Map showing the locations of the new stations on the Jurong Region Line.
Affected workers and residents have expressed their unhappiness over the authorities’ plan to acquire Block 303 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 for the construction of the new Jurong Region Line (JRL), reported Channel NewsAsia.
“There is nothing much to be said when the government wants to take back land… Of course, we will feel sad. We have worked here for so many years,” said 55-year-old Chan Yoke Yin, who has worked at a bakery located in the building for the last 10 years.
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The bakery is among the eight shops at Block 303, an HDB multistorey car park with ground-level retail space that will stop operating by 29 November 2019 to facilitate building works.
Due to the eventual demolition, elderly residents who frequent the NTUC-operated food court at the block will have fewer dining options, noted 21-year-old Alex Chua, who works at a hardware store there.
“They (elderly) chit chat, sometimes they order food, it’s quite cheap for them. So it’s a bit sudden when they want to close down. I don’t know where the senior citizens can go to eat,” said Chua, who lives nearby.
The acquisition of Block 303 was announced by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) earlier this week. They will also provide a temporary parking area at Choa Chu Kang bus interchange, with plans to construct a new permanent car park elsewhere in the vicinity.
Furthermore, another 19 part-lots of land will be acquired for the construction of JRL, a 24km elevated MRT line that will cater to residents in Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay, Jurong and Tengah.
Expected to open in phases, JRL will consist of 24 stations, including three interchange stations at Boon Lay, Choa Chu Kang and Jurong East.
Phase 1 is anticipated to start operating by 2026, consisting of 10 stations linking Choa Chu Kang to Boon Lay and Tawas. Phase 2 (2027) will comprise seven stations connecting Tengah and Pandan Reservoir, while Phase 3 (2028) will extend into Jurong Pier in the south and Nanyang Technological University in the west.
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Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
