Summary Draft #2 - LTA Impact Study

In the news release, “Feasible for Cross Island MRT Line to run under Central Catchment or skirt around it: LTA impact study”, Toh (2019) states that the upcoming “Cross Island MRT line that will run from Tuas to Changi can either run under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve or go around it.” The skirting alignment option is lengthier and more costly, and causes residents several environmental issues, but it would not induce any impact on the nature reserves. The direct alignment option would cause damage and “affect the biodiversity there”. However, it poses a lesser risk of “safety related incidents” and also has a lower construction cost. LTA has examined the possible impact on the “environment and residents” and suggested that both options are potentially feasible and presents inconsequential impacts on the residents.

While I agree that both options are feasible, I tend to err on the side of direct alignment. Although it would damage the nature reserves, “mitigation measures”, when implemented, could bring the impact down to an inconsequential level. Furthermore, commuters can reap the benefits of a shorter travelling time, and residents would not have their lives and homes affected.

Firstly, commuters would spend less time travelling on the Cross Island line due to the shorter route taken. In terms of the route’s distance from Bright Hill station to the next station across the reserves, the direct alignment option would erect a 4km route, whereas the skirting option would erect a 9km route.  If the direct alignment option is chosen, commuters would save about 6 minutes of travelling time. Furthermore, fares in our transport system are calculated based on the distance travelled. Due to the shorter distance, commuters can also benefit from the cheaper transport fares.

References:

Toh. (2019). Feasible for cross island MRT line to run under central catchment or skirt around it: LTA impact study. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/feasible-for-cross-island-line-to-run-through-central-catchment-or-skirt-around

Cheng. (2019). Explainer: How 2 proposed tunnelling routes for cross island line will affect wildlife, housing areas. TODAYonline. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/explainer-how-2-proposed-tunnelling-routes-cross-island-line-will-affect-wildlife-housing?cid=h3_referral_inarticlelinks_03092019_todayonline

Cheng. (2019). Govt will do ‘whatever it can’ to protect central catchment nature reserve: Lam pin MIN. TODAYonline. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/govt-will-do-whatever-it-can-protect-central-catchment-nature-reserve-lam-pin-min

MENON. (2019). Cross island MRT line to run under nature reserve: 4 reasons behind the decision. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/cross-island-mrt-line-to-run-under-nature-reserve-4-reasons-behind-the-decision