss-crossing one over another along a very active expressway is a daunting task. Especially so, when heavy percast segments need to be lifted several stories above while maintaining safe operations below. Nonetheless, where contract J103 makes up for speed in station construction, it loses in viaduct completion.

The main line viaducts between Corporation and Hong Kah form the bulk of the viaduct work to be done under the contract, apart from the RTs to the depot. Along this stretch, there were still several piers missing and needing to be constructed as of Q2.

13 April 2024 - An aerial view of the main line viaduct piers being constructed as of early-Q2.

13 April 2024 - Sheet pile installation ahead of excavation work to uncover the bored piles.
A neighbouring pier just had the base of the viaduct pier column cast recently.

1 May 2024 - Sheet pile installation ongoing for one of the piers in mid-Q2. The neighbouring pier
column has grown slightly since the previous month.

23 May 2024 - Sheet pile installation ongoing for subsequent piers.

23 May 2024 - Progress of sheet piling at the pier near the exit from the PIE to Jurong West
Avenue 2.

2 June 2024 - A pier column finally completely cast. Sheet piling work for the next pier appears
to be completed as well as of end-Q2.

2 June 2024 - Sheet piling completed for the pier near the PIE exit as of end-Q2.

23 June 2024 - Excavation work commences for one of the piers as of end-Q2.

23 June 2024 - Excavation work underway for one of the piers near the PIE exit.

This next section takes a look at the section where the Western RT joins the main line viaduct to the east of Corporation station. We take a look at how the viaduct span work has progressed with the deployment of the launch gantry here.

13 April 2024 - A view westwards of the viaduct construction as of early-Q2.

13 April 2024 - A close up view of the launch gantry along Jurong West Avenue 2 as of early-Q2.

1 May 2024 - A view westwards of the viaduct construction as of mid-Q2.

1 May 2024 - A close up view of the launch gantry along Jurong West Avenue 2 as of mid-Q2.

23 May 2024 - The launch gantry in the midst of construction viaduct spans using the balanced
cantilevered method in mid-Q2.

23 May 2024 - A view of the completed sections of viaduct spans looking eastwards along Jurong
West Avenue 2.

23 May 2024 - From the middle of the two main line tracks, the Western RTs will begin climbing
upwards as the Choa Chu Kang-bound track ducks below.

23 May 2024 - A view westwards of the viaduct construction as of mid-Q2.

2 June 2024 - A view westwards of the viaduct construction as of end-Q2.

2 June 2024  - A close up view of the launch gantry along Jurong West Avenue 2 as of end-Q2.

16 June 2024 - Epoxy being applied to connect the completed spans together in end-Q2.

16 June 2024 - Gaps still remain where there are movement & expansion joints.

16 June 2024 - Another series of completed viaduct spans. Work will begin on launching the middle
segments for the Western RTs.

16 June 2024 - A viaduct pier where three sets of viaduct segments have been launched can be
seen.

16 June 2024

16 June 2024 - The launch gantry in action near the PIE exit.

16 June 2024 - A view of the remaining piers as the line rounds the corner to continue running
along the PIE.

23 June 2024 - A view westwards of the viaduct construction as of end-Q2.

23 June 2024  - A close up view of the launch gantry along Jurong West Avenue 2 as of end-Q2.

This last section takes a look at the remaining main line viaduct piers up to Hong Kah station. Over the past quarter, several more viaduct piers have finally begun appearing along the section.

13 April 2024 - A view of a section running parallel to the PIE with viaduct piers still missing as
of early-Q2.

13 April 2024 - A viaduct pier in the PIE median under construction in early-Q2.

13 April 2024 - Across the PIE, several sheet pile pits indicate where future piers will pop up.

13 April 2024 - Further north, towards Hong Kah station, is another void where minimal numbers
of piers can be seen.

13 April 2024

1 May 2024 - Some progress made as the pier column began to take shape.

1 May 2024 - A view on the northern side of the PIE in mid-Q2.

1 May 2024

23 May 2024 - One of the viaduct piers, about completed with casting of the pier column.

23 May 2024 - Viaduct piers near the PIE crossing location as of mid-Q2.

23 May 2024 - Works commencing on the casting of the crosshead for the pier on the southern
side of the PIE crossing.

23 May 2024 - Viaduct pier in the PIE median.

23 May 2024 - Viaduct piers in progress on the northern side of the PIE as of mid-Q2.

23 May 2024 - Viaduct piers on the northern side, just south of Hong Kah station.

23 June 2024 - Crosshead construction underway for an additional pier while the subsequent two
were at different stages of construction as of end-Q2.

23 June 2024 - Pier with column completely cast.

23 June 2024 - Piers at the PIE crossing undergoing crosshead construction.

23 June 2024 - Piers on the northern side of the PIE crossing at end-Q2. Still a fair amount of
columns to be constructed.

With about a year to go till basic structural completion should be attained, the contractor has their work cut out for them. It appears that there is a focus to complete viaduct span launching works for the western RT before focusing on the eastern RT. We look forward to the progress to be made in the subsequent quarters of the year. Do stay tuned for our continued updates coming your way.

This post will also be available on Instagram & Facebook on 2 August 2024.

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