Orchard Cast (VI)

Structural works for the station, entrance and ventilation structures progresses at the site, with A&A works commencing at the North South Line and ION substructures. Backfilling and site clearing works are taking place around the cut and cover tunnel site in preparations for the SWC staging ground.

Orchard Station

Orchard Cast (V)

RC works are in progress at entrance B & bored pile works are in progress at entrance C.

Orchard Station

November Tunnel Progress

Bored tunnelling works progresses across the line, with multiple TBM breakthroughs due around the new year of 2018. The Changi bound tunnel was completed at Orchard last month, completing all bored tunnel works under the T219 project - the first project to do so along TEL3.

TBMs with envisaged completion between Dec 2017 and Jan 2018:

T209 TBM 1&2

T212 TBM 1

T215 TBM S-936

T227 TBM 1

T228 TBM 1

TEL1/2 November Tunnel Progress (No change since Sep)

Orchard Cast (IV)

The concourse and platform slabs of the station have been completed, and works on the lowest platform link level which will connect to the NSL station are in progress. Excavation works have completed at entrance B, and the roof structure of the cripple siding tunnel is mostly completed. Bored tunnel works from the 2nd drive are 75% completed with completion due next month, and the Stage 7 TD for the final stretch of underpass bored piling & excavation works to entrance C beneath Paterson Road is being prepared for implementation in the next quarter.

Orchard Station & Cripple Siding C&C tunnel site

August Tunnel Progress

The 2km long twin tunnels between Springleaf station and the RTS Facility Building have completed under the T207 project. These are the longest single mainline tunnel drives achieved under the MRT construction since the Circle Line 4 project a decade ago. TBM 2 brokethrough the facility building overnight (Jul 31), while TBM 1 completed the Woodlands bound tunnel on July 9.

Together with the completion of TBM C2 at Springleaf under the T208 project, bored tunnelling works are officially completed under the Civil Team 1 projects. With 4 TBM drives completed in July, 6 TBMs remain between 5XO and Caldecott station under Stage 2 of the line.

Envisaged completion for remaining 6 TBMs under TEL2:
T209 TBM 1/2 - Q4 2017
T211 TBM 1 - Sep 2017
T212 TBM 1 - Q4 2017
T212 TBM 2/3 - Q1 2018

TEL1/2 Tunnel Chart, July 2017

T207: TBM 1 breakthrough at Facility Building on July 9 (Photo: Raju)

Orchard Excavation (II)

Excavation works are in progress at entrance B and the cut and cover tunnel. The second phase of bored piling works beneath Paterson Road is underway for the underpass construction to entrance C.

Next phase of traffic diversion along Paterson Road implemented for the subway bored pile construction to Wheelock

Orchard Cast (III)

Excavation and casting of the permanent structure continues.

Station site

January Tunnel Progress

The 36th and third last TBM for the line was lowered down the Great World launch shaft earlier this month, with several more bored tunnels having been completed since.

TEL1&2 Tunnel Chart, January 2017

TEL3 Tunnel Chart, January 2017

Orchard Excavation

Excavation and casting work continues at the Orchard site.

Bulk excavation works in full swing at the cut and cover tunnel

November Tunnel Progress

Tunnelling works for the line have been ongoing for 15 months now. 11 bored tunnels have been completed.

TEL1/2 Tunnel Chart, November 2016

T202 - Breakthrough of TBM 2 at Woodlands Station on October 10. This is the first contract to complete all bored tunnel excavation

Orchard Cast (II)

D-walling works for the project have been fully completed at the cut and cover tunnel ahead of schedule and excavation works have commenced there. Basement casting of the concourse slab is taking place at the station box. A major traffic realignment is being prepared at the Orchard/Paterson intersection for the underpass works.

Completed roof slab at Orchard station

Orchard Cast

The diaphragm wall works for the station box are about completed and are progressing in full swing along the cut and cover tunnel. The roof slab for the station continues to be poured in stages. A second traffic diversion along Orchard Boulevard has been implemented for the construction of the underground linkway.

Excavation to the reduced level of the roof slab for rebar installation and casting

May Tunnel Progress

The second bored tunnel was completed at the T208 project earlier this month, lining the Changi bound tunnel between Tagore and Lentor. Despite NFM's inagurual entry into the Singapore metro tunnelling market, the french-manufactured machine has set a new record of excavating and lining 23 rings (32.2m) in 24 hours, in addition to completing a 100-ring excavation within 6 days in March. TBM A will now commence dismantling and be retired after having completed the 8-month tunnel drive.

Completion of TBM A drive (T208, John Holland)

Orchard D-walls (V)

D-walling works continue and progresses southwards along the cut and cover tunnel, while excavation works and casting of the roof slab for the top down construction of the station box takes place. Excavation of the launch shaft is ongoing.

Construction of the diaphragm wall for the cut and cover tunnel adjacent to the Orchard station box

Orchard D-walls (IV)

A part of the Overseas Family School has completed demolishment works and earthworks and installation of bentonite silos are being done in preparations for the commencement of the diaphragm wall construction. Special care will be taken during the construction to minimize the movement of the existing NSL bored tunnels which come inches in proximity to the proposed cut and cover tunnel.

Casting works are being carried out for the slab over the launch shaft and northern section of the station box, which will employ a top-down construction method. The diaphragm wall construction continues at the southern end of the station box.

Demolishment of OFS for the construction of the cut and cover tunnel

Orchard D-walls (III)

The first traffic diversion for T219 was implemented along Orchard Boulevard last month. The realigned road makes way for the construction of the shaft which will oversee the box jacking construction of the linkways between the existing NSL and the new station.

The 2 international schools have moved out by the start of the 3rd quarter, and preparations for the demolishment works have commenced for the future cut and cover tunnel site. The diaphragm wall of the TBM launch shaft seems to have been completed and excavation works should commence by year end.

T219 Orchard Station

Orchard D-walls (II)

Diaphragm wall works have commenced at ION Orchard.

Site clearing at ION. A low level d-wall cutter by Bachy Soletanche is executing the excavation of the d-wall panel

Orchard D-walls

Earth retaining structural works for the new Orchard Station have just commenced this week. 3 machines for the D-walling are currently on the site. 2 grabs are now excavating the D-wall for the launch shaft as well as part of the station. Behind them, a hydraulic cutter is on standby to take over and excavate the rocks that will be encountered in the panel closer to the formation level.

A single Herrenknecht slurry TBM (S-963) will be launched from the shaft and execute 2 drives towards Orchard Boulevard to complete both bored tunnels. Load tests are being carried out across the station footprint, while SI and site clearing works have started in front of ION Residences.

D-walling of the launch shaft (extreme left of the picture)

Orchard Earthworks

The Orchard station is currently the final site along the Thomson Line project to be executing earthworks due to its hilly terrain. Majority of the trees that are required to be felled have already done so, and hoardings around the site have gone up prominently along Orchard Boulevard and Paterson Road. The site office has been constructed at the junction of Orchard Boulevard and Grange Road, opposite Scape.

Herrenknecht will be supplying a Slurry TBM under T219 for the dual drives to Orchard Boulevard station. This is an alteration to the initial proposal of an EPB machine, probably due to the mixed ground conditions along the tunnel route. CSM Bessac, a subsidiary of main contractor Bachy Soletanche will facilitate in operating the tunnelling works.

The Overseas Family School will operate its Paterson campus until the end of Q2 this year before moving to its new campus at Pasir Ris

Earthworks at T219 Orchard Station

Orchard - Before the Trees Fell

Contract T219 is for the construction of Orchard Station, cripple sidings and twin bored tunnels towards Orchard Boulevard. Similar to T218, the site of the contract sits on a land currently occupied by the Overseas Family School (OFS). A new campus is currently being built at Pasir Ris, and OFS is expected to move out of the Paterson campus by the middle of next year.

Orchard Station

The new station will see 4 new entry points. This includes Wheelock Place, Paterson Road and Orchard Boulevard. A new Pedestrian Overhead Bridge will connect across the Paterson Road entrance as an additional entry point too. The existing entrance B along the North South Line station will be altered and integrated into a primary entrance for the Thomson Line. The station will have 3 main basements - A concourse (same level as B1 in Ion), platform (Ion B2) and transfer level (Ion B4), and will be constructed top-down using the diaphragm wall method.

Location of 3 of the new entrances to be built around the Paterson junction

Transfer to North South Line
A simplified layout of the interchange:

B1 - TSL Concourse/ ION B1
B2 - TSL Platform/NSL Concourse/ ION B2
B3 - NSL Platform
B4 - Transfer level

As the ground level at Orchard Boulevard is higher, the AMSL level for the Thomson Line Concourse and Platform will be higher than that of the NSL. From the Thomson Line, 2 pairs of escalators on each ends of the platform will bring you down to the transfer level. (B2 to B4) From the North South Line, 2 new pairs of escalators at Doors 3 and 10 of the southbound platform will be constructed to bring you to to the transfer level (B3 to B4). For barrier free linkage, the existing NSL concourse-platform lift will be extended one level down to the transfer level (B2 to B4). A pair of travellators will be installed across the span of the transfer.

The NSL station will undergo intensive A&A works and underpinning, which will prove to be challenging without disrupting the operational status of the existing busy station.

Future subway and paid link to go beneath the existing Orchard Boulevard

Bored Tunnelling
A launch shaft will be built north of the station (near the Paterson junction) for the drive of an EPB TBM to Orchard Boulevard. The existing POB along Orchard Boulevard near Wheelock will be demolished so as to extract the piles in the way of the tunnelling route. A new POB will be constructed to replace the existing bridge. There will be 1 cross passage between ORC-OBV.

C&C Tunnels and TSA
A cripple siding will extend the cut and cover portion of the site south of the station all the way to Grange Road. This will be an extensive site being one of the temporary staging areas (TSA) for trackwork. The overall site will also be shared with various system wide contractors (SWCs).

Future C&C cripple siding tunnel and TSA site