MRT EXTENSION LINE TO CHANGI AIRPORT

Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for Communications whether he will provide details of the proposed 6.4-km MRT extension line to Changi Airport.

The Minister of State for Communications (Mr Goh Chee Wee) (for the Minister for Communications): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Land Transport Authority is currently working on the design, alignment and station locations of the MRT extension to Changi Airport.

It will extend from the existing East-West MRT line at Tanah Merah Station to Changi Airport. It will have an intermediate station at Somapah to serve the Mega Exhibition Centre and the Changi Business Park and an underground terminal station at Changi Airport, between Terminals 2 and 3.

The extension is expected to be completed in the year 2001. The service to the airport will operate from Outram Park Station at a frequency of 15 minutes based on an initial projected ridership of 36,000 per day. The airport service will be operated by SMRT as an integral part of the existing MRT system.

Mr Teo Chong Tee: Having heard the Minister of State's reply, I have got a supplementary question. Why is the extension line not planned to go beyond the passenger terminals to the airline cargo complexes and engineering complexes where there are several thousand workers who are also dependent on public transport?

Mr Goh Chee Wee: Sir, there is currently no plan to extend the MRT line to the cargo and engineering complexes. Any extension will have to be justified in terms of cost and ridership. We should also consider the fact that the cargo and engineering complexes in Changi are housed in a sprawling area and I believe they cover 70 hectares. It is therefore not feasible to build a station to serve all the employees in the complex.

Mr Teo Chong Tee: Sir, as you are aware, it took me nine years to convince the Ministers and the relevant transport authority to bring the MRT line to Changi Airport and I hope that it will not be another nine years for the Land Transport Authority or the MRTC to consider extending the line further to the cargo complexes and engineering complexes. May I also request the Minister to keep this in mind for future planning and I hope that he will not take nine years.

Mr Goh Chee Wee: Sir, I think I have already explained why there is no current plan to extend the MRT line to the cargo complex.

Mr Teo Chong Tee: Sir, may I be allowed to express my heartfelt thanks to the Ministers for Communications, especially Dr Yeo Ning Hong and Mr Mah Bow Tan, and all the various transport authorities, for finally agreeing to bring the MRT extension line to Changi Airport after nine long years. [Applause]. I want to thank them and give them credit and I am very appreciative, and I think all my constituents and Singaporeans in general will be appreciative, of what is being provided for them in the future.