Run Report: Changi Airport Connector - ECP to Jurassic Mile & Changi Airport

[yflyer]

The new Changi Airport Connector opened on October 11 this year. This 3.5km route connects East Coast Park to Changi Airport, making the airport terminals directly accessible to pedestrians and cyclists for the first time. As East Coast Park goes all the way to the city and beyond, it is now possible to go on bike or foot all the way from Changi Airport to Marina Bay and other central attractions in Singapore. Getting from the Airport to Marina Bay would be a total distance of 20+ km -- quite feasible on a bicycle, and even on foot, if you have the time (and endurance)!

While we had news of the upcoming connector on SQTalk as early as August this year, the news that there was were also going to be a section with dinosaurs probably came as a surprise to many!



I live in the East of Singapore, and spend a lot of time at East Coast Park. It is a wonderful place to exercise or simply stroll along the beach. The beach and views there are always a refreshing change from the urban sprawl of much of Singapore. There have always been park connectors that will allow you to get all the way to Changi Beach Park and Changi Village from ECP, but until now there was no way to actually get to the Changi Airport passenger terminals themselves.

Now that the Changi Park Connector is open, I can see myself running to the airport (a distance of about 12km from where I live, close to the East Coast Lagoon) on a regular basis, and I suspect many cyclists will also find this to be a very pleasant route to cycle on, even if the Jurassic Mile stretch can be quite congested at times.

A lot of the buzz about the airport connector is around the Jurassic Mile: a stretch done up Jurassic Park style, with dinosaurs along a one mile stretch (Or is it more like 1km?). This certainly makes it quite unique among Park Connectors in Singapore. That said, that is just a short 1km segment of the route. The Jurassic Mile is right next to T4. However since T4 is currently closed, it is about a 1.5km-2km distance from T2 to get to the Jurassic Mile.



The other option to get to the Jurassic Mile is to head to it from East Coast Park, starting from any convenient point along the ECP.

Last Wednesday evening, I did just that: I did a run, starting at the Lagoon View Bus Stop along Marine Parade Road, using the ECP expressway underpass to head to the East Coast Lagoon and Food Village, then headed along the ECP and Park Connector to the Jurassic Mile, ending my run at Hub & Spoke at T2.

My 11km route that day is shown below...



A very enjoyable run, with nice views all along the route, and a convenient end point at Hub & Spoke, right next to Terminal 2.

Details of the run coming up!

To skip straight to the Changi Jurassic Mile, click here.

[yflyer]

I began my run along the path close to the East Coast Lagoon...



When the lagoon first opened in 1976, it was a swimming lagoon, but this is now a Cable Ski facility....



...where water-skiers are not pulled along by boats but by a mechanical system of cables...



On the Eastern side of the lagoon is the East Coast Lagoon Food Village.



This is a very popular hawker centre that is busiest in the evenings, and on weekends. In fact, it even attracts a decent weekday lunchtime crowd.



Note that this food centre will be closed from 2 November 2020 to 1st February 2021 for renovations.



I continued along the path towards the east...



There is a bike rental shop just after the food centre...



These days, this section of the coastline seems to be quite popular with Kite-surfers / Kite-boarders...



There is also a Skate Park here for those who prefer their thrils on dry land...

[yflyer]

At the 2km mark, I headed past Bedok Jetty...



As I had a long way to run, I didn't head up to the end of the jetty this time, and instead continued my run along the coastal footpath...



Stone benches along the beach to enjoy the sea views...



A restaurant, Central Thai, At the 2.5km mark on the route...



I've always found this section of the park to be very scenic and breezy...



...and a little less busy that the stretch of East Coast Park closer to the city.



There are restrooms at regular intervals at ECP. The last public restroom facilities on the route to the Airport are at the 4.5km mark, close to the National Sailing Centre...



I continued past the National Sailing Centre...



...crossing a large water body, which I believe is Sungei Bedok (Bedok River)...

[yflyer]

From the 5km mark onwards, the track and park are both fairly quiet and peaceful, with many tall trees, although I found this stretch busier now than before, with many more cyclists and even runners also heading to / from the Jurassic Mile...



I passed NSRCC at the 6km mark...



..before crossing another canal/waterway...



...to the NSRCC Sea Sports Centre, which is open to the public...

[yflyer]

At this point, the 6.5km mark on the route, after the Sea Sports Center, and passing the MOE Changi Coast Adventure Centre, I reached signage that pointed towards the new attraction, Changi Jurassic Mile...



At this point, you could either turn right and head on the Coastal Park Connector to Tanah Merah Coast Road, towards Changi Beach / Changi Village...



...or continue straight on to the Changi Jurassic Mile...



I opted to continue straight towards Changi Jurassic Mile...



Just before the 7km mark, there is a a major traffic junction...



Cross the street (When the green man is on!), and make a left turn...



If in doubt, just follow the signs on the wooden posts...the route to the Jurassic Mile is very well signposted!

[yflyer]

From the 7km mark there is a short connecting stretch skirting the airport perimeter around Runway 02C...



...where the occasional aircraft could be seen taking off...



...before a split and right turn just before the 8km mark toward the Jurassic Mile itself...



...and then you are at the Jurassic Mile itself!



After running 8km I was quite pleased to get to the start of this new attraction!

[yflyer]

it was starting to get dark by the time I reached the start of the Jurassic Mile...



...but the attractions are very well lit, so it is actually a good idea to visit in early evening...



A map of the dinosaur attractions...



The dinosaur stretch is actually fairly narrow...I can imagine it getting very busy at peak hours and weekends...



Cyclists can probably forget about proceeding at any speed along this stretch...





The dinosaur displays are pretty striking...



...and nicely lit up at dusk...



I would not have any issues walking/running/cycling along this route at night...



The signage along the walls really played up the "Jurassic Park" theme...

[yflyer]

Lots of folks were clearly there just to gawk at the exhibits...



There was a lot of variety in the displays...



The T-Rex was a real favourite...



Lots of photo ops along the route...



The designers clearly had a lot of fun putting together this attraction...

[yflyer]

The Jurassic Mile ends at T4...



Once the exhibits end, you reach a stretch where the concrete barrier gives way to a fence, with views of the airport complex and tarmac. Unfortunately no photos are allowed from this point onwards...



The irony here is that after all these dinosaur exhibits in the Jurassic Mile, one of the first things I saw up close through the fence after exiting the stretch was a parked SQ A380, a behemoth that is really possibly on the verge of extinction.

From there, it was a short walk to T4. If T4 were open, this would be the most accessible point to visit the Jurassic Mile.





However at this time, T4 was closed and not operating, and this meant there was another 2km to go before reaching the end point at Hub & Spoke, next to T2.

[yflyer]

I was now past the 9km mark on my route. After slowing down my pace to a jog while enjoying the dinosaur exhibits, I picked up the pace again for these final 2 kilometers...

This last stretch was very quite, with hardly a soul around, but it was very brightly lit...



I passed the SATS catering complex, and Dnata, before reaching the VIP complex...



...and the JetQuay CIP terminal...

[yflyer]

Finally, at the 11km mark, I arrived at Hub & Spoke, which comprised a restaurant, public bathroom and bike rental/bike locker facility.



At 7.25pm on a Wednesday evening, this place was buzzing with activity...



This was a great place to cool off after a run, and maybe grab a drink or a snack.



The bathroom and showers looked very impressive...





The Bike Rental...



There is also a carpark right across from Hub & Spoke, which is a convenient pick-up or drop-off point. And T2 was a short distance away.

A very satisfying run, which took me just under an hour to do the 9km distance from my start point to the Jurassic mile, and an additional 10-15 min to cover the additional 2km to Hub & Spoke and T2, making a total one-way time of 75 min.

If on a bike, one could get from the East Coast Lagoon Bike stop to the Jurassic Mile in under 30 min, and of course there are several other bike rentals dotting East Coast park, from Marine Parade all the way to Fort Road, so you have the option of covering the whole length of East Coast Park on your outing as well.

If you are starting from the airport, if you rent a bike from Hub & Spoke, you could probably make a 2-3 hour or half day cycling trip from the Airport all the way to Marina Bay and back, a distance of about 25km each way.

[yflyer]

Final impressions...

1. This is a great addition to an already impressive network of park connectors all over Singapore.

2. The Changi Jurassic Mile is quite an interesting concept. It makes the park connector more than yet another monotonous trail...and the dinosaur exhibits did put a smile on my face. Note that it is a fairly short stretch that can probably be done in 15-30 min max.

3. If you want to visit the Jurassic Mile, and are starting from the airport end, note that there is quite a bit of walking to get from Hub & Spoke to the Jurassic Mile.

4. Hub & Spoke makes a great end point (or starting point) for a walk/run/cycle along the Airport Connector and ECP. It might even be feasible to do a walk/run/cycle to the Jurassic Park or even to the ECP / City during a transit stop in Changi!

5. Renting a bike and cycling, either from Hub & Spoke, or East Coast Park, is a pretty good idea given the distances involved.

6. Of course, if your intention is to head out for a run, then I can wholeheartedly recommend this route!

Thanks for reading!

[yflyer]

Changi Jurassic Mile: Booking now required on weekends

Quick update (18 Oct)...I woke up to the news today that because of large crowds, there is now a need to book an entry pass to enter the Jurassic Mile on Weekends (Fri-Sun).

Entry is still free, and no pass is required on weekdays, from Monday to Thursday, but until 6 January 2021, weekend visitors to the Jurassic Mile will need to book a pass at:

https://www.changiairport.com/en/dis...ssic-mile.html

I checked out the website...



There is a booking page now up:



The booking process looks simple...although slots for Sunday 18 Oct look fully redeemed already...



So remember, either go on a weekday, or book your slot early to avoid disappointment!

[jammed]

Thanks so much yflyer for giving all us AVgeeks have some semblance of a TR. and the latest ‘attraction’ no less!

I was abt to ask which day of the week - i get the bit abt evening given the growling dusk along yr run - but discovered its Wednesday towards the end of yr TR. My, its actually very crowded for a mid-week weekday for ECP, Jurassic Mile and Hub and Spoke wont you say?

Idk when I’ll ever make this run - by the 5th km I’ll be concentrating on breathing nowadays - since I’m living in the west. So thanks vy much, as ever, for this Vy detailed and comprehensive tour de east.

[yflyer]

Thanks so much yflyer for giving all us AVgeeks have some semblance of a TR. and the latest ‘attraction’ no less!

I was abt to ask which day of the week - i get the bit abt evening given the growling dusk along yr run - but discovered its Wednesday towards the end of yr TR. My, its actually very crowded for a mid-week weekday for ECP, Jurassic Mile and Hub and Spoke wont you say?

Idk when I’ll ever make this run - by the 5th km I’ll be concentrating on breathing nowadays - since I’m living in the west. So thanks vy much, as ever, for this Vy detailed and comprehensive tour de east.

Thanks for your feedback, jammed! Much appreciated! Yes it was a Wednesday evening: the attraction was quite busy, but not overcrowded. I found the stretch of ECP and PCN before the Jurassic Mile busier than usual as well, with many cyclists and walkers / joggers!

I can understand why they have now instituted pre-booking for Fri-Sun, as this looks to be a very popular attraction. What is great is that now you can cycle or walk all the way from the city to Changi Airport, where there is a proper end point with bathroom / shower facilities and a nice cafe as well.

I actually headed there yesterday (Sunday) morning as well...will post a brief update on that shortly too!