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New rail terminus will give Jurong fresh impetus: Analysts

SINGAPORE — The Jurong East area would be the most viable option for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail (HSR) terminus given its transport links to the rest of island and its growing status as a commercial hub, several property and transport experts said. They added that the terminus would enhance an area already earmarked for major redevelopment and turn it into a new commercial centre to rival the Central Business District (CBD).

DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam giving student Aw Jun Le an unexpected shower during a tree-planting activity at the planned Jurong Lake Gardens @ PUB installation at Yuan Ching Road. Photo: Ernest Chua

DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam giving student Aw Jun Le an unexpected shower during a tree-planting activity at the planned Jurong Lake Gardens @ PUB installation at Yuan Ching Road. Photo: Ernest Chua

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SINGAPORE — The Jurong East area would be the most viable option for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail (HSR) terminus given its transport links to the rest of island and its growing status as a commercial hub, several property and transport experts said. They added that the terminus would enhance an area already earmarked for major redevelopment and turn it into a new commercial centre to rival the Central Business District (CBD).

Yesterday (May 5), it was announced that the terminal station would be in Jurong East, instead of the other two options — Tuas West and the city centre — which the Government had been considering. The area encompasses the Jurong Lake District, which is being redeveloped into a new growth area with commercial, business and leisure facilities.

On where the terminal station could be located, the experts pointed to possible sites in the Jurong Lake District, as well as the 12ha plot occupied by the now-defunct Tang Dynasty City along Yuan Ching Road.

Ms Christine Li, director of research at Cushman & Wakefield, said it could be located along Jurong Town Hall Road — opposite the Jurong East MRT Station and the Jurong Regional Library — on an area which has been marked as a reserve site under the Urban Redevelopment Authority Masterplan 2014. The Jurong Country Club, which renewed its lease in 2013, sits on part of the area.

Agreeing, Mr Colin Tan, director of research and consultancy at Suntec Real Estate, said this area would be “ideal” given its proximity to the other transport nodes. “But if building it (there) proves difficult or there isn’t enough land, then we will have to look to Lakeside or Chinese Garden,” he said.

However, Mr Nicholas Mak, SLP executive director for research and consultancy, felt that the area cited by Ms Li and Mr Tan might not be suitable as it is near the lake and the ground would be too soft. Also, waterfront plots are valuable and would serve better as a residential or recreational zone, he said.

National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der Horng suggested the Tang Dynasty City site. The theme park was closed in 1999, and no redevelopment plans have been announced so far.

Professor Lee pointed out that it was announced last year that the stretch of the Ayer Rajah Expressway between Yuan Ching Road and Jurong Town Hall Road may be shifted to free up more land south of Jurong Lake for housing. “Somehow I feel it may be (to give way) to the HSR station,” he said.

No timeline has been set for the construction of the terminus, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong saying yesterday that the original target of completing the HSR project by 2020 was unrealistic.

Nevertheless, once the project becomes a reality, and with the Jurong Lake District expected to be fully developed in less than a decade, the Jurong East area could truly become an alternative CBD, the experts said. The area is currently the biggest commercial hub outside the CBD. Out of the three options, Jurong East was the best choice, the experts said.

“This site is the one that makes the most economical sense with minimal disruption relative to the other two sites,” said Mr Desmond Sim, head of CBRE Research (Singapore & South East Asia). “In addition, Jurong East is the interchange of the major MRT lines: The East-West, the North-South (lines) and the upcoming Jurong Region Line.”

By itself, the HSR station would do little to boost property prices in the area, said Mr Mak who pointed out that Tenah Merah Ferry Terminal and the Singapore Cruise Centre, for example, did not boost the values of residential properties nearby by much. It is the developments built near the station that create jobs, improve the standard of living or increase the convenience of residents that would increase the value of the real estate, he added.

Mr Tan said rental value of commercial properties in the vicinity could go up as commuters using the HSR would mostly be business travellers.

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