SINGAPORE: Tunnelling works for the Bayfront MRT station which is
linked to integrated resort Marina Bay Sands have been completed.
The 620-metre tunnel will connect the Integrated Resort with
Promenade MRT Station, located along Temasek Avenue near Suntec City.
It is the first completed tunnel in Downtown Line One.
To speed up the excavation work, a 75-metre tall Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) was used.
The six stations of Downtown Line One are scheduled to open in 2013.
Poh Chee Keng, senior project engineer, Downtown Line 1, said:
"Factors that we consider are - the duration that we have to complete
the job and the length of the tunnel. For example, if we use the TBM
method, we take about three months. But if we use the manual
excavation, we take about fourteen months."
- CNA/vm