Korea-based firm to build 4-in-1 bus and rail depot
Korea-based firm to build 4-in-1 bus and rail depot
An artist's impression of the East Coast Integrated Depot. PHOTO: LAND TRANSPORT AUTHORITY
Bus depot to be built beside stack of 3 train depots in East Coast site
Adrian Lim
The contract to build a four-in-one rail and bus depot - said to be the world's first such facility - has been awarded to South Korea-based GS Engineering & Construction Corporation for around $1.99 billion.
The East Coast Integrated Depot will contain three train depots and one bus depot within a single site of 36ha.
It will be able to stable around 220 trains and 550 buses, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) yesterday.
GS Engineering was previously involved in the building of the Downtown Line 2's Gali Batu Depot, and is currently constructing the Downtown Line 3's Fort Canning and Tampines East stations, as well as the Thomson-East Coast Line's (TEL) Woodlands interchange station.
Works for the East Coast Integrated Depot and its associated tunnels will start by the second quarter of this year and are targeted for completion in 2024.
The three train depots in the facility will be stacked one on top of the other, with a bus depot built next to them.
The depot to serve the Downtown Line will be built underground, while the TEL depot will be on the road level, and the East- West Line depot will be built on top of it.
The LTA had said previously that if the four depots were to be built separately, a land size of 80ha would be required.
The 36ha East Coast Integrated Depot will allow the authorities to save 44ha - the equivalent of approximately 60 football fields.
Separately, the LTA also said yesterday that it has awarded three more rail project contracts.
A joint venture between Australian firm John Holland and Zhen Hua (Singapore) Engineering has clinched the deal to build the TEL's Siglap station for $176 million.
The construction of the TEL's Bayshore station and its associated tunnels has been awarded to Woh Hup-Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (Singapore) Joint Venture at a contract sum of $296 million.
Meanwhile, Korean firm Samsung C&T Corporation has been awarded the contract to build the Xilin station on the Downtown Line 3 extension, as well as reception tunnels to the East Coast Integrated Depot, at a contract sum of $834 million.
Works for all three projects are expected to start in the second quarter of this year.
Siglap and Bayshore stations are part of the nine-station, 13km East Coast stretch of the TEL, and will benefit commuters living in the eastern parts of Singapore - such as Tanjong Rhu, Siglap, Marine Parade and Bedok South - who are currently not served by an MRT station.
The East Coast stretch will connect to the 22-station, 30km Thomson segment to form the 43km TEL.
The Downtown Line 3 extension adds another two more stations and 2.2km to the 42km Downtown Line, and will improve accessibility to the Changi Business Park and Expo areas.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/korea-based-firm-to-build-4-in-1-bus-and-rail-depot
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