【Singapore News】Tunnel Breakthrough of C885 makes Singapore Circle Line a complete Loop

At 9:00 AM on Jan 12, 2022, Minister of Transport, Mr. S. Iswaran activated the button on TBM, named SUNWU, dedicated for the Singapore Metro Project C885 undertaken by China Railway Tunnel Group (CRTG). The tunnel breakthrough at Cantonment station makes the Circle Line a complete loop.

Attendees of the ceremony includes Ms. Indranee Thurai Rajah (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and National Development), Mr. Loh Ngai Seng (Permanent Secretary MOT), Mr. Ng Lang (LTA Chief Executive), Mr. Chua Chong Kheng (LTA Deputy Chief Executive).

The Circle Line will have 33 stations spanning 40km, including 12 interchanges with other MRT lines. Besides Cantonment station – which is a stone’s throw from the historic Tanjong Pagar railway station – the extension will have two other stations: Prince Edward Road and Keppel.

The extension from HarbourFront to Marina Bay is slated to open in 2026, and will cut travelling time. For instance, commuters from Telok Blangah will have a direct commute to Marina Bay, saving around 10 minutes.

Project C885, the CONSTRUCTION OF PRINCE EDWARD STATION AND TUNNELS FOR CIRCLE LINE 6, was established since October 2017. It consists of 3 levels of underground with 2 entrances and a twin bored tunnel, up and down tunnel about 1km long connecting to Cantonment station.

The project is located in the CBD, nearby Tanjong Pagar Harbor, Haji Muhd Salleh Mosque and Hock Teck See Temple. The SUNWU TBM successfully underpassed a protected heritage building, Old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station twice.

SUNWU, manufactured by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group (CREG) solved the complications of Jurong stratum successfully.

It promotes application of Chinese technology and equipment abroad. As a main contractor, CRTG, leading company in the field of tunnel and underground engineering in China, has absorbed excellent management skills and experience in Singapore. Despite the huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, CRTG overcame the difficult of lack of materials and manpower, completed the tunneling 14 weeks in advance.