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.[3][4] It will be the first MRT line to be fully elevated, and the fifth MRT line to be completely automated and driverless.
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.[8][9][10] However, in May 2008, the project was put on hold due to the lack of financial viability based on passenger demands of the time.[11]
Pioneer Primary School was acquired to facilitate the construction of viaductsOngoing works on the site north of Peng Kang Hill station
The finalised alignment of the JRL and 24 stations were announced on 9 May 2018.[14][15] Spanning 24 kilometres (15 mi), 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 Tawas and Boon Lay. 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 Jurong Pier. These phases were expected to be completed from 2026 to 2028.[16][17] 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.[18]
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 Bahar Junction. Transport analysts said the finalised alignment was a compromise as the line had to navigate through built-up areas.[19] 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.[20]
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.[21][22] The Choa Chu Kang and Jurong East bus interchanges were relocated on 16 December 2018 and 6 December 2020 respectively.[23][24] 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.[25][26]
The first contracts for the construction of JRL stations were awarded in September 2019.[27][28] The contract to construct the line's Tengah Depot was awarded in November 2019,[29] followed by the rolling stock contract in February 2020.[30] The last station contract was awarded in May 2022.[31] Construction of the JRL officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony on 13 January 2023.[32][33][34]
In May 2023, the LTA invited tenders to appoint operators for the JRL.[35] 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.[36] 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.[37][38][39]
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.[47] 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.[48][49] Another proposal was also made to extend the north end of the JRL from Choa Chu Kang to Bukit Panjang, where the line can interchange with the Downtown Line.[50]
Network and operations
Route
Geographically accurate map of the Jurong Region MRT line
Trains departing from Choa Chu Kang will switchback at Jurong Pier, then run towards Peng Kang Hill. Lastly, trains from Peng Kang Hill will switchback again and heading back to Choa Chu Kang, with Bahar Junction acting as an interchange point for the 3 converging services. The operation method will be similar to the Capital Airport Express in Beijing. Transfer to the east branch can only be done at Tengah.[54]
Feasibility studies for the West Coast Extension to connect the east branch to the Circle Line at Haw Par Villa are currently ongoing.[55]
Stations
Notes: Names stated are working names, except for stations that are already opened.
The JRL's rolling stock will comprise 62 J151 trains manufactured by Hyundai Rotem.[68][69][70] The fully-automatic trains will run in a three-car formation,[30] which can be lengthened to four cars when ridership increases.[71] To navigate the tight curves along the route, the JRL trains are smaller than those on the other MRT lines. Each car will be 18.6 metres (61 ft) long with a width of 2.75 metres (9.0 ft).[20] Both sides of the carriage will have three wider doors of 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) each to allow easier boarding and alighting.[30]
Powered by 750V DC third-rail,[31][71] the trains can run up to 70 km/h (43 mph).[69] In addition, the trains will have two new systems – Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) and Automatic Track Inspection (ATI)[69] – to allow real-time detection of train and track faults.[30] In the event of a power failure, the trains will have emergency batteries to bring passengers to the nearest station.[68]
Depot
Tengah Depot will be the service and storage area for JRL trains.[16] Being constructed by China Railway 11 Bureau Group Corporation for S$739.5 million (US$498 million),[72] the at-grade 44.5 ha (110-acre) depot includes the Operation Control Centre and can accommodate up to 100 JRL trains.[16] Located west of Tengah,[73] the depot is also integrated with a bus depot and a workers’ dormitory.[29][72] There were plans for a stabling facility near Peng Kang Hill station that would have allowed enhanced launching and withdrawal operations of trains.[16][74]
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