Written Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran to Parliamentary Question on Additional Costs Incurred for Mount Pleasant and Marina South MRT Stations to be Opened in Stage Three

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Transport with regard to the Mount Pleasant and Marina South MRT stations 

a.     whether the Ministry has assessed the additional costs that will be incurred annually if these two stations are to be opened in Stage 3 of the Thomson-East Coast Line, instead of being mothballed; 

b.     if so, what is the assessed figure; and 

c.     when can the public expect these two stations to be operational.

Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran:

1.     For the Thomson-East Coast Line, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has assessed that it will save up to a million dollars per year by not opening these two MRT stations that will be heavily under-utilised.

2.     Mount Pleasant and Marina South MRT stations will open in tandem with the completion of housing developments in the respective areas. LTA will work with land use agencies to closely monitor the pace of development in the areas surrounding the stations, and will update on the opening dates when ready.