SINGAPORE — The 24-station Jurong Region Line (JRL) will boost connectivity in western Singapore, but its unusual alignment could be confusing and journeys will still entail transfers, said students and residents.

Transport analysts, however, said the rail line’s alignment – which was announced along with its station locations on Wednesday (May 9) by the Land Transport Authority – is a compromise because it was designed to cater to developments and activities in an area that is already built-up.

The 24km JRL, Singapore’s seventh MRT line, will open in three stages from 2026 and serve Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Jurong Innovation District, Jurong Industrial Estate and the new Tengah residential town.

NTU students and visitors departing from the campus via three stations on the JRL – Peng Kang Hill, Nanyang Crescent and Nanyang Gateway, which will open in 2028 – will have to alight at Bahar Junction station, and cross to the platform opposite to take another train to Boon Lay one station away to get on the East West Line.

Those travelling from the university to Choa Chu Kang will have a seamless journey, taking 25 minutes on the JRL compared to an hour by bus and train currently. But those travelling in the opposite direction will have to alight and make a transfer at Bahar Junction station.

The JRL’s alignment has already left some residents in the West puzzled.

“The new train route seems weird and not well-planned. There are so many intersections… Is (the train operator) able to keep up with the maintenance?” said Choa Chu Kang resident Amir Hamzah Abdul Halim, 22, a national serviceman.

Madam Lim Siew Lan, 69, a housewife who lives in the Bukit Panjang area, felt the JRL’s alignment to be “very complicated” and said it would have to be explained to passengers.

Present-day NTU students welcomed the added connectivity, although they are unlikely to benefit from the JRL.

When told of the alignment, some said they may still take buses instead of the train, as free shuttle services and other buses depart frequently from Boon Lay and do not require them to alight for transfers.

“If possible, of course everyone would prefer a straight (route) to Boon Lay,” said NTU civil engineering undergraduate Lau Zhen Wei. “But if not, I will have to weigh both the time and extra effort needed to take the transit (at Bahar Junction station) versus sitting through a shuttle bus journey.”

Mr Lau, 24, lives at the Banyan Hall residence and takes about 30 minutes to get to Boon Lay by bus.

With the future Nanyang Gateway station right next door, future Banyan Hall residents will benefit from having the rail network at their doorstep, he said.

Final-year bioengineering undergraduate Han Jian Teng, 25, who lives in Bukit Panjang, said the JRL will be a huge relief to those who often have to deal with breakdowns and “squeezy” trains between Choa Chu Kang and Jurong East stations.

Dr Kwoh Chee Keong, an NTU computer engineering associate professor and Choa Chu Kang resident, said the rental potential for homeowners in Choa Chu Kang will increase, as students and researchers who currently prefer to rent homes in Jurong West may be tempted to look further.

‘WRIGGLY’ FOR A REASON

Experts told TODAY the JRL’s unusual alignment was expected as the area is already populated and built-up. Planners may have faced constraints, especially in the more developed areas like Boon Lay and Bukit Batok West, they said.

Transport consultant Tham Chen Munn felt the undeveloped Tengah area to be the “smoothest” portion of the JRL – in contrast with the alignments in Toh Guan, Jurong East and NTU, which feature “wriggly” lines due to the terrain or existing developments.

The configuration of the JRL will mean that commuters’ morning journeys will look different from their evening journeys, he added.

“The whole set-up (of the JRL) is demand-oriented, so there will be some compromise, including the alignment. You want the train line to go through the populated area. You don’t want the train to be in the middle of nowhere,” said National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der-Horng.

Its alignment aside, Professor Lee said the authorities should optimise track operation arrangements to avoid any congestion at Bahar Junction and Boon Lay stations, where many commuters will make transfers.

The LTA expects passenger volume to increase from 200,000 initially to more than 500,000 when the Jurong Innovation District, Jurong Lake District and Tengah area are fully developed.

“It is very obvious that Boon Lay station, where Jurong Point is, is the major activity centre. (But) the moment you have to transfer (to get there) during peak hours, you may inevitably get some undesirable platform congestion,” said Prof Lee.