Agencies studying plans for new integrated transport hub as part of Tampines Regional Centre rejuvenation

SINGAPORE: Authorities are studying plans for a new integrated transport hub in Tampines to enhance convenience and connectivity for residents.

Speaking at the launch of the Tampines 5-Year Masterplan (2025-2030) on Saturday (Feb 22), Minister for Social and Family Development and Tampines GRC Member of Parliament Masagos Zulkifli said that it will anchor a "seamless pedestrian and active-mobility network”. 

“Within this new integrated transport hub, your family could stroll through lively streets of shops, hip cafes and lush greenery - through our very own Singapore-style Osaka Street Market,” said Mr Masagos.

“The vision is to reduce parking stress for Tampines residents - because in Tampines, residents can live, work, and play mostly without needing a car,” said Tampines Town Council in a press release.

Other plans include enhancing the pedestrian walking route between Tampines MRT station and the malls in Tampines, said Mr Masagos, which will set the stage for a "people-first town centre".

Tampines will take inspiration from successful urban designs around the world, said the town council.

It added that a pedestrian-friendly town centre is already taking shape, with the Land Transport Authority exploring the transformation of part of Tampines Central 5 into a pedestrianised street between the malls in Tampines Town Centre and Tampines MRT Station. 

“Residents will be engaged to share their ideas, ensuring that the designs reflect Tampines' unique identity,” said the town council.

With Mr Masagos on Saturday were fellow Tampines GRC MPs Baey Yam Keng, Koh Poh Koon and Desmond Choo, who is also the North East District mayor.

Also present was Nanyang Technological University Assistant Professor Charlene Chen, a Tampines GRC grassroots advisor who has been spotted alongside MPs at community events.

The GRC has one vacant seat after Ms Cheng Li Hui resigned in 2023 following her extra-marital affair with former Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin.

PLANS FOLLOW "NATURAL CADENCE"

Authorities are also planning to transform underused land in the Tampines Regional Centre into new spaces for work, leisure, and community life, said Mr Masagos.

Also in the pipeline are new mixed-use developments where residential, commercial, and public spaces come together.

“It will be a place where life, work, and play come together, creating an environment that fulfils the growing demand for work-life integration,” the press release read.

This announcement followed the previous five-year masterplan which focused on transforming Tampines into a more eco-friendly town and was rolled out prior to the last General Election in 2020.

"Our plans have a natural cadence. We set off to do a plan in 2020, we executed the plan (and) the different milestones which needed to be met," Mr Choo told reporters on the sidelines of Saturday's event.

"(The residents) reflected to us that we have delivered those plans, they are excited for the plans going ahead, and we hope we can deliver a Tampines which all Tampines residents can be proud of," he added.

In his speech, Mr Masagos said the goal is for the town centre to be a “model of living green” and that this vision is already being realised with the buildings in the Tampines Regional Centre already more energy-efficient. 

With Singapore’s first distributed district cooling network in an operating town completed, seven buildings including Tampines Mall will share resources and cut energy use from air-conditioning -  equivalent to powering more than 710 three-room HDB households for a year.

Said Mr Masagos: “The journey ahead calls for bold vision, unwavering efforts, and the collective effort of us all. But if history has shown us anything at all, Tampines always leads the way."