Singapore: The Island Republic of Singapore is to lose another golf club.
Just days after the curtain fell on Jurong Country Club, it was announced that the Raffles Country Club (RCC) will be acquired by the Government for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur high-speed rail (HSR) and the new Cross Island Line’s western depot.
In a statement on its website, the club said it will be required to hand over the 143-hectare site in Tuas to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) by July 31, 2018.
Addressing its more than 2,000 members, the club said: “We understand that many of you may have queries regarding the future of RCC. We would like to assure you that the club has been contacted by the relevant Government agencies and we will provide members with a more detailed update in due course.”
According to a report in Singapore’s Straits Times, the RCC lease was due to expire in 2028.
Home to two 18-hole courses – Lake and Palm – RCC was opened in 1988.
Scheduled to begin operating in 2026, the high-speed rail between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur will cross the Straits of Johor via a bridge.
The Land Transport Authority and SLA in a joint statement said that the country club site was the most suitable location immediately after the bridge.
The site will also hold the tunnel portal leading to the underground tunnels that will take the high-speed rail to the Jurong East terminus, as well as crossover tracks and a siding facility to temporarily house trains near the border.
The Straits Times added that part of the site will also be used for the new CRL’s western depot as a stabling and maintenance facility. The CRL is expected to be ready by 2030.
SLA added that it will work closely with the club management to assist it through the acquisition process.
It was announced in May 2015 that Jurong Country Club would become the Singapore terminus for the HSR. It closed on December 31.