LTA Impact Study : Summary & Reader's Response (Draft 3)
In the news release, "Feasible for Cross Island MRT Line to run under Central Catchment or skirt it around", Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (2019) suggested two routes – direct alignment and skirting – for the future Cross Island Line. Based on the report by LTA and Environmental Resources Management, both underground alignments are feasible. Nature groups mentioned that the direct alignment route would affect the ecology and biodiversity. Construction cost and engineering challenges can be reduced. The construction of the skirting route will cause environmental issues and requires high maintenance with an additional cost of $2 billion. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. While I agree with both suggestions, I feel that the direct alignment route is a better option to implement as it is more efficient in terms of energy consumption, carbon emissions. Firstly, LTA should take into consideration that the energy consumption of the direct alignment will be