Jurong Region MRT Line

, color =
, logo = Jurong Region Line logo.svg
, logo_width = 250px
, logo_alt = Logo of Jurong Region Line
, image = JE5 Jurong East MRT under construction 20240330 100221.jpg
, image_width =
, image_alt = Construction site
, caption = JRL site at Jurong East station
, type = Rapid transit
, system = Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
, status = Under construction
, locale = Singapore
, start = Choa Chu Kang
, end =
, stations = 26
, routes = 3
, daily_ridership =
, ridership2 =
, planopen =
, open =
, yearcommenced =
, yearcompleted =
, owner = Land Transport Authority
, operator = Singapore One Rail (ComfortDelGro's SBS Transit and RATP Dev Asia Pacific)
, character = Fully elevated
, depot = Tengah
, stock = Hyundai Rotem J151
, linelength = ~
, tracklength =
, gauge =
, electrification =
, speed =
, signalling =
, map =
, map_state = collapsed

The Jurong Region Line (JRL) is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line under development in Singapore. It is planned to serve the western parts of the country, particularly the new town of Tengah and its surrounding areas. First envisioned as a Light Rail Transit (LRT) line in 2001, the project was put on hold throughout the 2000s before its current iteration as a MRT line was confirmed in 2013. The line is set to open in stages from 2027 to 2029. It will be the first MRT line to be fully elevated, and the fifth MRT line to be completely automated and driverless.

The JRL will have at least 26 stations, serving Choa Chu Kang in the north, Jurong Pier in the south, Peng Kang Hill in the west and Pandan Reservoir in the east. An extension via West Coast on the Cross Island Line to Kent Ridge on the Circle Line, will be completed in the 2030s to 2040s. The line is coloured teal on the rail map and will be operated by Singapore One Rail (SOR) – a joint venture between ComfortDelGro's SBS Transit and RATP Dev Asia Pacific. It will be the seventh MRT line in Singapore. It will use J151 trains supplied by Hyundai Rotem in a three-car, four-car formation, and moving block signalling system supplied by Siemens.

History

Origins and development

A white paper released in 1996 showed a light rail line connecting to the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) from Boon Lay station on the East–West Line (EWL). An LRT line for the Jurong area was first announced in November 1998 as part of feasibility studies by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), though communications minister Mah Bow Tan said the sustainability of such a project would depend on demand and ridership.

The Jurong Region Line (JRL) was formally announced on 23 October 2001 by transport minister Yeo Cheow Tong. The light rail line was planned to serve the residents of Jurong living in areas beyond the EWL alongside students from NTU. However, in May 2008, the project was put on hold due to the lack of financial viability based on passenger demands of the time.

The JRL was included as part of the 2013 Land Transport Masterplan announced by transport minister Lui Tuck Yew in January that year. In addition to new developments in Tengah, the line would serve NTU, Jurong West, Jurong Industrial Estate, West Coast and Choa Chu Kang.

Initial phases

The finalised alignment of the JRL and 24 stations were announced on 9 May 2018. Spanning approximately , the JRL would be built in three phases. The first phase, JRL west, consists of ten stations from Choa Chu Kang to Bahar Junction and two branches to and . The second phase, JRL east, consists of seven stations branching from Tengah to Pandan Reservoir. The final phase comprises seven stations extending the line to NTU and . These phases were expected to be completed from 2026 to 2028. However, the restrictions on construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to delays of the JRL project, with the completion dates pushed by one year.

The alignment, however, was considered confusing by many residents due to its many branches. Plenty of NTU students, while they welcomed the line connection, had commented they would prefer taking a direct bus route when travelling between the school and Boon Lay as they would have to transfer at . Transport analysts said the finalised alignment was a compromise as the line had to navigate through built-up areas. While the JRL would be an MRT line instead of an LRT, the line would use smaller train carriages that could navigate the tighter curves of the line alignment.

To construct the line, a multi-storey car park in Choa Chu Kang was acquired along with the partial acquisition of 19 land plots, affecting only ancillary features such as green verges and fences. The Choa Chu Kang and Jurong East bus interchanges were relocated on 16 December 2018 and 6 December 2020 respectively. Pioneer Primary School merged with Juying Primary School in 2022 to facilitate a revised alignment of the line which would run through the former school premises.

The first contracts for the construction of JRL stations were awarded in September 2019. The contract to construct the line's Tengah Depot was awarded in November 2019, followed by the rolling stock contract in February 2020. The last station contract was awarded in May 2022. Construction of the JRL officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony on 13 January 2023.

In May 2023, the LTA invited tenders to appoint operators for the JRL. In November 2024, the JRL operation contract was awarded to Singapore One Rail (SOR) – a joint venture between ComfortDelGro's SBS Transit and RATP Dev Asia Pacific – for S$750 million. The partnership will operate the line under an initial nine-year licensing period, with a possible extension of two years granted by the LTA. Such an arrangement will also be the first for a MRT line in Singapore. SBS Transit retains a majority share at 75.01% in the venture, with RATP Dev holding the remaining 24.99%.

West Coast extension

On 25 August 2015, transport minister Lui Tuck Yew announced the possibility of extending the JRL from Pandan Reservoir station to connect with the Circle Line at Haw Par Villa station via the Pasir Panjang area. The extension would improve connections between the western part of Singapore and the Central Business District. If built, the extension would be completed in 2030.

Following the 2024 East–West MRT line disruption, Non-constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai called for the JRL extension to Haw Par Villa so that the line would connect the Circle Line and Cross Island Line and improve transport connections in the west region of Singapore. In response, Amy Khor, the senior minister of state for transport, said the LTA is still assessing plans for the extension in tandem with projected developments around the area.

On 5 March 2025, transport minister Chee Hong Tat confirmed the West Coast extension and that it will go ahead in two phases. The first phase, planned to be completed in by the late 2030s, will extend the JRL to West Coast station on the Cross Island Line. In the early 2040s, the subsequent phase would extend the JRL to Kent Ridge station on the Circle Line. After evaluating factors such as projected transport demand and future developments, LTA determined the connection to Kent Ridge to be the more optimal. It is not yet determined if there will be additional stations between West Coast and Kent Ridge, with the route potentially plying through the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Other proposals

In October 2024, a proposal was also made to extend the north end of the JRL from Choa Chu Kang station to Bukit Panjang station, which would allow the line to interchange with the Downtown Line.

Network and operations

Route

The approximately JRL will serve at least 26 stations in Chua Chu Kang, Jurong, Tengah and the south-western parts of Singapore. Shaped like a "H", the four JRL branches extend to Choa Chu Kang in the north, Jurong Pier in the south, Pandan Reservoir in the east and Peng Kang Hill in the west.

From Choa Chu Kang, the JRL briefly runs parallel to the North South line (NSL) before turning southwest along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3. At Tengah, the line splits, with the east branch diverging toward Pandan Reservoir. As the JRL continues west, the Tengah Depot connects the line between the Hong Kah and Corporation stations. After crossing the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), the JRL runs along Jurong West Avenue 2 until Bahar Junction station, where it converges with the Jurong Pier and Peng Kang Hill branches.

On the Jurong Pier branch, the JRL turns south along Jurong West Street 64 and crosses the East West line (EWL) at Boon Lay station. The line continues southward along Jalan Boon Lay and Jurong Pier Road, crossing the Ayer Rajah Expressway between the Tukang and Jurong Hill stations before terminating at Jurong Pier station. The Peng Kang Hill branch runs northwest along Jurong West Street 75 via Gek Poh station. After crossing the PIE, the line turns north to Tawas station and then west through the Nanyang Technological University. The branch terminates at Peng Kang Hill station.

The Pandan Reservoir branch runs southeast through the Tengah estate along Plantation Crescent and Bukit Batok Road. The line briefly turns east to Bukit Batok West station and parallels the PIE before turning south along Jurong East Central. After interchanging with the NSL and EWL at Jurong East station, the line continues southeast along Jurong Town Hall Road before terminating at Pandan Reservoir station. As part of the West Coast Extension, the JRL will continue to the Circle Line at Kent Ridge station by the early 2040s.

Stations

Legend

List

Infrastructure

Rolling stock

The JRL's rolling stock will comprise 62 J151 trains manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. The fully-automatic trains will run in a three-car formation, which can be lengthened to four cars when ridership increases. To navigate the tight curves along the route, the JRL trains are smaller than those on the other MRT lines. Each car will be long with a width of . Both sides of the carriage will have three wider doors of each to allow easier boarding and alighting.

Powered by 750V DC third-rail, the trains can run up to . In addition, the trains will have two new systems – Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) and Automatic Track Inspection (ATI) – to allow real-time detection of train and track faults. In the event of a power failure, the trains will have emergency batteries to bring passengers to the nearest station.

Depot

Tengah Depot will be the service and storage area for JRL trains. Being constructed by China Railway 11 Bureau Group Corporation for S$739.5 million (US$ million), the at-grade depot includes the Operation Control Centre and can accommodate up to 100 JRL trains. Located west of Tengah, the depot is also integrated with a bus depot and a workers' dormitory. There were plans for a stabling facility near Peng Kang Hill station that would have allowed enhanced launching and withdrawal operations of trains.

Signalling

The JRL is fully automatic, using Siemens' Trainguard Sirius Communications-based train control (CBTC) moving-block signalling system. The radio-based signalling system manages the line's Automatic train control (ATC) under Automatic train operation (ATO) GoA 4 and can provide live data of JRL trains' positions and speeds. Previously installed for the Downtown Line (DTL), the CBTC subsystems consist of Automatic train protection (ATP) to govern train speed, Controlguide Rail 9000 Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) to track and schedule trains and Trackguard Westrace MKII Computer-based interlocking (CBI) system that prevents incorrect signal and track points to be set.

Platform screen doors by Siemens provide safety for passengers.

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

Jurong Region Line

{{Future developments in Singapore

Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) lines
2027 in rail transport
2028 in rail transport
2029 in rail transport
Automated guideway transit