SINGAPORE – For years, motorists driving on the PIE watched large concrete columns rising near the highway as the groundwork was laid for the new Jurong Region Line (JRL).

Trains will start running in about two years on what will be the country’s seventh MRT line, but getting the viaducts built was no simple task.

It meant construction crews working in the dead of night in four-hour blocks, when traffic becomes light and roads can be closed.

The 24km JRL is the first MRT line to be built entirely above ground. The North-South and East-West lines have a mix of above-ground and underground sections.

The JRL was unveiled in the 2013 Land Transport Master Plan, when plans were taking shape to transform the western region with new homes and employment centres. It was first announced in 2001 as a light rail system.

When completed, it will have 25 stations and three interchanges – in Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay and Jurong East. The station names will be made known later.

The JRL will provide transport links to people living in Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay and Tengah, and improve access to the Jurong Innovation District, Jurong Lake District and Nanyang Technological University.

Today, Stage 1 is about 80 per cent complete, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) told The Straits Times.

Structural works at all 10 stations and their viaducts have been completed, while electrical and mechanical installations, architectural finishes and external works are moving along.

The JRL will be a medium-capacity line, with smaller three-car trains that can navigate tighter curves through built-up areas. There is an option to add a fourth car in future if demand goes up....