Downtown Line 3 to open 21 Oct this year

The Downtown Line 3 (DTL3) will open on 21 October 2017, making it the longest underground and driverless MRT line in Singapore, surpassing the 35.7km Circle Line (CCL).   The DTL3 Extension from Expo to Sungei Bedok, an additional 2.2km, will open in 2024.

Downtown Line

Downtown Line Alignment

DTL3

The 21-kilometre long DTL3 comprises 16 stations and is the longest stretch of the Downtown Line to be opened. DTL3 includes three interchange stations at MacPherson (link to CCL) , Tampines (EWL), and Expo (EWL).

1.      Fort Canning Station

Fort Canning station is located at the intersection of River Valley Road and Clemenceau Avenue. The station has two entrances and will serve developments in the area including Fort Canning Park, Liang Court, U.E Square, Park Hotel Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay Hotel, which were previously not connected to the rail network.

2.      Bencoolen Station

Bencoolen station is located at Bencoolen Street, near the junction with Bras Basah Road. It has three entrances and comprises six levels – concourse, upper mezzanine, lower mezzanine, platform and two service levels. To provide greater connectivity to the existing rail network, the station has an underground unpaid linkway connected to CCL Bras Basah station through the existing SMU basement. The NAFA Campus extension is integrated above one of the station’s entrances.

The station will serve students, office workers, businesses and tourists, with its close proximity to the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Singapore Management University (SMU), Manulife Centre, Sunshine Plaza, National Museum and hotels along Bencoolen Street. There are also several places of worship around the station such as the Kwan Im Temple, Sri Krishnan Temple, Maghain Aboth Synagogue and Masjid Bencoolen.

3.      Jalan Besar Station

Jalan Besar station is located at the junction of Jalan Besar and Weld Road. It has two entrances and comprises two levels – concourse and platform. The station will serve Sim Lim Tower, Stamford Primary School, residences and shophouses in the vicinity. The station is within five minutes’ walk of Rochor station (on the DTL) and Bugis station (on the EWL, DTL) allowing commuters to easily transfer between rail lines.

4.      Bendemeer Station

Bendemeer station is located at Kallang Bahru, near the junction with Kallang Avenue. The station has two entrances, one on each side of the road. The station will serve the commercial buildings, residences and shophouses in the vicinity. The station is within ten minutes’ walk of Lavender station (on the EWL) and Boon Keng station (on the NEL) allowing commuters to easily transfer between rail lines.

5.      Geylang Bahru Station

Geylang Bahru station is located along Kallang Bahru, at the junction with Geylang Bahru. The station has two entrances and comprises two levels – concourse and platform. The station will serve Kallang Basin ActiveSG Swimming Complex, Kallang Basin Industrial Estate and HDB estates in Geylang Bahru, providing greater connectivity for workers and residents.

6.      Mattar Station

Mattar station is located near the junction of Merpati Road and Mattar Road. The station has two entrances. One of the entrances leads to Merpati Road and will primarily serve Canossa Convent School, Macpherson Primary School, Masjid Sallim Mattar Mosque and those working in Kallang Pudding area. The other entrance leads to Mattar Road near the Circuit Road hawker centre (Blk 79 and 79A Circuit Road) and the Macpherson Community Club.

7.      MacPherson Station

MacPherson station is located along Circuit Link, near the junction with Circuit Road. It has two entrances and comprises three levels – concourse, mezzanine and platform. It will serve Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre, industrial buildings and residences in the vicinity.

The new station will allow commuters to conveniently transfer to the CCL as the DTL platforms are connected directly to the CCL platform though a short escalator ride. This could be done as the bottom-most level of the DTL station was constructed along with the CCL station, allowing the two lines to be built in close proximity.

8.      Ubi Station

Ubi station is located near the junction of Ubi Avenue 1 and Ubi Avenue 2. The station has two entrances, one of which is located close to the residential estate.  The station aims to serve the nearby high-rise light industrial buildings and also supports a dense HDB estate with schools in its vicinity such as Maha Bodhi School and Manjusri Secondary School. The station exterior is bronze in colour to depict the colour of Ubi (Malay for “tapioca”).

9.      Kaki Bukit Station

Kaki Bukit station is located along Kaki Bukit Avenue 1, near the junction with Jalan Damai. The station has two entrances and comprises three levels – intermediate, concourse and platform. Utilities found within the station footprint posed challenges during the construction of the station, and they had to be relocated during different phases of excavation. The station will serve Bedok North Secondary School, Kaki Bukit Tech Park, Kaki Bukit Tech View, as well as residences along Bedok Reservoir Road, Jalan Damai and Jalan Tenaga.

10.  Bedok North Station

Bedok North station is located at Bedok North Road, near the Pan-Island Expressway flyover. The station has three entrances and comprises three levels – concourse, mezzanine and platform.

The station will serve Damai Primary School, Bedok Town Park, HDB estates and industrial buildings nearby.

11.  Bedok Reservoir Station

Bedok Reservoir station is located at Bedok Town Park, beside Bedok North Avenue 3. The station has two entrances leading to the residential blocks in the vicinity and the Bedok Town Park.

The station will serve many schools, residences and parks such as Bedok Town Park, Bedok Reservoir Park, Damai Secondary School, Bedok Green Secondary School, Red Swastika School, Yu Neng Primary School and residences along Bedok Reservoir Road.

12.  Tampines West Station

Tampines West station is located at Tampines Avenue 4, near the junction with Tampines Avenue 1. It has two entrances leading to HDB blocks nearby. Both entrances are connected directly to taxi stands, drop-off points and bicycle parks. The last tunnel boring machine (TBM) on DTL3 broke through into the Tampines West station in June 2015, marking the completion of tunnelling works along the DTL3. The station will serve Temasek Polytechnic, Junyuan Primary School, East View Primary School, Tampines Polyview and Tampines Palmspring HDB estates.

13.  Tampines Station

Tampines station is located along Tampines Central 1. The station has three entrances and comprises three levels – subway (retail level), concourse and platform.  The station is connected to the Tampines Bus Interchange and the EWL and will service commuters travelling to offices and shopping areas around the Tampines town centre. The station will also serve commercial buildings such as OCBC Tampines Centre One, AIA, Telepark, Our Tampines Hub and residences in Tampines.

14.  Tampines East Station

Tampines East station is located along Tampines Avenue 7, near the junction with Tampines Avenue 2. It has four entrances leading to the current site of Tampines Junior College and HDB blocks in the vicinity. The station will serve Tampines Junior College, Ngee Ann Secondary School, Tampines North Park and residences nearby.

15.  Upper Changi Station

Upper Changi station is located at Upper Changi Road East. At 205m, the station is the longest on the DTL3. It has four entrances and comprises three levels – concourse, intermediate, and platform. Two of the entrances are connected directly to bus stops, taxi stands, drop – off points and the bicycle park. The station will serve the Singapore University of Technology and Design and residential estates in the vicinity. For the convenience of movement between the station and SUTD, there will be an underground linkway between them.

16.  Expo Station

Expo station is located along Changi South Avenue 1, 25 metres below ground level. It has four entrances and comprises three levels. The station will primarily serve Singapore Expo and a major business hub, the Changi Business Park. As Expo connects to Changi Airport on the EWL, commuters will have an additional travel option when going to the airport.

https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=5c4e424c-1a46-44cb-92d0-212e37a2b6df

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NEL extension to Punggol North by 2030.

The Land Transport Authority is in the final stages of engineering and design studies for the 2km-long North East Line (NEL) Extension, which will serve the developing Punggol North. The line will be built in tandem with the developments there so that future residents in Punggol North will have train access to the city centre as well as other parts of Singapore.

The extension, which is likely to have two stops, is expected to be completed by 2030. Punggol North will be a mixed-used area. It is slated to be an “enterprise district” housing digital and cyber- security industries.

It will be the first of such districts where new planning concepts will be applied. These include appointing a master developer to take charge of the entire district, of which JTC Corporation will be appointed here. The district will include the new Singapore Institute of Technology campus, located next to JTC’s business parks.

The 50km Cross Island Line, slated to be completed in 2030, is also expected to pass through Punggol.

Condo @ King Albert Park MRT for sale

Blossomvale, nicely tucked into the greenery and the serene King Albert Park/Dunearn Road. Mins to Methodist Girls School (MGS). Cosy home in Bt Timah enclave. Close to amenities like Cold Storage and shopping areas, it is a great buy! Call David King for viewing details

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Freehold Industrial Space near Downtown line #sgbayhomes

A rare #01 business space in Aljunied Industrial Complex. Mins to future Mattar MRT station. about 20 sqft ceiling height. Good as showflat or warehouse. Call King @ 94772121 for viewing details.

Aljunied Industrial Complex is a commercial property located at 623-625, Aljunied Road, 389835 in District 14. Aljunied Industrial Complex is primarily used for Light Industrial (B1) rental and sale. Aljunied Industrial Complex is close to Aljunied MRT Station (EW9) and MacPherson MRT Station (CC10). It is near to several bus stops located at Flextronic – 70311, opposite Flextronic – 70319 and opposite Canossa Convent Primary – 70021.

Amenities near Aljunied Industrial Complex

Aljunied Industrial Complex is near to several eateries located at nearby buildings such as Aljunied Industrial Complex Self-Service Canteen at 625 Aljunied Road and Canteen at Sindo Building.

Aljunied Industrial Complex is within reasonable distance to NTUC Fairprice Supermarket.

Aljunied Industrial Complex is accessible via Aljunied Road, MacPherson Road, Kallang Paya Lebar Expressway and Pan Island Expressway.

Big welcome for d’Leedon residents

The party started at 4pm. With it came a carnival, buskers, magic shows and balloon sculpting for the children.

Food was also a highlight, not just a delicious buffet spread, but food catered from 10 famous hawkers in the area.

The highlight came at 7.30pm: A performance of a piece specially composed for the occasion by American musician William Close on the “Earth Harp”, the world’s longest playable string instrument.

And before the guests went home, they were treated to a 10-minute firework and laser show.

All this was quite a show put on for an audience of 4,000 guests – families, couples and singles – who are going to live at the 1,715-unit d’Leedon condominium along Farrer Road.

Big welcome for d’Leedon residents

Click on thumbnail to view. Story continues after photos. The Straits Times, Capitaland

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The hosts

Property developer CapitaLand and its joint venture partners, who held the party to mark the completion of the project.

CapitaLand chief executive officer Lim Ming Yan said: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to interact with the residents of d’Leedon and their families at one of the biggest completion parties in Singapore.”

CapitaLand also did not forget those living in the area, who would have to bear the noise from the fireworks. It gave advance notice to the project’s neighbours, providing a pair of ear plugs to each household: 10,000 pairs were given away in all.

The 840,049 sq ft, 99-year leasehold project is set to be a landmark in the area, given its height and scale. It comprises seven 36-storey towers of 1,703 apartments and 12 semi-detached houses.

Many units have unobstructed views of Singapore’s skyline, as well as the Botanic Gardens and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

The project also boasts a brand- name architect, Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Zaha Hadid, who will also be designing the futuristic Al Wakrah Stadium in Qatar for the 2022 football World Cup.

As at end September, 1,461 units at d’Leedon, or about 85 per cent, have been sold at a price range of $1,400 to $1,850 per sq ft. Units sold included one-bedroom units with study, as well as two-bedroom and three-bedroom units, ranging from 592 sq ft to 1,938 sq ft. Unsold units were mostly four-bedroom apartments.

About 65 per cent of the buyers were Singaporeans.

D’Leedon obtained its temporary occupation permit (TOP) last Tuesday, and residents are expected to start moving in soon.

CapitaLand said it also held a large-scale event to celebrate the completion of 1,040-unit The Interlace in September last year. The Interlace is one of the largest private residential projects here, taking up an 8ha site.

Other developers, including City Developments Limited and Far East Organisation, said they hold such parties for their residential projects as well, though not on such a large scale.

Residents were enthralled by Mr Close’s new piece titled Mini Symphony For The Earth Harp.

Strings stretched from the top of the clubhouse roof to the 36th storey of another tower, creating the longest playable stringed musical instrument ever set up and played in the world. The length of one of the 16 strings – 291.71m – was certified by A*Star’s National Metrology Centre, the custodian of the national measurement standards in Singapore.

“It is a great initiative by CapitaLand to invite the owners to come. We had chosen to buy d’Leedon because of its proximity to schools and the reasonable pricing,” said 32-year-old Ms Zhao Qian, who attended the party with her husband, parents and two-year-old son.

Mr Aaron Ching, 21, is looking forward to living at d’Leedon because of its location and range of facilities such as an aqua gym.

– See more at: http://business.asiaone.com/news/news/big-welcome-dleedon-residents#sthash.OKTHE8J0.dpuf

For Rent – The Centris (D22)

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Views of Thomson-EastCoast Line Part 2

Here are the locations and artist’s impressions of the respective stations along the latest MRT line. (Source: LTA)

Part 2: Marine Parade, Marine Terrace and Siglap

This is also known as District 15 of Singapore housing areas. Being close to Airport, CBD and East Coast Park, it is a value choice for expats and those who loved waterfront stays, as well as close proximity to town. Popular Shopping Haunts include evergreen Parkway Parade, Roxy Square (I and II), i!2 Katong Mall and Marine Parade/Marine Terrace Neighbourhood hub. Popular Condos in the areas include Cote d’Azur, Silversea, The Seaview, D’ecosia, Mandarin Gardens, The Esta, and Parc Seabreeze.

Dried Goods Centre: Victoria Wholesale Centre & Albert Centre

http://victoriawholesalecentre.com/

Straits Times 17 Jan 2014

The Victoria Wholesale Centre is slowly experiencing a rebound in business since it relocated from Bugis to Kallang Avenue almost two years ago.

Gone are the hordes of tourists who used to wander into the previously bustling centre in Bugis, attracted by the array of dried goods on display there.

Like its predecessor, the new centre boasts a wide selection of goods, ranging from dried fish stomach and dried Chinese sausages to almonds and tidbits, all housed under one roof.

But its location – half an hour’s walk from the nearest MRT station – is more inaccessible and attracts far fewer walk-in customers. When The Straits Times visited it on Wednesday, only a few shops had a steady flow of customers. But merchants said business has been slowly picking up, thanks to their loyal customers.

In March 2012, some 23 of the 40 merchants in the old Victoria Street Wholesale Centre moved to the eight-storey centre in Kallang Avenue, which is tucked inside an industrial estate, after they pooled resources and took bank loans to build it.

The previous site had to make way for the construction of the North-South Expressway, which is expected to be completed in 2020.

The old location was just a few minutes’ walk from Bugis MRT Station. But it now takes at least 10 minutes on foot to get to the new centre from the nearest bus stop.

At De Cheng Xin Xing Trading, the majority of its customers are regulars.

“Business at the old place was different,” said its director, Mr Andrew Goh, 37, the third-generation owner of a family business selling dried goods and high-end products such as bird’s nest and abalone.

“There used to be many passers-by who walked in and we made a lot of petty-cash sales. Now, there is no huge crowd.”

To boost business, the centre is providing visitors with a free shuttle bus service to and from Kallang MRT station, from Jan 3 to 28 daily, in time for the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Some merchants, such as Ah Pau Chop’s 58-year-old owner, Madam Chua Soo Cheng, are hoping that the service will be permanent.

Despite the inconvenience, merchants said their long-time customers, who hail from as far as Bukit Timah, go to their shops because of the personalised service.

“A lot of shops (elsewhere) sell the same things, but here, we let customers try the goods and tell them how to cook and store the ingredients,” said Madam Chua, who has been in the business for 40 years. “The customers trust us. Otherwise, they wouldn’t come back.”

Retiree Soh Mui Wah, who was shopping there, agreed. “At De Cheng, I can sample the abalones so I know what’s inside the can, how big the abalones are and whether they taste good,” she said.

Mrs Catherine Wong, 71, a retired office administrator who lives in Bukit Timah, bought $160 worth of goods such as cashew nuts and dried shrimps.

“There are a lot of choices here,” she said. “I think we save about 15 per cent by buying the goods here.”

It was, however, a different scene at another wholesale centre. On the third floor of Albert Centre at Queen Street, there was barely any space to walk along the narrow aisles when The Straits Times visited the centre, located near the famous Guan Yin temple and shopping haven Bugis Street.

Shopfronts were packed with rows of clear plastic bags filled with dried goods and snacks, such as lotus seeds, peanuts, almonds and pistachios.

Shoppers, mostly middle-aged women, jostled to do their Chinese New Year shopping. Many dipped their hands into the bags to try the snacks before making their purchases.

One of the more popular shops was Tan Sum Joo Provision Shop. Owner Willian Tan, 59, said he has been running the business for more than 30 years, but declined to be interviewed because he was busy.

Ms Pinky Chear, a 24-year-old Malaysian hairstylist who works in Singapore, said her family would ask her to buy snacks from the shops and take them back to her home town in Perak. “It’s popular among my relatives because they said the stuff is fresher here.”

Customers said while the goods sold at Albert Centre can be found in supermarkets and neighbourhood shops, they preferred to come here to soak up the atmosphere. Housewife Jane Lim, 58, said: “Shopping at supermarkets may be more relaxed. It’s not as cramped, the goods have price tags on them and it’s easier to find the items I want. But there is a festive atmosphere at Albert Centre. That’s why I am here.”

– See more at: http://www.soshiok.com/content/mixed-fortunes-2-dried-goods-centres#sthash.nSvzysAi.dpuf