Raffles Country Club to give up site for KL-Singapore High Speed Rail

SINGAPORE - With its two 18-hole golf courses, Raffles Country Club (RCC) in Tuas has been a go-to place since it was opened in 1988 for golf enthusiasts who sign up to be its members.

But all that will soon be thing of the past as the RCC sits on land the Government plans to acquire for the upcoming Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) and the Cross Island Line's western depot.

Both the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) made the announcement today (Jan 4) in a statement issued to the media.

The statement said that the RCC site is the "most suitable location" to run the HSR tracks after the bridge crossing and to place the tunnel portal leading to the underground tunnels that would take the HSR to the Jurong East terminus.

The high speed rail between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur is expected to start running in 2026 and will cross the Straits of Johor via a bridge.

The site will also be used for HSR crossover tracks and a siding facility to temporarily house a train near the border for safety or operational reasons, the statement added.

The RCC site may be used for train testing facilities. Further details of the projects will be given after detailed feasibility and engineering studies.

On the club's website, an announcement was made too, stating that the land the club currently occupies must be made vacant by July 31, 2018 and that it will be acquired by the Singapore government in preparation for the HSR.

The announcement also read: "We would like to assure you that the Club has been contacted by the relevant Government agencies and we will provide members with a more detailed update in due course."

 

 

stephluo@sph.com.sg