3-day closure for up to 5 NSL stops to allow for Canberra station construction
Up to five MRT stations between Admiralty and Yio Chu Kang will be closed over the Vesak Day long weekend in order to facilitate construction for the nearly-completed Canberra station.
In a media statement on Monday (8 April), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the staggered closures will take place from 18 to 20 May. The works will enable engineers to connect the two existing tracks to and from Canberra station with a new 72m-long crossover track.
“The crossover track will enhance the resilience of the North-South Line (NSL) by allowing trains to cross from one track to another when the need arises,” said an LTA spokesperson.
“For example, if the northbound track is faulty, affected trains can use the crossover to bypass the faulty stretch by travelling on the southbound track. This allows train service for both directions to remain available.”
Schedule of closures
On 18 and 19 May, the Admiralty and Sembawang stations will be closed to facilitate the removal of existing tracks and installation of the new crossover track.
On 20 May, the Admiralty, Sembawang, Yishun, Khatib, and Yio Chu Kang stations will be closed to carry out testing and commissioning of the signalling software for the newly installed track sectors.
Train services are expected to resume their normal schedules on 21 May.
Alternative transport arrangements
During the planned closure, shuttle bus services to provide connectivity along the affected sectors will follow the same fare structure as trains. The shuttle bus services will ferry commuters between the Woodlands and Yishun stations on 18 and 19 May, and Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio stations on 20 May.
A point- to-point bus service between Woodlands and Bukit Panjang will also be provided to connect commuters in the north to the Downtown Line for a faster and more direct journey to and from the city area.
Throughout the closures, there will be LTA and SMRT staff at affected stations and shuttle bus points to provide assistance to commuters.
With 75 per cent of construction completed, Canberra station is on track to open by this year. When completed, it will serve upcoming residential developments as well as existing public housing estates in the neighbourhood such as EastLink I and II @ Canberra and Eastwave @ Canberra.
Around 17,000 more households will also be placed within a 10-minute walk of an MRT station.
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