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The Thomson Line (TSL) will be the sixth Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore and is currently under planning and evaluation. It will be a fully automatic and driverless system, similar to its three predecessors, and will be completely underground.[1]
The 27 km rail line will be built from Woodlands in the north, through Ang Mo Kio and down the Thomson corridor to the city centre.[2] In total, there will be 18 stations. It will extend from the western end of the Eastern Region MRT Line (ERL) and link it to the northern part of Singapore. En-route, the 27-kilometre line will connect from Marina South through the Central Business District and up through Ang Mo Kio all the way to Woodlands connecting estates such as Sin Ming, Kebun Baru, Thomson and Kim Seng which do not now have a direct MRT link.[3]
Through the opening of the Thomson Line and ERL, the Government of Singapore hopes to double the MRT network by 2020. After the two lines are completed, Singapore will have 278km of rail link, from 138km today. Its network density will rise from 31km per million residents today to 51km per million. This will surpass what Hong Kong and Tokyo has today and comparable to current densities in places like New York and London.[4]
[edit] History
The Thomson Line was first announced on 25 January 2008. Completion of the 18-station line is expected in 2018.[5]
It will be one of four more rail systems to be built by 2020. The other three rail systems are the Circle MRT Line, the Downtown MRT Line, and the Eastern Region MRT Line. Together, the four will extend the rail network from the current 138km of track to 278km by 2020. When completed, it will improve movement in the city centre, with a train station within every 400m on average, roughly equating a five minute walk.[6]
[edit] Reactions
The announcement of the new rail line was greeted with much fanfare. However, there have been some concerns about costs and the long wait for the new line. On the whole, residents that live near the line have welcomed it.[7]
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