The 43km Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) is Singapore’s sixth MRT line, adding 32 new stations to the existing rail network, with seven interchange stations linking the TEL to all five existing MRT lines. TEL will open in stages from end of January 2020, starting with the opening of 3 stations which are Woodlands North Station, Woodlands Station and Woodlands South Station. When fully operational by 2024, the TEL is expected to serve approximately 500,000 commuters daily in the initial years, with the figure rising to about one million commuters in the longer term.

Besides enhancing connectivity between the north, central and eastern parts of Singapore, the TEL will strengthen the resilience of the nation's rail network by providing alternative travel routes for commuters on other lines.

The TEL1 comprises one depot at Mandai and three stations, including an interchange station at Woodlands that links to the North-South Line (NSL), providing commuters in Woodlands greater accessibility and shortening their travelling time. Woodlands Station is also equipped with a Civil Defence shelter.

Passengers can look forward to new five-door, four-car trains for TEL. Trains will be running along TEL1 stations from Woodlands North to Woodlands South at frequencies of 10 minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes during off-peak hours, at the commencement of passenger service for TEL1. As ridership on TEL1 increases, the frequencies for both peak and off-peak hours will be reviewed and adjusted.

The second stage of the TEL comprises six stations from Springleaf to Caldecott, with two interchange stations at Bright Hill and Caldecott. Bright Hill station will link to the future Cross Island Line, while Caldecott station will link to the existing Circle Line.

Website: www.lta.gov.sg

Climate change is anticipated to worsen the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue. It facilitates the spread of mosquito vectors, viruses and epidemics. There is thus a need to continually innovate and design sustainable solutions to deal with these environmental public health challenges. Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) has established a new, highly automated facility that will allow researchers to eventually increase their production capacity of Wolbachia-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes by more than 10-fold, compared to its previous production facility.

This boost in capacity is critical for NEA’s plans to scale up Project Wolbachia – Singapore, in preparation for future deployment of the novel vector control technology. The new facility, located at Techplace II in Ang Mo Kio, was officially opened on 2 December 2019 by Dr. Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR).

NEA’s Project Wolbachia involves the release of male Wolbachia-Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to suppress the urban Aedes aegypti mosquito population. Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue, chikungunya and Zika in Singapore. When the released male Wolbachia-Aedes aegypti mosquitoes mate with urban female Aedes aegyptimosquitoes that do not carry Wolbachia, the resulting eggs do not hatch. Over time, continued releases of male Wolbachia-Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are expected to bring about a gradual reduction in the urban Aedes aegypti mosquito population, and hence lower the risk of dengue transmission. Read more about this project here. 

5006 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5 Techplace II

Dyson has chosen the iconic St James Power Station to be the address for its new global headquarters in Singapore. The new HQ will include research laboratories and enable the company to double its pool of engineers and scientists in Singapore over the next five years. 

Dyson has announced earlier this year that it will be moving its HQ out of the United Kingdom to Asia. 

Located near VivoCity, St James Power Station is most remembered as a nightlife hot spot until it ceased operations in September last year. Mapletree will work in partnership with Dyson for restoration of St James Power Station and upgrading of facilities. 

Website: www.dyson.com.sg

Website: http://bit.ly/LiangCourtsiteFB

LASALLE College of the Arts will develop a new building adjacent to its existing campus. 

The Ngee Ann Kongsi donated S$50 million to LASALLE College of the Arts – their largest-ever, single donation to date – to develop a new building for the College.

The new 12-storey building will be named The Ngee Ann Kongsi Building. It will be built on a plot of land earmarked for LASALLE, adjacent to the existing campus on McNally Street and connected to Rochor MRT station. The new unified campus is envisioned to have a glass façade that opens into the vibrant thoroughfare of Rochor Canal Road. The announcement of the new building caps off a memorable year for LASALLE, which saw the College receive its second consecutive EduTrust Star, Singapore’s highest mark of quality for a private education institution.

The Ngee Ann Kongsi Building will house an upgraded library to hold a larger collection of books and other arts resources, film and TV studio facilities and a music recital hall that will present free concerts for members of the public. There will be new galleries on the ground floor to reach out to the community as well as specialist and flexible spaces to meet future learning and teaching needs. The public can also look forward to facilities for a wide array of Continuing Education and Training (CET) programmes for professional and personal development. 

Website: www.lasalle.edu.sg

Q & M Dental Group has opened Singapore's first private dentistry college, offering graduate diploma studies in clinical dentistry. The Q & M College of Dentistry aims to provide a platform for dentists to upgrade their skills and learn best practices in Dentistry, including performing dental procedures with the latest technologies and materials.

They have put in place their own academic and examination board for Q & M College of Dentistry. Their teaching faculty is made up of more than 30 Lecturers of senior General Practitioners and Specialists. Apart from dentists here, the college could also enrol practitioners in Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, China and Indonesia.

Raffles Girls' School has moved to their new campus on 21 October.

Their new campus will allow the school to better cater to the holistic development of their students and engagement of the community. This will be achieved through features that facilitate innovative thinking and learning of socio-emotional competencies and interpersonal skill.

In moving to the Braddell/Toa Payoh area, they will also partner the neighbouring primary schools and Volunteer Welfare Organisations (VWOs) for service learning.

2 Braddell Rise

Tel: +65 6737 1845 Email: rgss@moe.edu.sg

Previously known as Shelter for Men-in-Crisis, Transit Point on Spooner Road is New Hope Community Services' (NHCS) shelter for male former offenders. 

The new location near Outram Park MRT station has a range of new facilities and room for up to 60 residents. 

Transit Point is funded by the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises, a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The shelter's previous location at a rented bungalow in Punggol could cater for only 20 to 25 residents. 

The Shelter for Men-in-Crisis began operating in 2003 and provides temporary housing to ex-offenders. These ex-offenders might have been rejected by their families for various reasons or not have a conducive home environment for their return. NHCS believes in giving them a second chance and assisting them to rebuild their lives, so that they can reintegrate into the society. At the shelter, the duration of stay is 3 months. During this period, the Case Managers will work with the residents to develop an Individualized Care Plan focusing on their employment and long term or permanent housing solutions. 

3 Spooner Road