EWL moves to new East Coast Integrated Depot

SINGAPORE – The operation of the East-West Line (EWL) has been moved to the new

East Coast Integrated Depot (ECID)

, after the line was connected to the depot in December 2025.

Trains from the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) and Downtown Line (DTL) are expected to begin operating from ECID by end-2026, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on March 10 during a media visit to the depot.

At present, DTL trains use the Gali Batu Depot in Woodlands, while TEL trains berth at Mandai Depot.

The multi-storey ECID can house up to 220 trains.

The train depots for the three lines are stacked atop one another, with the DTL depot underground, the TEL depot at ground level, and the EWL depot on the level above.

Although they share facilities and systems, the three depots are designed to operate independently. DTL is operated by SBS Transit.

LTA said placing the three rail depots on one site saves 44ha of land – roughly the size of 60 football fields.

Working at ECID is also easier in several aspects, say staff of SMRT Trains, which operates the EWL and TEL.

Mr Nur Izzat Jamal, 37, a crew manager and depot controller, said that train captains at the EWL’s former Changi Depot had to take a buggy to reach the tracks, and the route was not sheltered.

At the new depot, the office is a short walk from the tracks via a covered walkway, said Mr Izzat, who is among about 230 workers, including train captains and maintenance staff, operating the EWL depot at ECID.

Parking trains is simpler too. At Changi Depot, parking a single train could take about 20 minutes because of the track layout. The same task now takes under 10 minutes at ECID as trains can enter the stabling tracks directly.

More trains can also be stabled – or parked – at ECID.

There are 38 stabling tracks at ECID, and each can hold two trains. This means 76 trains can be parked at the depot, more than double the 36 trains that could be parked at Changi Depot.

There are 38 stabling tracks at the East Coast Integrated Depot, and each can hold two trains.

ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

ECID also has more maintenance capacity, with six examination tracks, compared with four at Changi Depot. Examination tracks are elevated tracks that allow engineers to inspect the undercarriage of trains and carry out routine maintenance.

Another two maintenance tracks at ECID allow engineers to conduct heavier or more complex maintenance work.

ECID has more maintenance capacity, with six examination tracks, compared with four at Changi Depot.

ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

A test track at the depot allows engineers to run checks after maintenance is completed. At Changi Depot, there was no test track, so engineers had to wait until overnight engineering hours to test the trains.

Now that the EWL depot at ECID is operational, Changi Depot, which is located next to ECID, will be decommissioned and demolished.

Works to disconnect the EWL from Changi Depot

will take place from March 14 to 17

. There will be no train service on the line between Tanah Merah and Expo stations during this period to facilitate works to remove the train track connections linking the line to Changi Depot. There will also be works to connect the TEL to the new depot.

This is the third and final planned service suspension needed to complete the connection of the EWL to the new depot.

Mr Edmund Teo, a trackwork project manager at LTA, said the works have been carefully planned so they can be completed as quickly as possible without compromising safety.

“We would like to thank our commuters for their patience as we reach this major milestone,” he said during the media visit to the ECID.

Trains from the Thomson-East Coast Line and Downtown Line are expected to begin operating from ECID by end-2026.

ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

The first suspension

, from Dec 7 to Dec 10, 2024, halted train services between Tanah Merah and Tampines to begin linking the EWL to ECID.

The second suspension

, from Nov 29 to Dec 8, 2025, saw services suspended between Bedok and Tampines, as well as between Tanah Merah and Expo, to complete the remaining track connections and open a new platform at Tanah Merah station.

Construction of the depot began in 2016. When it opens fully in the second half of 2026, the ECID will house the train depots serving the EWL, TEL and DTL, as well as a bus depot – making it Singapore’s largest integrated rail and bus depot.

In the second half of 2026, the final stretch of the TEL will open, adding Bedok South and Sungei Bedok stations.

The DTL 3 Extension is also set to open in the second half of 2026. It will add Xilin station and Sungei Bedok station, which will serve as an interchange with the TEL.

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