Japan helps Singapore to expand public transport system

Subway is the most important transport system in Singapore with a total length of 195 km.

The island nation began building its Mass Rapid Transit system - known as MRT in the 1980s. Since the first six-km section opened in 1987, the investment has continued as the population has grown.

Spread in 714.3 square kilometers, Singapore is becoming overcrowded. The population is predicted to rise from current 5.3 million to almost 7.5 million in the near future due to increasing immigration from abroad.

Due to the limited land capacity, high-rise apartments known as HDBs are home to over 80 percent of Singapore's resident population.

These building are necessitated in order to house higher population densities, many new constructions are seen in the city suburbs where in places of MRT stations.

The Singapore Government plans to increase the use of public transport to higher levels.

In addition to the existing subway lines, new sections will open up to 2017 and the investment program envisions a system of total 360 km by 2030.

Upcoming projects such as Downtown Line, Cross Island line, as well as the future Thomson-East Coast Line will expand as for further coverage.

The East Coast line and Thomson line, which serves the north-south corridor, combine to form the enormous development project of 43 km with 31 stations.

It is a major project representing the Southeast Asia with total cost of approximately 7.77 billion Singapore dollars.

The Land Transport Authority has awarded the total 25 major civil contractors from Japan, Singapore, China, Korea, HongKong, Taiwan and Australia for Thomson Line.

Construction works for the Thomson Line tunnels at T207 section are currently at full swing by a Japanese contractor, Shimizu Corporation.

Shimizu is a leading architectural, civil engineering and infrastructure contractor in Japan, which had completed a broad range of construction and engineering projects in Singapore and worldwide.

This Thomson Line project is the 4th subway construction in Singapore for Shimizu.

Shimizu is involved in the on-going construction of Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit Project and Ho Chi Minh City metro project - both are the city's first metro line.

The Land Transport Authority has made contract to Shimizu Corporation at a contract sum of 189.78 million USD.

Four Tunnel Boring Machines engineered in Japan, are working to complete the twin running tunnels underneath the highway.

Fully experienced multinational Shimizu engineers of 10 different nationalities background are working to achieve in the delivery date.