06/01/2017

S'pore-KL HSR swallows another golf course

TALK about first world problems

Raffles Country Club will have to hand over its land to the G by July 31, 2018 to make way for the new high-speed rail project. The site of the current golf club will be used to build the portal to the underground tunnels that will lead to the Jurong East terminal station. It will also be used as the western depot for the new Cross-Island Line, part of Singapore’s MRT system.

The Jurong East Terminal station itself will be built largely on the site of the former Jurong Country Club, which closed in December last year to make way for the rail project.

The Straits Times said that the site will also be used to build “at-grade tracks” – what’s that? A simple flip over to TODAY explained everything – these are crossover tracks. TODAY reported that some hapless ex-members of Jurong Country Club had bought memberships at Raffles Country Club and are now facing the same situation a second time. Golf clubs and high-speed railways just don’t seem to play well together.

relared: All hail the high-speed rail

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Raffles Country Club faces its final tee-off next year
The Lake Course at Raffles Country Club. SLA said it will work closely with the management of RCC on the acquisition process, adding that the compensation will be based on the market value of the land at the date of acquisition, in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act

ANOTHER Singapore golf club will soon bite the dust.

The government will take over the Raffles Country Club's (RCC) premises in Tuas by Jul 31, 2018, to build the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) tracks that run immediately after the bridge crossing near the Second Link.

In a media briefing on Wed morning shortly after the the club had been informed of its fate in writing, representatives from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) stressed to reporters that the decision was made after "extensive, careful reviews with development agencies".

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Raffles Country Club to make way for KL-Singapore HSR

Raffles Country Club (RCC) has become the 2nd club here to have to make way for facilities for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR), with the site to also be home to the future Cross Island Line’s (CRL) western depot.

The club, which opened in 1988 & is one of Singapore’s oldest, will have to hand over the site to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) by Jul 31, 2018 — 10 yrs before its 30-yr lease is due to expire on Oct 31, 2028. The authorities will then proceed to carry out engineering studies at the 143ha site, & construction will start after the results are out.

The club follows in the footsteps of Jurong Country Club, which had to give up its land for the HSR terminus and ended operations last year. The HSR will take travellers from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in 90 minutes, with operations targeted to begin by Dec 31, 2026.

related:
Raffles Country Club one of the oldest in S’pore
Disappointment, shock among Raffles Country Club members as closure looms
Union to help Raffles Country Club staff with retraining, job hunt
Raffles Country Club to make way for KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail
RCC members 'deeply disappointed' by land acquisition announcement

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Raffles Country Club to be acquired for HSR

The Singapore Land Authority has gazetted the acquisition of the site occupied by Raffles Country Club for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project. RCC is located on Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim near the Tuas Checkpoint.

The RCC site will be used for HSR crossover tracks and a HSR siding facility to temporarily house a train near the border for safety or operational reasons, according to a statement by the Land Transport Authority. The site will also house the Cross Island Line's western depot for stabling and maintenance facilities, as well as other transport related needs.

In 2015, Jurong Country Club went through a similar fate when it was acquired to make way for HSR Terminus. The club is understood to be appealing for a higher compensation than the $89.8 million offered by the authorities. RCC is required to vacate the property by Jul 31, 2018.

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SLA buys back Raffles Country Club site to make way for KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail
THE Singapore Land Authority (SLA) on Wednesday gazetted the acquisition of the land occupied by the Raffles Country Club (RCC) along Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim

The land will be used to house facilities for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR), the Cross Island Line's (CRL) western depot and other transport related needs.

At a media briefing on Wednesday, representatives from the Land Transport Authority of Singapore and SLA emphasised that after extensive consultation with development agencies, the RCC site is found to be the most suitable location to run at-grade HSR tracks immediately 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 site will also be used for required HSR crossover tracks and a HSR siding facility to temporarily house a train near the border for safety or operational reasons, if necessary.

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Raffles Country Club to make way for KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail


The 143-hectare Raffles Country Club site in Tuas will be acquired by authorities to make way for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project.

The club announced the move on its website on Wed (Jan 4). The announcement included a letter from the Singapore Land Authority informing the club of the acquisition.

According to the announcement, the land is also needed for the Cross Island Line's western depot & other transport-related uses.

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Second golf club to make way for high-speed rail
The Raffles Country Club plot (above) is more than twice the size of Jurong Country Club, which will make way for the HSR terminus. The Raffles site will also hold a depot for the Cross Island MRT line.ST FOTO: CAROLINE CHIA

Raffles Country Club, a 36-hole golfing venue in the west of Singapore, will make way for a massive depot & stable for the upcoming Cross Island MRT line & the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project.

The plot - the single largest to be acquired by the Government in recent years - is more than twice the size of Jurong Country Club, which will make way for the HSR terminus.

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) served the 143ha club an acquisition notice yesterday.

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5 interesting facts about Raffles Country Club, 2nd golf club to make way for S'pore-KL high-speed rail


Raffles Country Club will have to hand over its 143ha site to the Singapore Land Authority by Jul 31, 2018.

Raffles Country Club (RCC) in Tuas will become the 2nd country club, after Jurong Country Club, to be acquired by the Government and make way for the upcoming Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail (HSR). The club is required to hand over the site - bordered by Tengeh Reservoir and the Ayer Rajah Expressway - to the Singapore Land Authority by July 31, 2018, as it was deemed a suitable location to run the HSR's at-grade tracks.

Here are 5 interesting facts about RCC:
  • IT OFFICIALLY OPENED IN AUGUST 1988
  • IT HAS TWO GOLF COURSES
  • IT COST $40,000 TO JOIN
  • IT WAS LAST UPGRADED IN 2011
  • ITS LEASE HAD BEEN DUE TO EXPIRE IN 2028
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Raffles Country Club handed over for High Speed Rail
Raffles Country Club, located in Tuas, will be handed over to the Singapore Land Authority by 31st July 2018 for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail

The land that the Raffles Country Club - located in Tuas - sits on will be acquired by the Government for the future Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High-Speed Rail (HSR) and the new Cross Island Line's (CRL) western depot. In an announcement on its website on Wednesday (4th January), the club said it will be required to hand over the 143ha site to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) by 31st July 2018.

Opened in 1988, Raffles Country Club has two 18-hole golf courses and about 2,650 members. A check on club membership broker websites showed the club memberships being transacted for between $32,500 and $34,000.

Its lease was due to expire in 2028. The Land Transport Authority and SLA in a joint statement on Wednesday said that the site was the most suitable location to run at-grade tracks immediately after the bridge that will span the Straits of Johor.

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Raffles Country Club, second country club to be acquired for HSR


The Singapore Government has announced on Wednesday (4 January) that facilities for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR), the Cross Island Line (CRL)’s western depot and other transport related needs, will be located at the current site of Raffles Country Club (RCC).

The Government said that the RCC site is the most suitable location to run the at-grade HSR tracks immediately 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 site will also be used for required HSR crossover tracks and a HSR siding facility to temporarily house a train near the border for safety or operational reasons, if necessary," it wrote.

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Raffles Country Club to make way for KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail


Raffles Country Club, a 36-hole golfing venue in the west of Singapore, will make way for a massive depot and stable for the upcoming Cross Island MRT line and the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project.

The plot - the single largest to be acquired by the Government in recent years - is more than twice the size of Jurong Country Club, which will make way for the HSR terminus.

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) served the 143ha club an acquisition notice yesterday.

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Raffles Country Club members 'deeply disappointed' by land acquisition announcement


Members of the Raffles Country Club (RCC) were surprised by an announcement on Wed (Jan 4) that the Government would acquire land the club sits on for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) and for a Cross Island Line depot.

“Obviously we’re deeply disappointed to hear the news. I think we will work with the authorities to make sure we deal with them fairly, if there’s any compensation," said General Committee president Paul Singh. He declined to go into specifics, saying the club needed to hold further talks with authorities.

Still, some members told Channel NewsAsia they had a sense that a land acquisition was on the cards. After news of Jurong Country Club's acquisition for the HSR project was broke, RCC member Maria Teo said she & others at the club had speculated that RCC would lose part of its two 18-hole golf courses, but not both.

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Singapore high-speed rail terminus will be at current Jurong Country Club site


The Jurong Country Club site will be where the terminus of the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail (HSR) will be located.

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has gazetted the acquisition of the 67ha plot & the club will be expected to hand over the land by Nov 2016, the Government said on Monday.

With the terminus expected to occupy only about 12 ha - or around 18 % - of the total area, the remaining land will be transformed into a mixed-use development comprising offices, hotels, retail and residences.

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Jurong Country Club closes for good on Saturday


Jurong Country Club closes for good on Sat (Dec 31), as it makes way for the new Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail, as well as the development of hotels, offices, residences and retail outlets.

Members of the public got one last look at the 67-hectare site on Fri, before it opened for one last day for club members on Sat.

Club members told Channel NewsAsia that the place had become an institution of more than 40 years of history. Many said they joined the club in the 1970s & 1980s, when Jurong was being redeveloped from a swampland into the industrial estate it is today.

related: Jurong Country Club acquired for High-Speed Rail terminus

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Jurong Country Club members to get compensation in two tranches next year


As operations at Jurong Country Club (JCC) draw to a close to make way for the construction of the High Speed Rail project, the club management said on Tue (Dec 20) that members will receive their compensation in 2 tranches between Feb & May next year.

The announcement came in the midst of an ongoing appeal filed by JCC over the compensation amount that the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) offered last year: The club wants S$168.1 million, nearly double the S$89.8 million offer made by the authorities for the acquisition of the 67 hectare site.

The appeal is still before the courts, with a pre-trial conference fixed for Feb 15 next year, but the club will cease operations on Dec 31.

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Jurong Country Club site acquired for Singapore-KL high-speed rail


The Singapore Land Authority has gazetted the acquisition of the 67ha plot and the club will be expected to hand over the land by Nov 2016, the government said on Monday.

With the terminus expected to occupy only about 12ha or around 18% of the total area, the remaining land will be transformed into a mixed-used development comprising offices, retail, hotel and residences.

This is in line with plans to transform Jurong East into Singapore's second Central Business District, with high-speed rail commuters being able to travel to and from KL in just 90 minutes.

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Jurong Country Club to make way for high-speed rail terminus

JURONG Country Club will have to make way for the terminus of the high-speed rail (HSR) which will link Singapore to Kuala Lumpur

Spelling out project details yesterday, the authorities confirmed that the club will have to give up its 67ha plot - the size of more than 80 football fields - by November next year.

The terminus will sit about 600m from the current Jurong East MRT station. It will account for some 12ha, or about 20 per cent, of the site, which is bordered by the Ayer Rajah Expressway and Jurong Town Hall Road.

The remaining area will be redeveloped into a mixed-use precinct including offices, hotels, retail, family entertainment facilities and possibly residential units.

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KL-Singapore High Speed Rail Terminus Set for Jurong East

The Singapore Government announced today that the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) terminus will be located at the current site of Jurong Country Club (JCC) in Jurong East. The site will also be comprehensively redeveloped for new mixed-use developments and community facilities to serve Jurong residents, HSR passengers and visitors.

At the 6th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat on 5 May 2015, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the HSR terminus in Singapore would be located in Jurong East. This is in line with the Government’s vision to develop Jurong into a second Central Business District and as a new gateway to Singapore.

In view of Singapore’s land constraints, the Government has sought to minimise the HSR’s land take here. For example, we have agreed with Malaysia that all depot and stabling facilities will be located in Malaysia. Notwithstanding this, the HSR terminus will require a sufficiently large site that is accessible and well-connected to the public transport network. The JCC site is ideal due to its high connectivity, with close proximity to the existing two MRT lines (East-West and North-South Lines) at Jurong East MRT station, new MRT lines (the Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line) being planned around the area, as well as the future integrated transport hub in Jurong East. The terminus will also be located close to Jurong Gateway, which is already shaping up well as a vibrant mixed-use precinct. Hence, the terminus location is compatible with the surrounding land uses, and well-supported by infrastructure and amenities.

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HSR terminus in Jurong East


About two weeks ago, Dr Tan Cheng Bock voiced his concerns about situating the terminus for the High Speed Rail (HSR) in Jurong East. He said that the extra 15km rail into Jurong will cost the country billions of dollars and that the President should question of the Government want to dip into Singapore’s reserves to build it.

At first I thought that it was because of genuine concern that Dr Tan had raised the issue, but I later found out that it could probably also be in self interest. Dr Tan was part of Jurong Country’s Club’s (JCC) acquisition team which negotiated with the Government on the compulsory acquisition of their country club.

JCC had in December last year expressed disappointment with the amount the government was willing to compensate it for compulsorily acquiring their land to build the terminus for HSR.

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S'pore-KL High Speed Rail Agreement
The National flags of Singapore and Malaysia are seen before the signing of the High Speed Rail MOU at the Prime Minister's official residence on 19 July, 2016

Malaysia and Singapore have signed the High-Speed Rail (HSR) bilateral agreement that will cut travel time between both countries to just 90 minutes.


Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong witnessed the signing of the landmark deal during the 7th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat here on Tuesday.


The agreement was signed at 5.15pm between Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan and Singapore’s Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan.


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HSR S'pore-KL in just 90 minutes

Singapore and Malaysia will build a high-speed rail linking the smaller island to Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur, its governments have announced.


The 350km line will shoot travellers at a top speed of 300km/h, allowing someone to go from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in just 90 minutes.


The equivalent journey takes about five hours by car on the highway, and 11 hours across existing train services, estimates Channel News Asia.


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Locations of Raffles Country Club & Jurong Country Club

Update 20 Sep 2017: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hopes for Singapore support in high-speed railway: Xinhua

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (left) speaks with PM Lee Hsien Loong during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on Sept 19, 2017. FOTO: AFP

China hopes that Singapore will support Chinese enterprises that wish to participate in the Singapore-Malaysia high-speed railway project, Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday (Sep 19), according to state news agency Xinhua.


"China has cutting-edge, safe & reliable, cost-effective high-speed railway technology," Premier Li said during his talks with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Xinhua reported. PM Lee is on an official visit to China from Sep 19 to 21.



Singapore & Malaysia are building the 350km high-speed rail linking Singapore & Kuala Lumpur. Targeted to be operational by end-2026, the railway line will cut travel time between the 2 cities to 90 minutes.

related: China's rail ambitions run at full speed


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Premier Li hopes for Singapore support in high-speed railway


China hopes Singapore will support Chinese enterprises who wish to participate in the Singapore-Malaysia high-speed railway project, Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday.

"China has cutting-edge, safe and reliable, cost-effective high-speed railway technology," Li said in his talks with visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to build a 360-km high-speed rail link between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, which is expected to start operation by December 2026 and cut travel time to about 90 minutes. Singapore welcomes Chinese businesses to the project, Lee said.

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hopes for Singapore support in high-speed railway: Xinhua


During his meeting with Mr Li, Mr Lee said that Singapore welcomes Chinese businesses to the project. In an interview with Xinhuanet, Xinhua’s official website, last Saturday, Mr Lee said: “We hope to receive China’s proposals.”


“I think China’s bid will be a high quality one,” he added,  noting that the joint railway project is “very significant” for Singapore and Malaysia. He said China has advanced technology and rich experience in high speed railway construction and operation, boasting a domestic network of tens of thousands kilometers in length.


The Singaporean prime minister praised China’s high speed railway service for providing passengers with convenience and comfort. “Very convenient, smooth and comfortable,” Mr Lee recalled his previous experiences of taking high speed trains in China.


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