Singapore MRT

The Singapore MRT is the national rail system of Singapore. It has a daily ridership of 3.4 million as of 2019. The first section of the MRT opened on 7 November 1987, and the network has since grown rapidly in accordance with Singapore's aim of developing a comprehensive rail network as the backbone of the country's public transportation system.

Singapore's MRT infrastructure is built, operated, and managed in accordance with a hybridised quasi-nationalised regulatory framework called the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF), in which the lines are constructed and the assets owned by the Land Transport Authority, a statutory board of the Government of Singapore. The Land Transport Authority allocates operating concessions to two for-profit private corporations, namely SMRT and SBS Transit, both of which are responsible for asset maintenance on their respective lines. These operators also run bus and taxi services, thus facilitating the full integration of public transport services.

As of January 2020, the MRT network encompasses 203 kilometres (126 mi) of route on standard gauge, with 122 stations in operation, spread across six lines set in a circle-radial topology. The network is expected to double to a total length of almost 400 kilometres (250 mi) by 2040 as a result of ongoing expansion works to its six existing lines and the construction of three new lines. The network is complemented by a small number of local Light Rail Transit (LRT) networks in the suburban towns of Bukit Panjang, Sengkang, and Punggol that link MRT stations with HDB public housing estates, bringing the combined length of the domestic heavy and light rail network to 231.6 kilometres (143.9 mi), with a total of 159 stations in operation.

## History

### Planning and inception

The origins of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) are derived from a forecast by city planners in 1967 which stated the need for a rail-based urban transport system by 1992. However, opposition from the government on the feasibility of the MRT from prominent ministers, among them Finance Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee and Trades and Industry Minister Dr Tony Tan, nearly shuttered the program due to financial grounds and concerns of jobs saturation in the construction industry. Dr Goh instead endorsed the idea of an all-bus system recommended by Harvard University specialists, who argued would reduce the cost by 50% compared to the proposed MRT system. Public opinion was split on the matter, with several expressing concerns on the high cost and others being more focused on increasing the standard of living. Following a debate on whether a bus-only system would be more cost-effective, Communications Minister Ong Teng Cheong came to the conclusion that an all-bus system would be inadequate, as it would have to compete for road space in a land-scarce country. Ong was an architect and town planner by training and through his perseverance and dedication became the main figure behind the initial construction of the system.

### Construction begins

The network was planned to be constructed and opened in stages, even as plans had already indicated the decision for two main arterial lines. The North South line was given priority because it passed through the Central Area that has a high demand for public transport. The Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC)—later renamed SMRT Corporation—was established on 14 October 1983 and took over the roles and responsibilities of the former provisional Mass Rapid Transit Authority. On 7 November 1987, the first section of the North South line started operations, consisting of five stations over six kilometres. Within a year, 20 more stations had been added to the network and a direct service existed between Yishun and Lakeside stations, linking up Central Singapore to Jurong in the west by the end of 1988. The direct service was eventually split into the North South and East West lines after the latter's completion of the eastern sector to Tanah Merah station. By the end of 1990, the Branch line has further linked Choa Chu Kang to the network while the inauguration of Boon Lay station on 6 July 1990 marked the completion of the initial system two years ahead of schedule.

### Subsequent expansions

The MRT has been continuously expanded ever since. On 10 February 1996, a S$1.2 billion expansion of the North South line into Woodlands was completed, merging the Branch line into the North South line and joining Yishun and Choa Chu Kang stations. The concept of having rail lines that bring people almost directly to their homes led to the introduction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines connecting with the MRT network. On 6 November 1999, the first LRT trains on the Bukit Panjang LRT went into operation. The Expo and Changi Airport stations were opened on 10 January 2001 and 8 February 2002 respectively. The very first infill station of the MRT network to be built on an existing line, Dover station opened on 18 October 2001. The North East line, the first line operated by SBS Transit, opened on 20 June 2003, is one of the first fully automated heavy rail lines in the world. On 15 January 2006, after intense two-and-a-half years lobbying by the public, Buangkok station was opened., followed by Woodleigh station much later on 20 June 2011. The Boon Lay Extension of the East West line, consisting of Pioneer and Joo Koon stations, opened on 28 February 2009.
The Circle line opened in four stages with Stage 3 on 28 May 2009, Stages 1 and 2 on 17 April 2010, Stages 4 and 5 on 8 October 2011 and the Marina Bay Extension on 14 January 2012. Stage 1 of Downtown line opened on 22 December 2013 with its official opening made on 21 December 2013 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Stage 2 opened on 27 December 2015, after being officially opened on 26 December by Prime Minister Lee. The Tuas West Extension of the East West line, consisting of Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent, Tuas West Road, and Tuas Link stations, opened on 18 June 2017. Stage 3, the final stage of the Downtown line, opened on 21 October 2017 with its official opening made on 20 October 2017 by Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan. The second infill station, Canberra station opened on 2 November 2019. Stage 1 of the Thomson–East Coast line opened on 31 January 2020.

## Hours of operation

MRT lines operate from 5:30 am to 1:00 am daily, with the exception of selected periods before COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore such as New Year's Eve, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya, Christmas, eves of public holidays and special occasions such as the state funeral of Lee Kuan Yew (2015), when most of the lines stay open throughout the night or extended till later. Additionally, some stretches of the line ends earlier, opens later and closes on a few days of the weekend. The nightly closures are used for maintenance. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, train services ended earlier and service extensions on the eves of public holidays ceased from 7 April 2020. However, from 1 June, train services were reverted to the usual hours from 5.30am to 12am (except for CNY Eve, where it will end at 30 minutes earlier from then on), and train services are no longer extended on all eves of public holidays.

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