SINGAPORE - The Raffles Country Club site in Tuas 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 an announcement on its website on Wednesday (Jan 4), the club said it will be required to hand over the 143ha site to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) by July 31, 2018.

Opened in 1988, Raffles Country Club has two 18-hole golf courses and about 2,650 members. Club membership broker websites showed the club memberships being transacted for between $32,500 and $34,000.

Its lease was due to expire in 2028.

The high-speed rail between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur will cross the Straits of Johor via a bridge. It is scheduled to start running in 2026.

Related Story Raffles Country Club workers who lose jobs after site acquisition for HSR will be helped: Desmond Choo

The Land Transport Authority and SLA in a joint statement on Wednesday said that the country club site was the most suitable location to run at-grade tracks 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.

Part of the site will also be used for the new CRL's western depot as a stabling and maintenance facility. The CRL, which will serve areas such as Loyang, Hougang and Clementi, 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.

Raffles Country Club is the second country club to be acquired by the Government for the 350km-long HSR project. It was announced in May 2015 that Jurong Country Club in Jurong East will become the Singapore terminus for the HSR.