New Research & Training Centre for Engineers To Be Tunnelling Specialists

The MRT tunnel for the Circle Line. (Photo: SGTrains File)

We recently had the final tunnel breakthrough for the sixth stage of the Circle Line (CCL6) at Cantonment MRT station, which involved tunnelling just six metres beneath the historic Tanjong Pagar Railway Station – equipped with 600 sensors monitoring its structural integrity.

Contrary to that, a stretch of the upcoming Cross Island Line (CRL) will involve tunnelling at 70 metres beneath the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR), which is roughly the height of a 24-storey housing block, but underground instead!

With the increasing growth in tunnelling projects especially for land transport, there is a demand for more engineers to be specialists of the underground and its infrastructure.

Centre for Infrastructure and Tunnel Engineering

Memorandum of Understanding between LTA and SIT

Memorandum of Understanding between Land Transport Authority and Singapore Institute of Technology to establish a Centre for Infrastructure and Tunnel Engineering. (Image: SIT)

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Dec 20, 2021, to establish the Centre of Infrastructure and Tunnel Engineering (CITE).

The partnership aims to foster collaboration in Research & Development (R&D), and educational and training programmes in the highly-specialised field of infrastructure and tunnelling engineering.

“In land-scarce Singapore, expertise for tunnel engineering and infrastructural development will continue to be in demand,” the joint press release mentioned.

Purpose of having the CITE

The CITE serves as a platform for the civil engineering community to exchange, and share knowledge and skillsets in this field.

It will also “conduct and facilitate applied research to augment safety standards in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of tunnels, and other civil engineering infrastructure.”

The joint press release mentioned that the CITE will be beneficial for major underground projects, which include the North-South Corridor (NSC) and the CRL, slated for completion in 2027 and 2030 respectively.

Pilot programme launched in March 2021

A pilot run of the course in March 2021 attracted 30 industry professionals, of which will be completing the programme in the first quarter of this year. The course’s modules are conducted by SIT’s faculty members, LTA’s tunnel engineers and industry experts.

It is tailored to provide participants with “information and case studies in the local context, such as the Geology of Singapore and Tunnel Design, Tunnelling Construction, and Tunnelling Operation and Impact Assessment.”

Undergraduate & Postgraduate Students

Through the Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP) attachment to the Centre, civil engineering undergraduates at SIT will “have the opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge and work experience in infrastructure and tunnel engineering.”

“The IWSP is a distinctive feature of SIT’s degree programmes, where students undertake six to 12 months of paid employment relevant to their programmes during the course of their studies.”

Postgraduate students can also “engage with the industry through collaboration with the Centre for their Industrial Master and Doctorate projects.”

Check Out Other Related Posts

Circle Line 6 – 55 Percent Completed, On Track For Opening In 2026

Construction of Two Cross Island Line MRT Stations To Start in Q2 2022

Related Links
Circle Line – SGTrains
Cross Island Line – SGTrains

External Links
Joint News Release by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) & SIT – LTA and SIT Establish Centre for Infrastructure and Tunnel Engineering – LTA [Accessed 25 Jan 2022]
LTA and SIT Establish Centre for Infrastructure and Tunnel Engineering – SIT [Accessed 25 Jan 2022]
New course trains engineers to be specialists in building tunnels deep underground in Singapore – The Straits Times [Accessed 25 Jan 2022]
Factsheet: Completion of Circle Line 6 Tunnelling Works – LTA [Accessed 25 Jan 2022]

Images from SGTrains File and SIT