Cross Island Line

The Cross Island MRT Line (CRL) will be the ninth Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore. It is currently under planning and evaluation.

The line will begin from Changi, passing through Loyang, Pasir Ris, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Timah, Clementi, West Coast, and terminate at Jurong Industrial Estate.

History
The line was first announced by the Land Transport Authority on 17 January 2013.

Overview
Targeted to be completed by 2030, it will offer East-West commuters an alternative to the existing East West Line. It will also connect to all the other major lines to serve as a key transfer line, complementing the role currently fulfilled by the orbital Circle Line.

The eastern leg of the line will include a segment that extends into the centre of Punggol. Residents in Punggol will be able to travel to Pasir Ris, a popular and much demanded travel route within 10 to 15 minutes, compared to a 40-minute bus journey.

Based on the Ministry of National Development Land Use Plan, this line is expected to interchange with the East West Line at Tuas Crescent, Clementi and Pasir Ris, Downtown Line at Sixth Avenue, Thomson Line at Sin Ming, North South Line at Ang Mo Kio, and the North East Line at Hougang and Punggol.

Alignment controversy
Since its announcement on 17 January 2013, there have been a controversy over the alignment of the line's Bukit Timah stretch as it appears to cut through part of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and MacRitchie Reservoir hence, prompting the Nature Society Singapore to call for a change in the alignment of the line although the Land Transport Authority insisted that the alignment of the line was not finalised as soil investigations and feasibility studies have yet to be conducted until an Environmental Impact Assessment was commissioned to study the impact the line would have on the natural habitats of the reserve. Various stakeholders, including nature and environmental groups, will be engaged and consulted to ensure that their views and concerns are accommodated as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment study. On 19 July 2013, the NSS has put forward, in a position paper, two proposed alternative alignments for this stretch of the Cross Island Line.

The proposed alignments include a northern route that would run close to the Thomson Line, heading west towards Mandai, Sungei Kadut and Gali Batu before terminating at Choa Chu Kang, which will be an interchange to the North South Line, Bukit Panjang LRT and the upcoming Jurong Region Line. Another proposed alignment, a southern CCNR route, would run along Lornie Road, was cited to "add 1.7 kilometres to 2 kilometres to the Cross Island Line, and an estimated four minutes' additional travel time. It would present an opportunity to serve residents near Adam Road and visitors to the MacRitchie Reservoir Park", running almost parallel to the Circle Line's Marymount-Botanic Gardens stretch. However, engineers noted that "it may still be possible to construct the tunnels along the original proposed route without disturbing the nature reserve, but this must be examined in detail" and that a "straight rail line is better and cheaper from the engineering and operations point of view".

The LTA is still studying all options and the final alignment will only be announced near the completion date.