Running from the top of Singapore to the bottom, the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL) gives rail access to the country’s southeastern shoreline neighborhoods, markets, and parks. This stretch of the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) runs from the Geylang River at Tanjong Rhu eastward to the residential area of Bayshore, at the same time opening up access to the popular East Coast Park. I’ve covered the central and north-central parts of the Thomson–East Coast Line in other posts; here’s what you’ll discover riding the Singapore MRT Thomson East Coast Line from Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore.

Tanjong Rhu

Tanjong Rhu lets passengers off just a few steps away from a bridge that takes pedestrians across the Geylang River …

… and over to the Singapore Indoor Stadium and Sports Hub.

This is a useful stop if you want to head to the stadium area or walk along the narrow park that fringes the river, or if you feel ready to huff and puff your way up to the top of the Tanjong Rhu Lookout Tower.

Those are the main attractions; beyond that, the stop itself is in the middle of a bunch of large condo developments with names like Pebble Bay and Camelot-by-the-Water.

I’m not a huge fan of the large muted shapes that make up the Tanjong Rhu station art, titled “telinga ekologi kita.” But reading about the artist’s inspiration makes them a bit more interesting: these are reimaginings of the acoustic mirrors that the British crafted in the early 1900s in an attempt to detect enemy aircraft prior to the invention of radar.

Katong Park

I wouldn’t ordinarily go out of my way to visit Katong Park — it’s kind of a sad little rectangle smashed between the highway and a bunch of condos — but I did exactly that a couple of years ago because I wanted to see the spectacular rainbow eucalyptus tree.

This is one of the 259 Heritage Trees in Singapore, and it’s a beautiful sight to behold. Katong Park also boasts several other remarkable trees, plus the small remains of an archaeological dig that lets you look into the remains of the 1879 Fort Tanjong Katong. Other than that, this station is mostly in the middle of a wide swath of condos.

If you work at it, you can get from the Katong Park station to East Coast Park using the westernmost of the underpasses that run under the East Coast Highway (and while this isn’t the most exciting part of the park, you can rent bikes nearby).

The Art in Transit at this station, “Time After Time,” is worth a look: it superimposes archival photos of the area onto contemporary pictures of Katong Park.

Tanjong Katong

Unless you live here, Tanjong Katong is a very boring stop, mostly because it’s smack in the middle of nothing but condos and a smattering of landed houses.

Condos make for dull visits because unless you like condo architecture, there’s nothing to see or do — no food, no shops, no parks, no temples, no historical buildings. And don’t be fooled by Tanjong Katong’s apparent proximity to East Coast Park; to get there, you would have to walk on a narrow (albeit green) path along noisy roads for about 15 minutes before reaching an underpass to take you beneath the highway.

I would say that the Tanjong Katong station is notable for three things: (1) a fun collage with the station with photos of the nearby Chinese Swimming Club, an institution that’s been around since 1905:

(2) More interesting station art and architecture:

(3) Its proximity to one of my new favorite Singapore murals:

Marine Parade

Finally, a station with fun stuff! Marine Parade doesn’t look like much on the surface, but there’s a little bit of everything here. In addition to both condos and HDBs, you’ll find a lively hawker scene at 84 Marine Parade Central …

… all sorts of local shopping …

… and easy access to both the fabulous and hipster Joo Chiat neighborhood to the north (pro tip: to get to Joo Chiat, cut through the Roxy Square mall for air-conditioned comfort) …

… and the always-crowded East Coast Park to the south.

When you’re in the Marine Parade station, look up! Some of the most interesting features can be found in the ceiling designs.

Marine Terrace

This station was my surprise favorite of this particular trip. In addition to interesting station art (“A Seat at the End of the Long, Long, Long Table”)…

… and a vibrant food centre and market …

… Marine Terrace sits in the middle of a vast array of HDBs. This means that if you wander, you’re bound to stumble on something unexpected, like the Marine Terrace Breezes & Blooms Garden.

The laminated cards hanging from that orchid stand teach visitors all about the history of Marine Parade, which sits on reclaimed land that was developed in the 1970s and 80s.

The most exciting part of Marine Terrace, however, has to be the multiple options for accessing East Coast Park — it’s a ten-minute walk through the HDBs, but you can get to the park either via an underpass to the southwest of the station or an overpass to the southeast. And once you’re in the park, you can walk, cycle, visit playgrounds, and much more.

A few other notes about future possibilities for this stop:

• Marine Terrace will eventually give travelers an easy way to get to the Siglap Park Connector, but much of that is currently hidden behind hoarding for PUB works.
• Along with several of the other stops mentioned here, the Marine Terrace station boasts a huge bike parking lot. I’ve heard a rumor that a bike rental company may take up a tenancy at Marine Terrace, which would make this station even more attractive to those visiting East Coast Park.

Siglap

Now we’re back in the land of boring stops. Really boring. Siglap sits at the intersection of a couple of schools, a few condos, and a bunch of nothingness.

You can access East Coast Park from here — specifically, the part of the park with the water skiing lagoon — but you have to walk a ways to do so, and the walk is not an especially nice one.

My favorite part of Siglap was easily this station mosaic, a work that highlights the achievements of graduates from nearby Victoria School.

Bayshore

There’s not much here, I’m afraid — we have four long, dark station entrances surrounded by the highway on one side, looming condo towers on another …

… and marsh on the rest.

I’ve been to other stations like this, and it feels like a spot that is waiting for more to arrive. In the meantime, it’s a bit of a disappointment as the final stop on a line (though that’s temporary — two more stops are in the works and set for an early 2026 opening). I’m usually good at finding interesting stuff, but I struggled here. The closest I came was this church, which runs under a dizzying number of names and languages: the Holy Grace Presbyterian Church (services in Mandarin and Hainanese), the Amazing Grace Presbyterian Church (services only in English), and the Tabernacle Bible Presbyterian Church (services in English and Mandarin).

The Art in Transit at Bayshore, “Farther Shores,” is a redeeming if somewhat blurry element …

… but at least you can always count on the Land Transit Authority’s Thoughtful Bunch – Give-Way Glenda, Bag-Down Benny, Stand-Up Stacey, Move-In Martin, and Hush-Hush Hannah— for a smile!

Ready to ride the Thomson–East Coast Line even further?

• Travel from the north to the heart of Singapore on the stretch from Woodlands North to Caldecott
• Explore some of the city’s most iconic sights along the route from Stevens to Gardens by the Bay