Opening Remarks by Mr Jeffrey Siow, Acting Minister for Transport, at the Cross Island Line Phase 2 Groundbreaking Ceremony

Mr Alan Chan, Chairman of LTA,

Dr Shawn Lum, Immediate Past President of Nature Society Singapore,

Fellow Grassroots Advisers,

Distinguished Guests, Colleagues, Friends, 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

1.     Good morning, and thank you for joining me at the site of the future Clementi station on the Cross Island Line. 

a.     We are here today to mark the start of Phase 2 of construction.

b.     Having been personally involved in the planning of the Cross Island Line when I was at MOT more than ten years ago, seeing this project reach this stage feels almost surreal. 

Importance of Rail Resilience

2.     The Cross Island Line will be Singapore’s eighth MRT line.

a.     When completed, it will stretch over 50 kilometres, connecting the western, north-eastern and eastern parts of Singapore.

b.     Phase 1, including the Punggol Extension, is already under construction, with 15 stations.

c.     Phase 2 comprises another six stations – Turf City, King Albert Park, Maju, Clementi, West Coast, and Jurong Lake District[1].

3.     The Cross Island Line will connect regional centres.

a.     From the aviation hub in the East, to Punggol Digital District in the North-East, the upcoming developments in Turf City, and the evolving Jurong Lake District.

b.     It will offer commuters faster and more direct journeys between HDB estates that are further away from the city. 

c.     For instance, those travelling from West Coast to Ang Mo Kio or Pasir Ris will cut about 30 minutes off a journey that today takes over an hour. 

4.     But the most important function of the Cross Island Line is to significantly increase the resilience of our rail network.

5.     When we first start building the MRT network in Singapore, we started with the North-South and East-West Lines, followed by the North East Line.

a.     These took residents from their homes to their places of work in the city. They were what we call the radial lines.

b.     But if you wanted to travel from one HDB estate to another – for example from Bishan to Paya Lebar, one had to take the train all the way into city, change lines and go in the reverse direction to your destination.

c.     Or else you took the bus.

6.     Then, in 2009, we built the Circle Line.

a.     This was our first orbital line that connected all the existing radial lines, with 12 new interchanges. 

b.     It was a game changer, because the Circle Line opened up many new travel routes, giving commuters several alternative ways to get to their destinations.

c.     Not only did the Circle Line improve connectivity, it also made our public transport network much more resilient.

d.     Because it meant that when there was a service disruption, some passengers could still get to their destinations by train.

e.     This is crucial because buses cannot fully absorb the impact of a service disruption.

i.     A full 6-car train carries about 1,400 passengers.

ii.    That is almost 20 double decker buses, lined up end to end.

iii.   And that’s just for one train, which comes at two-minute intervals.

7.     Now, with the Cross Island Line, we are building our next orbital line, and our next outer ring.

a.     When completed, the Cross Island Line will also connect to all our existing lines, including the future Jurong Region Line.

b.     In fact, eight of the 21 Cross Island Line stations will also be interchanges. 

c.     Commuters will have exponentially more routes to their destinations.

d.     This not only helps to absorb the impact of service disruptions; it also opens up new windows for maintenance. 

8.     Because as our rail network expands and ages, more maintenance and renewal works will be needed. 

a.     At some point, we may have to schedule maintenance work during the day and not just at night.

b.     This is what happens in older and more mature metro systems like the New York Subway, London Underground or the Paris Metro.

c.     These systems are denser, with more lines and interchanges, so when a certain section is out of service even during the day, commuters can still use alternative routes.

9.     The Cross Island Line will probably be the last East to West MRT line. There is no, or not a lot more, underground space left for another line like this. 

10.    For now, we have planned ahead to ensure that the Cross Island Line has the capacity to meet commuter demand well into the future.

a.     The Cross Island Line will begin operations with 6-car trains – the same as the North-South and East-West Line and North East Line.

b.     But unlike these existing lines, the Cross Island Line will be built with provisions to allow us to run 8-car trains in the future.

c.     The stations, tracks, signalling, power systems, and the depot are all designed to accommodate 8-car trains when the time comes.

d.     Separately, LTA’s studies on Phase 3 of the Cross Island Line are also almost complete, and I should be able to share the details of that around the end of this year.

Engaging well and building strong bonds

11.    There is one more aspect of the Cross Island Line that is special.

12.    The story of the Cross Island Line is not just about infrastructure, but about the people who got us here

13.    When the Line was first announced in 2013, there were strong concerns from nature groups about its planned route which passed under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

a.     Although most of the construction works would be underground, many nature lovers were worried about the potential impact to biodiversity and ecosystems.

14.    Back then, I was the Director of Land Transport at MOT.

15.    I had the difficult task of trying to reconcile several conflicting viewpoints, between the engineers, the nature groups, commuters and some residents who would have their homes acquired if we decided on an alternative route for the line. 

a.     By chance, an acquaintance introduced me to Dr Shawn Lum, then-President of the Nature Society. He later introduced me to other nature group experts like Tony, Kwok Peng, Siva, Subaraj, and Vilma. 

16.    For the first time in our rail history, the government realised that we needed to do an environmental assessment, and to consult the nature groups. 

a.     These consultations were certainly not uneventful – they were serious, fervent, even heated. 

b.     All sides fought hard because we were all passionate about our views.

c.     But most importantly, we were honest with each other, and in truth, we all wanted the same thing, which was to do right by Singapore and Singaporeans.

d.     So despite our disagreements in positions, over time, relationships grew into friendships.

e.     Leaders on both sides made compromises, worked together to find solutions, and built trust.

f.     There were many occasions that both sides took leaps of faith, because good leadership prevailed.

17.    I remember one key moment - the nature groups persuaded then-Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo on a walk through the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. 

a.     After going through the walk and receiving many mosquito bites, I think the nature group members concluded that both Minister Teo and the LTA working team were OK. 

18.        In the end, not one, but two Environmental Impact Assessments were published. An Environmental Advisory Panel was also formed to independently review LTA’s findings.

a.     The first phase of the Environmental Impact Assessment focused on supporting the soil investigation works.

b.     The second phase was a more detailed assessment for construction and tunnelling.

c.     The nature group leaders were instrumental in guiding LTA.

d.     For instance, on soil investigation.

e.     To minimise disturbance, LTA reduced the number of boreholes for soil investigation from 72 vertical boreholes to 16. This was complemented by new technology, using diagonal and horizontal boreholes from outside the nature reserve.

f.     We took extra care when we drilled and collected all the groundwater that was released so that it did not seep into surrounding soil.

g.     We also installed cameras to observe the impact on wildlife.

h.     At one point, we all got super excited because one camera spotted the rare Sambar deer – which was thought to be extinct in Singapore. 

i.     We later found out from experts that the deer had likely escaped from the zoo, and had quietly made a home for itself in the nature reserve.

j.     Native or not, this encounter drove home the value of the extra effort we were taking. 

19.    During our consultation process, we also engaged other groups. 

a.     For example, residents whose houses were located along potential routes for the Cross Island Line.  

b.     Commuters too because shifting the alignment would add six minutes of additional travelling time. 

c.     Six minutes may not sound like a lot, but it would change the routes of too many commuters, and make the ridership unviable.

20.    Many of the people who have worked on the Cross Island Line project have become my personal friends. 

a.     When I was first joined politics, many people did not know who I was.

b.     But in the course of the campaign, I came across a post on the Nature Society Facebook page – my friend, Tony O’Dempsey, had written about me, talking about how we worked together on the nature group engagement panel for the Cross Island Line, and that he had a high regard for me.

c.     I was really touched, because we had not been in close contact.

d.      Tony had no reason to do that, but it made a big difference for me and I appreciated his gesture immensely. 

21.    One of the first things I did after taking office was to arrange for dinner with my old friends from Nature Society Singapore. 

a.     It was as if nothing had changed. We still did not agree with each other on many things. We were swapping war stories from the early days of the Cross Island Line project. 

b.     But we have played our part and made the Cross Island Line a project that has the support of many Singaporeans, including the nature groups. 

22.    And so, it is not a coincidence that the colour chosen for the Cross Island Line on the train map will be green.

Conclusion

23.    Ladies and gentlemen, today’s groundbreaking is a milestone. It is also a reminder that our work in MOT and LTA is part of a relay. 

a.     Each generation lays the track for the next. We may not always see the final station ourselves, but we build anyway, because all of us believe in the journey. 

24.    I thank everyone who has worked on the Cross Island Line project over the last decade.

a.     LTA, the construction team, and community partners – each of you has played an important role in making this project a reality. 

25.    We now look forward to the completion of Phase 2 of the Cross Island Line by 2032.

26.    Perhaps we will all be here to take the first train together as one team when the Cross Island Line becomes operational.

27.    Thank you.

_{[1] Turf City, Maju, West Coast, and Jurong Lake District are working names.}