The Land Transport Authority (LTA) handed over 11 stations in the third stage of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) to SMRT on Aug 17 for the rail operator to carry out further testing on the signalling system over the next few months in preparation for the opening.
TEL stage 3 has 13 stations, but Mount Pleasant and Marina South stations will remain closed until housing developments around them are ready. The remaining 11 stations will run from Stevens through Orchard and Outram Park to Gardens by the Bay.
The last two stages of the TEL, stage 4 and stage 5, comprise a total of 10 stations from Founder’s Memorial to Sungei Bedok. They are expected to open around 2024 and 2025, aside from Founder’s Memorial station which will open in tandem with the actual memorial in 2027.
When the TEL is fully completed, more than 240,000 households will be within a 10-minute walk from a TEL station.
