“Almost 40 per cent of track works between Tampines and Tanah Merah are completed,” the Land Transport Authority (LTA) updated in a Facebook post on Dec. 8.
Should there be no unforeseen complications, such as bad weather, regular train services on this section of the East-West Line (EWL) are expected to resume as planned on Dec. 11 (Wednesday).
“The four-day-long operation serves to facilitate the connection of tracks from the EWL to the East Coast Integrated Depot (ECID). Opening in 2026, the depot will enhance rail efficiency and resilience,” LTA said.
“Over a hundred LTA and SMRT contractors and engineers have been working around the clock on 8- and 12-hour shifts,” LTA group director of rail (electrical and mechanical) Chia Choon Poh said.
A safety briefing was conducted at 11:30pm on Dec. 6 night and track works commenced at around 1am on Dec. 7.
Eight new tracks have since been installed and welded together, and these tracks will connect EWL to ECID.
Should weather conditions permit, the engineers will switch on the power supply and conduct signalling test on Dec. 9 while Dec. 10 is reserved as a buffer for additional testings.
Over the weekend, LTA and SMRT staff were deployed to affected train stations to assist commuters with their journeys.
“To manage crowd flow, SMRT has deployed five times more manpower at affected stations,” President of SMRT Trains Lam Sheau Kai said.
Shuttle trains and buses have been arranged to minimise inconvenience caused to commuters.
The shuttle trains are running at the following intervals:
- Tampines and Pasir Ris: Every five minutes
- Tanah Merah and Expo: Every eight minutes
- Expo and Changi Airport: Every 11 minutes
From Dec. 9 to 10, during peak hours, alternate trains heading towards Tanah Merah station will end their service at Paya Lebar station to maintain peak hour frequency.
A shuttle bus service (Shuttle 7) also runs between Tampines, Simei, and Tanah Merah stations, from the first to last train timings. It operates at a frequency of three to five minutes.
