The Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 2 (TEL2) will commence passenger service from August 28, 2021. Before the opening of stage 2 of the TEL Line, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will conduct a virtual open house for the public. Learn what Singaporeans can view or do during this series of Open House from 23 to 27 August 2021.
1. People will be able to take part in a virtual travel journey and learn about the unique station architecture and features of the TEL2 line. They will get to see civil defence shelters and discover interesting things and sounds around the new stations of the TEL2 line.
2. Engineers of the new stations of the Thomson-East Coast Line will share their behind-the-scenes stories with the public. People will know the challenges engineers faced during the construction of TEL2 and how they overcame these hurdles.
3. An online workshop will be held during the Virtual Open House wherein people can learn craft skills such as building their very own TEL train set.
4. Participants of the Virtual Open House can take part in contests and win exciting prizes.
5. LTA will host a live session on Facebook for an hour. People can participate in entertaining games and win attractive prizes, such as newly launched Knackstop merchandise.
About the Thomson-East Coast Line
The TEL is Singapore’s sixth MRT line that is 43km long with 32 new stations and 8 interchange stations. With the opening of TEL2 stations, 100,000 households will be within a 10-minute walk from a TEL station. When fully operational in the future, this line will serve approximately 500,000 commuters daily, which can increase to about one million commuters in the longer term.
The main aim behind constructing the Thomson-East Coast Line is to improve connectivity between the northern, central, and eastern parts of Singapore. People can now take direct trains towards the city centre. The travel time will be cut short and people will experience the convenience of travelling by public transport.
In April 2021, LTA handed over Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 2 (TEL2) stations to rail operator SMRT. For four months, SMRT conducted tests to validate the operational readiness of TEL2 systems before its final opening on August 28, 2021. The six new stations that SMRT will operate include Springleaf, Lentor, Mayflower, Bright Hill, Upper Thomson and Caldecott. For SMRT, reliability, sustainability and continuous improvement are key to the turnaround of the company. After successfully managing the North-South and East-West Lines and other mass rapid transit lines, SMRT is all set to serve the Thomson-East Coast Stage 2 Line. Commenting on what the company wants to provide to the public in Singapore, SMRT CEO, Neo Kian Hong, said: “Reliable is a basic requirement, so we have to do that,” “But reliability alone is not enough, you have to sustain it at a level.” He added that “continuous improvement is a culture we want”. “This is a trains company, and we will deliver,” he said.
Conclusion
Combining nine stations along TEL1 and TEL2, people can expect to save up to 50 percent when travelling via these stations. However, before the TEL2 Line opens, people have an opportunity to see what the new stations look like and learn about some interesting facts in the Virtual Open House. Participate in the virtual series from August 23-27, 2021 and get to know more about the news TEL2 stations as well as win exciting prizes.
About the Author
Arthur Lee
Arthur is an event manager in a leading company in Singapore. He is an event specialist by profession and writer by passion. He loves to share his views on upcoming events in Singapore. In his free time, Arthur loves to travel and try different cuisines.
