Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded a contract for the construction of Sungei Bedok station and its associated tunnels to KTC Civil Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd. This contract, totalling approximately S$418 million, is the last of nine major civil contracts for Thomson–East Coast Line (East Coast stretch) (TEL).

KTC Civil Engineering & Construction is also involved in the construction of Downtown Line 3 (DTL3)’s Tampines station, as well as TEL’s Orchard Boulevard station.

“With the award of this contract for Sungei Bedok station, LTA has appointed contractors for all the nine stations of the East Coast stretch of TEL, at a total cost of approximately S$2.73 billion. Works will now be in full swing,” said Chew Men Leong, LTA’s chief executive. “Together with the north-south stretch of TEL, the entire 43 km line will add 31 new stations to the existing network. We look forward to the continuous support and understanding of the community, businesses and stakeholders along the line as we work towards delivering the new stations.”

Sungei Bedok station will be an interchange station connecting TEL with the DTL. When it opens in 2024, commuters on the TEL can enjoy better connectivity to the stations along DTL via this interchange station. By connecting TEL with DTL, the resilience of the rail network in the eastern side of Singapore will be enhanced as commuters have more route options to choose from. This will help redistribute and relieve train loading on the East-West Line (EWL) resulting in more comfortable rides for commuters.

Sungei Bedok station will be built as a Civil Defence shelter. Together with Bayshore, Bedok South, Marine Parade, Marine Terrace, Siglap, and Tanjong Rhu stations, there are a total of seven Civil Defence shelters along the East Coast stretch of TEL.

The 13 km East Coast stretch of the TEL will connect commuters living in the eastern parts of Singapore and who are not directly served by the rail network currently, such as those in Tanjong Rhu, Siglap, Marine Parade, Upper East Coast and Bedok South, to the heart of the city. As part of the 43 km long TEL, the East Coast stretch will also connect commuters to the Thomson stretch of the TEL, which serves the north-south corridor. The East Coast stretch will have nine stations, including a station that interchanges with the Downtown Line at Sungei Bedok.

The East Coast stretch of the TEL will be completed in two stages. The first seven stations from Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore will be ready in 2023, while the remaining two stations will be completed in 2024.