Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Reasons for Delay in Opening of Phase 3 of Thomson-East Coast MRT Line

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Transport 

a.     what are the reasons to wait for the end of the year before opening Phase 3 of the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line (TEL) to passenger traffic relative to the originally reported commencement in the second half of this year; and 

b.     whether the repeated train and signal faults on the TEL had a role to play in this decision.

Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran:

1.     Phase 3 of the Thomson-East Coat Line (TEL3) is on track to open in the second half of this year as earlier announced.

2.     To ensure the systems function well as per designed, LTA has conducted extensive tests for TEL3 as well as integration tests with TEL1 and 2. Any issues identified through these tests are analysed and rectified. These are complex technical works as many tests are done alongside ongoing live operations on TEL1 and 2, and integration tests must be conducted within limited engineering hours at night.

3.     The system tests have since been completed, and the operator, STEL, has taken over TEL3 to conduct trial running. This involves the training of the staff to handle and respond to the various operational scenarios, and is an important step in preparation for the opening of TEL3.