While plans for these lines as well as those currently under construction were formulated long before, the Land Transport Authority's publication of a White Paper titled "A World Class Land Transport System" in 1996 galvanised the government's intentions to greatly expand the system.
Meskipun rencana jalur-jalur MRT ini telah diperhitungkan jauh sebelumnya, publikasi Land Transport Authority yang berjudul "A World Class Land Transport System" tahun 1996 menguatkan tujuan pemerintah untuk memperluas jaringan ini.