SINGAPORE — Faced with yet another delay in the opening of two MRT stations on the final stretch of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), residents near the stations expressed disappointment that they would have to wait an additional year for more convenient commutes to the city and other parts of East Coast.
People living and working near the upcoming Bedok South and Sungei Bedok stations on the TEL told The Straits Times they were frustrated with the 2026 opening of the stations. Some of them are now restricted to a few bus services, and the nearest MRT station is up to 20 minutes away on foot.
Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said on March 5, during a debate on the Ministry of Transport's budget, that the fifth and final stage of the TEL — comprising the two stations — will open in 2026.
Work on the TEL's eastern stretch began in 2016.
Also pushed back to 2026 is a 2.2km Downtown Line (DTL) extension linking the existing Expo station to Xilin and then Sungei Bedok, which will be an interchange stop for the TEL and DTL. The nearby East Coast Integrated Depot for trains and buses will also be ready only in 2026.
TEL Stage 5 and the depot were meant to open in 2025, a year after the original 2024 deadline, due to delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The DTL extension was also due to be ready by 2025.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) had attributed the latest delays to construction challenges of tunnelling near existing critical infrastructure. It did not specify what these were.
Many of the 16 residents, students and workers ST interviewed near the future Bedok South and Sungei Bedok stations voiced dissatisfaction with the delay.
Surrounded by Bedok South Horizon, a Housing Board Build-To-Order (BTO) project, and the Siglap Community Club, Bedok South station is in a residential estate with Temasek Primary and Secondary schools within walking distance.
Residents of Bedok South Horizon said they were disappointed with the delay as ease of access to the TEL was one of the key reasons for their flat purchases.
For assistant administrative executive Nicole Koh, 32, the delay means she has no choice but to stick to a one-hour bus ride home from her Kaki Bukit workplace for the next two years, compared with a shorter MRT journey via the DTL and TEL.
Mrs Koh said commuting on the MRT with her three young children — aged three, five and seven — would be safer than travelling by bus, thanks to the absence of roadside dangers on the MRT network.
Legal executive Matthew Tan, 29, said the series of delays is "a bit of a letdown". He moved to Bedok South Horizon with his wife in 2021, and they were banking on quick access to the MRT even before they bought their home.
Retired sales executive Simon Seah, 72, said it would be good if the stations could open sooner as he was looking forward to the ultimate convenience of travelling from the east to the north.
As a frequent visitor to Johor Bahru, he welcomes an easier commute to Woodlands via the TEL as it would cut his travelling time significantly.
About 1km away sits the future Sungei Bedok station. It is located near the Bedok Food Centre and military training facility Bedok Camp in a precinct with private housing developments.
Residents there said it is a long-awaited travel alternative to the few bus services in the area that arrive every 15 minutes or so during off-peak periods.
Mohamed Murset, 64, a hawker at Bedok Food Centre who lives in Marine Parade, said he was upset and shocked that the Sungei Bedok station will be ready only in 2026.
Marine Parade station, which opens on June 23 along with six others as part of TEL Stage 4, is five stops from Sungei Bedok.
With the TEL, the commute to his stall will be halved to about 20 minutes, compared with his present journey of about 45 minutes, including a bus transfer.
Mohamed added that the food centre is inaccessible at present, with most patrons driving in, as it is "too troublesome" to make bus transfers to get there for just a meal. After the new station is completed, he expects higher foot traffic as it will be more convenient for people to travel there.
Legal consultant Hannah Choo, 39, said she felt "very miserable" about the delay, as the Sungei Bedok area is served by only three bus services.
Right now, going from her home in Eastwood Road to the nearest MRT station, Tanah Merah on the East-West Line, is troublesome as it involves a bus ride, and a long wait for the bus at times, she said.
Business owner Sam Teo, 65, said he is disappointed that the station would not be ready any time soon, but said he "does not have much of a say" if the delay is meant to ensure the safety of construction work.
He said he is ready to give his car up once the train station is completed, and he can visit his sons living in Tampines via the DTL and Katong via the TEL more conveniently.
Domestic helper Marites Pacis, 51, who lives in Eastwood, said she is "happy to just wait" as the completion of the stations will lead to a "good outcome in the end".
Over in Xilin Avenue, the Xilin station on the DTL extension is surrounded mostly by industrial buildings, and workers are set to form the bulk of those who would benefit from its opening.
Most of the eight people ST spoke to were, however, unaware of the upcoming station, but they noted that the area is generally inaccessible by public transport.
Customer service executive Siti Farhana, 27, said the waiting time for the only bus service is at least 10 minutes. Often, the bus is also full during peak hours, forcing her to wait an extra 10 minutes for the next one.
She said the upcoming Xilin station will be a good alternative as she can take a train to work from Bedok Reservoir station on the DTL, which is near her home.
On top of that, the connection to the TEL via Sungei Bedok will allow her to visit her in-laws in Woodlands.
Meanwhile, residents living near TEL Stage 4 welcome the opening of the seven stations between Tanjong Rhu and Bayshore on June 23.
Many of the 15 residents ST spoke to were excited about using the new stations near their homes.
Housewife Dawn Tay, 43, said she will be using the TEL often to take her children between her home near Katong Park station and their school, CHIJ (Katong) Primary, near Marine Terrace station, which is three stops away.
The MRT, she added, will be a good alternative to the bus on rainy days.
Regional entertainment head Sandeep Hardasmalani, 48, lives one minute from Bayshore station on foot and looks forward to taking the train to Marine Parade, which he frequents for meals and to run errands.
Information technology consultant Audrey Chua, 52, said she will use the TEL only if she is travelling to Woodlands to head to Johor Bahru. She said the bus is still more convenient for daily commuting, since Siglap station is "quite a walk away" from the residential area where she lives.
With the opening of TEL Stage 4, about 235,000 households will be within a 10-minute walk of a TEL station, LTA had said.
Its opening will take Singapore's rail network to more than 210km. The authorities intend to expand it to about 360km by the 2030s, putting eight in 10 households within a 10-minute walk of a train station.
ALSO READ: From Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore: TEL Stage 4 targeted to open in first half of 2024
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
