Direct lift access from HDB blocks to three MRT stations

SINGAPORE — Some residents living near Clementi, Commonwealth and Queenstown MRT stations will soon get to enjoy direct lift access to the stations from their Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks.

This is part of upgrading work to be carried out at these stations, which will also see new additional concourses with room for more fare gates.

When completed by the middle of next year, they will help disperse commuters and ease congestion, and provide greater convenience, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said yesterday, as it shared these plans.

Residents from HDB blocks 326 and 327, which are located next to Clementi MRT Station, will see a new lift at the ground level of their HDB block. This lift will lead to a sheltered bridge, which will connect to the new concourse built at the other end of the station.

The concourse will be directly linked to the platform, providing an additional entrance for commuters. Another bridge will connect the concourse to Block 450, which is across the road.

The Commonwealth and Queenstown stations will also see similar lift access, which has already been introduced at Yew Tee MRT Station. At Commonwealth, the station will link to Blocks 88 and 89, while at Queenstown, the station will connect to Blocks 181 and 182.

As for the new concourses, they will allow for nine more fare gates at Clementi, and six more each at Commonwealth and Queenstown.

All three will have one more ticketing machine.

The LTA said the work — which began last year — will cost S$11.7 million. Good progress is being made at all three stations and are on track to be completed by the middle of next year.

Mr Saifulbahri Rasno, the LTA’s deputy director of infrastructure enhancement, said currently, work is done very close to existing tracks. The extended concourse will also require the hacking of the wall at the back of the station.

The challenge is in minimising disruption to operations and ensuring the integrity of the existing structure is not compromised, he said. Hence most major work, such as heavy lifting, are only being carried out during non-operational hours.

A commuter who wanted to be known as Madam Cham, 45, said the new arrangements will bring her relief. The salesperson said Clementi station is very crowded during peak periods, and she has to squeeze into and out of the trains every day.

Insurance agent Derek Nathan, 25, who travels to Clementi four times a week for work, said the improvements would help in dispersing commuters who are crammed on the two existing bridges.

“But more people leaving through the new exits also means more people can come in through them, which may not alleviate the crowd situation,” he pointed out.

Separately, two more new trains were added to the East-West Line last month, joining the first new train that was added to the line in February. The LTA said three more trains are undergoing testing and will be added by next month.