Things You Should Know About Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL)

The Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) is the sixth line in Singapore's mass rapid transit (MRT) rail system. The TEL rail line was first announced in August 2014 by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) with an aim to connect commuters living in the Northern and Eastern parts of Singapore to Central Business District and the new downtown. This new train network has helped to save time for commuters and increased accessibility to every corner of Singapore. Apart from these benefits, there are a few interesting facts about the TEL rail link that you should know. Let's find out!

1. When fully completed in 2024, the TEL line will be 43 km long with 32 stations. It will open in five stages. In Stage 1, TEL1 became operational in January 2020. SMRT Trains are serving the TEL1 line. Stage 2 of the Thomson-East Coast Line will start operating after July 2020. In March 2020, TEL1's operating hours were changed to speed up the testing and integration process on the TEL2 line.

On this, SMRT CEO, Neo Kian Hong said:

“We are working closely with the LTA on the systems integration and testing for the opening of TEL2.”

2. It is the longest MRT rail line in the country and the deepest subway tunnel in the world. As stated above, it has 32 stations in total and 8 interchange stations. It can serve 500,000-1,000,000 commuters daily after its completion in 2024. SMRT Corporation has nine-year to contract to operate the TEL line. Under the leadership of SMRT CEO, Neo Kian Hong, SMRT Trains will continue to serve commuters daily in TEL1 line for the next few years.

3. The first phase of TEL started serving three areas - Woodlands North, Woodlands, and Woodlands South. Six more stations added to TEL in phase 2 and those are Mayflower, Bright Hill, Upper Thomson, Springleaf, Lentor, and Caldecott. The third phase will connect previous stations to the Central Business District (CBD) and Marina Bay area. In the third stage, LTA will build and connect 13 stations and four interchange stations by 2021. The east side of the TEL rail line will be developed in the fourth phase, from Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore. The fifth phase will add two stations and one interchange at Sungei Bedok by 2024.

4. The Thomson-East Coast Line is a fully automated, fully underground, and driverless rail system. GE Transportation has provided fully automated driverless train control and signalling solutions for the TEL line. As a part of the contract with Singaporean LTA, GE is offering Tempo™ Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) and Computer-Based Interlocking (CBI) systems.

5. TEL will be running parallel to the North-South Line, easing congestion in overcrowded stations. The Land Transport Master Plan 2040 states the construction of Thomson-East Coast Line Extension that will connect Sungei Bedok to Changi Airport station.

Conclusion
Adding to the existing MRT rail system, the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) will provide frequent, fast, accessible, convenient, comfortable, and safe rides to commuters across Northern, Eastern, Central, and CBD areas of Singapore. After the completion of the entire TEL line, it will add resilience to the Singaporean rail network and reduce reliance and overcrowded rains on the NSL and other rail lines.

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