New Punggol Coast MRT station opens, cutting travel time to city

It will also allow trains on the NEL to run at higher frequency during peak hours

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan and Fatmah Khan

The opening of the new Punggol Coast MRT station will allow trains on the North East Line (NEL) to run at a higher frequency, shortening waiting times for commuters during peak hours, said Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat on Dec 10.

Punggol Coast opened for service at 3pm. The new terminal station of the 22km NEL will serve passengers travelling to the Punggol Digital District and the Singapore Institute of Technology's (SIT) Punggol campus, as well as the upcoming Punggol Coast Mall.

Its opening will shorten commutes to the city centre by about 15 minutes for residents living nearby. For instance, it will take about 45 minutes to travel from Punggol North to Outram Park, down from about 60 minutes previously.

Punggol Coast station has two entrances, one in New Punggol Road and the other within the Punggol Digital District.

There are covered linkways from the station to nearby bus stops, taxi stands, and pick-up and drop-off points.

Cyclists can make use of two bicycle parking areas at the station's doorstep which have 300 spaces in all.

The opening of Punggol Coast, a 1.6km extension from the existing Punggol station, brings the total number of stations on the NEL to 17. More than 200,000 households are within a 10-minute walk from a station along the NEL, which is run by SBS Transit.

The NEL and the Sengkang-Punggol LRT have catalysed the growth of the entire north-east region, said Mr Chee in a speech at an event to open the station.

Compared with when the NEL opened in 2003, "nearly every station along the line is home to a lively town centre", Mr Chee noted. "I have no doubt that before long, Punggol Coast station will be just as vibrant."