Singapore Apartment Rentals Along the Thomson-East Coast Line
You know the Land Transport Guru is hyped for it when they're posting riddles about the new stations.
Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) Stage 3 will officially open on 13 November 2022, and there will be 11 stations that will come online. The new segment runs from Caldecott to Gardens by the Bay. But it won’t stop there. Stage 4 of the TEL will continue all the way to Sungei Bedok, providing more transport options to the Marine Parade neighbourhood. By 2025, TEL will complete its eastern terminus on Sungei Bedok. However, there is talk of extending it to Changi Airport’s upcoming Terminal 5. If you’re looking to rent a place on the city fringe or even further, you’re in luck. And tourists can finally venture beyond the city centre too, instead of just visiting whatever they see in their hotel room.
Table of Contents
TEL – Nearby Singapore Apartment Rentals and Serviced Apartments
TEL is the sixth MRT line in Singapore. But it wasn’t planned as a single line. It originally consisted of the Thomson Line and the Eastern Region Line. The two lines run parallel to Singapore’s first two MRT lines; the former runs parallel to the North South Line, while the latter East West Line. But the Land Transport Authority and Singapore Land Authority merged the two lines, adding nine new stations to its rail alignment. However, Mount Pleasant MRT and Marina South MRT stations will only be open after nearby housing developments and shopping malls are ready.
Upon the opening of TEL Stage 3, there will be six interchange stations on the line, namely, Woodlands, Caldecott, Stevens, Orchard, Outram Park and Marina Bay. Woodlands, Orchard and Marina Bay will connect commuters on the TEL with the North South Line (NSL). You can switch to the line at Caldecott and Marina Bay. For those wanting to get on the Downtown Line (DTL), alight at Stevens for the transfer. At Outram Park, commuters can switch to either the North East Line (NEL) or the East West Line (EWL).
Over 180,000 households are within a 10-minute walk from TEL when the new extension opens. Just imagine all the hidden gems along the line that you can finally get to, and the time savings for when you’re commuting to the city core. Once the line fully opens in 2025, around 500,000 commuters will ride the TEL, growing to 1 million in the longer term.
Business travelers and digital nomads arriving in Singapore will surely enjoy the time savings and convenience of the new line too. So let’s look at MetroResidences’ various Singapore apartment rentals and Singapore serviced apartments near this brand-new public transport link.
1. Stevens MRT (Interchange for TEL & DTL)
Nestled within the lush boundaries of Novena and Tanglin, the Stevens MRT Interchange sits at the junction of Bukit Timah Road. This neighbourhood has some of the most coveted postcodes in Singapore. It’s surrounded by private estates and low-rise luxury condominiums. Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, St. Joseph’s Institution and Raffles Town Club are all a stone’s throw away. Meanwhile, Singapore Botanic Gardens and all its verdant splendour are just at the next stop. From here, you can get to Orchard in just three stations.
Nearby MetroResidences Singapore Apartment Rental:
2. Orchard MRT Interchange (Interchange for TEL & NSL)
Business travelers and digital nomads living in the mature estates of the heartlands rejoice! You now finally have another direct MRT link to Singapore’s premier shopping destination. The new linkway between the TEL and NSL platforms is constructed underneath the existing NSL station. Special drilling machines were used because of the confined space that contractors have to work with. The new exits at the station will provide easier access to high-end condominiums along Paterson Hill and Grange Road, as well as the other premium Singapore apartment rentals towards the south of Orchard Road.
Nearby MetroResidences Singapore Apartment Rental:
3. Outram Park MRT (Interchange for TEL, EWL & NEL)
The station will join Marina Bay and Dhoby Ghaut as one of the three triple-line interchanges in Singapore. Outram Park MRT first opened in December 1987. Back then, train services from Lakeside station in the east to Yishun in the north used to pass through Outram Park. But by October 1989 that service was split to create the NSL and EWL.
Outram Park MRT is surrounded by a cluster of hospitals and healthcare facilities: Singapore General Hospital, Outram Community Hospital, and the Health Promotion Board. The LTA upgraded the existing station complex to improve capacity as they built TEL. There’s a new entrance on the other side of Outram Road, providing direct access between the stations with the various healthcare developments there. There will also be a new linkway connecting to NEL, complete with travelators and improved signage.
Nearby MetroResidences Singapore Apartment Rental:
4. Shenton Way MRT
The eponymous street runs straight through the financial district. Some of Singapore’s most iconic skyscrapers domineer over this MRT station. You can find V on Shenton, Shenton, Asia Square, and Marina One within a stone’s throw away from Shenton Way MRT. Business travellers can soon enjoy the new public transport link to the working spaces of Shenton Way. Plus, business trips to Singapore will be even breezier once the extension to Changi Airport is completed.
Nearby MetroResidences Singapore Apartment Rental:
5. Katong Park MRT
The station is part of Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 4, slated for completion in 2024. It will then serve a collection of condominiums nearby. It’s one of the more challenging stations to build. The construction site can only work with a narrow corridor along Meyer Road, and the ground at the station mainly comprises soft clay. Selected stretches of the site had to be strengthened to minimise risk during tunnelling works.
The station sits adjacent to Katong Park, one of Singapore’s oldest parks. It’s built above the buried remains of Fort Tanjong Katong. While it may be hard to imagine now, the sea lapped on its shore back then. The park had Singapore’s first public sea swimming enclosure, so families would throng the park over the weekend. But the park lost its sea frontage once coastal reclamation went into full swing in the 1970s. Today, cycling routes and walkways can easily get you to East Coast Park from there.
Nearby MetroResidences Singapore Apartment Rental:
6. Sungei Bedok MRT
When LTA announced the station’s construction in August 2014, it was first envisioned as part of Downtown Line Stage 3e, where the line extends by two more stations after Expo MRT. Now, it looks forward to its completion in 2024, providing improved convenience to the nearby residential development, Eastwood Centre, the Bedok Food Centre, and the Laguna National Golf & Country Club. When it opens next year, it will become the terminus for the TEL until the line is extended to Changi Airport by 2040.
Nearby MetroResidences Singapore Apartment Rental:
Singapore Apartment Rentals with Easy Access to MRT
All our serviced apartments and hotel rooms are conveniently located, with hassle-free access to public transport. It all comes fully furnished too, with amenities like wi-fi, air-conditioners, and even fully-equipped kitchens. With MetroResidences, you can find your home away from home, especially when you’re staying for a longer period.
We have a wide range of options across coveted locales such as Raffles Place, Orchard Road, and Arab Street. If you’re planning to move your furkid abroad with you, we’ve even got a couple of pet-friendly Singapore condo rentals and serviced apartments too.
