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Construction officially starts on Singapore’s CRL2


Swiss cargo tunnels plan advances first stage SWITZERLAND - Further development of Switzerland’s Cargo Sous Terrain (CST) project has been given a greenlight by the Federal Council recently approving the first draft of the Sectoral Plan for Underground Transport. The Federal Council’s decision is based


on the Federal Act on Underground Freight Transport (UGüTG), under which it designates areas for the construction of facilities. The decision defined interim results


Above: CRL King Albert Park interchange station will be Singapore’s deepest station PHOTO CREDIT: LTA


SINGAPORE - Civil construction works for Phase 2 of the Cross Island Line (CRL) in Singapore recently officially commenced, marked by a ground-breaking ceremony at the site of the future Clementi station. Singapore’s Land Transport


Authority (LTA) has is developing the CRL Phase 2 (CRL2) project. Acting Minister for Transport, Jeffrey Siow, officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony. Phase 1 of the CRL is 29km long.


Phase 2 of the metro line is to extend CRL westwards by 15km. The works include comprise six underground stations. The extension is planned to be completed and brought into service by 2032. Two of the six new underground


stations will be interchange stations other parts of LTA’s metro network. The CRL King Albert Park station is to connect commuters to the Downtown Line (DTL), and CRL Clementi station is to link with the East-West Line (EWL). CRL King Albert Park interchange


station will be Singapore’s deepest station. At 50m depth it will extend to five basement levels. The station depth will surpass that of CRL Pasir Ris station, which will be 47m-deep and Bencoolen station on the DTL, which at 43m is currently the deepest underground station in LTA’s network. A 5km-long bored tunnel


between CRL Bright Hill and CR14 stations, and passing below the


6 | October 2025


Central Catchment Nature Reserve, (CCNR) is to be constructed using a 12.8m-diameter TBM. Tunnelling works towards the CCNR commenced in May this year, along with ongoing ground improvement works. LTA has awarded nine civil


contracts for the construction of CRL2. The contracts include:


● design and construction of tunnels between Maju station (CR16) and Clementi station (CR17), awarded to Sinohydro Corporation Ltd (Singapore branch);


● tunnels between West Coast station (CR18) and Jurong Lake District station (CR19), to be built by Nishimatsu Construction Co Ltd – Okumura Corporation Singapore Branch Joint Venture;


● design and construction of Turf City station and tunnels (CR14) and the tunnel between Fairways Drive and Sin Ming Walk, awarded to Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co (Singapore)/Obayashi Corporation Joint Venture;


● the West Coast station and tunnels, to be completed by Gamuda Bhd Singapore branch;


● design and construction of Maju station and tunnels, by KTC Civil Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd; and,


● design and construction of Jurong Lake District station and tunnels, by KTC Civil Engineering & Construction.


for the section of freight tunnel between Härkingen and Zurich, allowing planning to advance. The planned freight network system will


stretch from Geneva to St Gallen, providing a tunnel network for automated, driverless electric freight vehicles. The first 70km- long section, connecting the Härkingen- Niederbipp hub with Zurich Airport, is scheduled to open in 2031. Consultations in 2024 showed that


clarifications were needed to help finalise locations for the logistics centres, landfills, and the tunnel route. Groundwater protection measures must also be defined. CST began geotechnical work in 2023,


the consultation was launched last year, and the next stage of the sectoral plan runs to 2027.


Fréjus Tunnel second tube opens to traffic FRANCE, ITALY - The second tube of the bi-national Fréjus Tunnel connecting France and Italy has been officially opened. The original, 12.87km-long single tube


tunnel was commissioned in 1980. The addition of the 8m-diameter tube makes Frejus Tunnel one of the longest twin-tube road tunnels in Europe. The second tube extends from


Bardonecchia, in Italy, to Modane, in France, and enables traffic flows to be separate. A bi-national control room is located at the tunnel entrance in Italy. The tunnels have 34 pedestrian safety


shelters –18 in the French area, 16 in the Italian area – spaced 350m-400m apart serve both tubes. There are also nine vehicle bypasses – five in Italy and four in France – which provide access for emergency vehicles. The project was completed by the two


concessionaires, the French SFTRF and the Italian SITAF. The opening ceremony in Bardonecchia was attended by government ministers from the two countries.


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