page_title: Thomson–East Coast MRT line
section_title: Thomson–East Coast line extension
hierarchical_section_title: Thomson–East Coast MRT line / History / Thomson–East Coast line extension
caption_attribution_description: English: Platform C of Tanah Merah station
context_page_description: The Thomson–East Coast line is a medium-capacity Mass Rapid Transit line under development in Singapore. Coloured brown on the rail map, it is fully underground serving 32 stations over 43 kilometres in length, and will be among the world's longest driverless rapid transit lines. It will run along a combined north–south and east–west corridor, starting in the north at Woodlands town, passing through Upper Thomson and the towns of Ang Mo Kio and Bishan, before heading south to Orchard and Marina Bay, then running eastwards along the east coast through Kallang, Marine Parade and Bedok South, before ending at Upper East Coast.
  The line was announced by the Land Transport Authority on 15 August 2014, with the merger of the previously planned Thomson and Eastern Region lines. By then, construction of the Thomson line has begun in January 2014. The line is set to be opened in 5 stages, with stage 1 opened on 31 January 2020 and stage 5 opening in 2024. In January 2019, an infill station Founders' Memorial station was announced, with the LTA considering to integrate the Changi Airport Branch into the TEL.
context_section_description: The LTA has announced that studies are ongoing for the possibility of extending the Thomson–East Coast line from Sungei Bedok to either serve Changi Airport Terminal 5 directly or via Changi Airport MRT station, terminating at Changi Village. On 25 May 2019, it was confirmed that it will be extended to Changi Airport Terminal 5, which will start construction in 2020, and Changi Airport. The stretch of rail network between Tanah Merah and Changi Airport on the East West line will be converted to form part of the extension. The extension is expected to begin construction after 2022, with train services commencing by 2040.
caption: Tanah Merah station, which will be the future terminus of the line when the branch to Changi Airport station is converted to be part of the TEL.
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