New interchange MRT station at Changi T5 to shorten travel time to city centre, TEL to be extended

Travelers from Changi Airport will soon be able to reach Singapore's city centre quicker by train via a new interchange station at the upcoming Changi Terminal 5 (T5), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Jul. 25.

In a press release, LTA said the interchange, which will be named TE32/CR1 Changi Terminal 5, will be situated along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) and Cross Island Line (CRL).

It will be located between Changi Airport station and Sungei Bedok station, which will open in the second half of 2026.

The new TEL extension and CRL route map will look like this:

Conversion from EWL to TEL

Tanah Merah, Expo and Changi Airport stations will also be converted into TEL stations.

Tanah Merah station will become an interchange between the East-West Line (EWL) and TEL, while Expo station will be an interchange between the Downtown Line and TEL.

LTA said that preparation works at Tanah Merah station to convert it into an interchange have been underway since 2016, including building new viaducts, adding a new platform and expanding the concourse area.

The modifications are set to be completed by end-2025.

Integration works will begin at the next stage to convert all three stations into the TEL, which includes signalling, communications and controls.

Train services will see future adjustments while these works are ongoing, LTA added.

Extension of TEL

The addition of Tanah Merah, Expo and Changi Airport stations to TEL, as well as the establishment of the Changi Terminal 5 station, will be part of the ongoing TEL extension (TELe).

The extension will span 14km between Sungei Bedok station and Tanah Merah station via Changi Terminal 5, Changi Airport and Expo stations.

When completed, TEL will span about 57km, from Tanah Merah station to Woodlands North station. From there, commuters can transfer to the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS train into Malaysia.

The travel time between Changi Airport and the city will be reduced after the extension, LTA said.

Here's a location map of the newly extended TEL:

CRL

Changi Terminal 5 station will also be connected to the rest of Singapore via the CRL, which is currently in the process of completing phase 1 by 2030.

The addition of T5 to the line will allow passengers to travel directly to the West Coast and Ang Mo Kio, passing key nodes like Punggol Digital District and Jurong Lake District.

Travel time between Changi Airport and these locations will also be significantly reduced, LTA said.

CRL will be completed by 2032.

"Mega terminal" T5

LTA said the opening of the interchange would make T5, which broke ground on May. 14 this year, a "mega terminal" housing a dedicated ground transportation centre.

Alongside bus and taxi services, Changi Terminal 5 station will allow travelers to connect directly to the rest of Singapore.

T5 is set for completion in the mid-2030s and designed as a "leading global air hub" that serves about 50 million more passengers annually.

Top images via Changi Airport Group