Downtown MRT Line
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, color = , logo = Downtown Line logo.svg , logo_width = 250px , image = (SGP-Singapore) Stevens MRT Station Platform B 2025-02-28.jpg , image_width = 300px , caption = A C951 train at Stevens station , type =
Rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...
, system =
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) The Mass Rapid Transit system, locally known by the Acronym, initialism MRT, is a rapid transit system in Singapore and the island country's principal mode of Rail transport in Singapore, railway transportation. After two decades of planning th ...
, status = Operational (Stages 1, 2 & 3)
Under construction (Stage 3 extension)
Under planning (Stage 2 extension) , start = Sungei Kadut (2035)
Bukit Panjang , end = Expo
Sungei Bedok (2H 2026) , stations = 35 (Operational)
2 (''Under construction'')
2 (''Under planning'') , routes = 2 , daily_ridership = 251,556 (July 2020) , open = (Stage 1)
(Stage 2)
(Stage 3)
( Hume) , planopen = 2H 2026 (Stage 3 extension)
(Stage 2 extension) , close = , locale =
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, owner =
Land Transport Authority The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a Statutory boards of the Singapore Government, statutory board under the Ministry of Transport (Singapore), Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore. History Incorporation The Land Transport Au ...
, operator = SBS Transit DTL Pte Ltd (
ComfortDelGro Corporation ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited, commonly known as ComfortDelGro, is a Multinational corporation, multi-national transport group based in Singapore. It is listed on the Singapore Exchange and operates more than 54,000 vehicles across 13 count ...
) , character = Fully underground , stock = Bombardier Movia C951(A) , linelength = (Operational)
(''Under construction'')
(''Under planning'') , tracklength = , tracks = , gauge = , electrification = , speed = limit of , elevation = , map = , map_state = hide , depot = Gali Batu
Tai Seng
East Coast (Future) The Downtown Line (DTL) is a medium-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
. It runs from Bukit Panjang station in the north-west of the country towards Expo station in the east via a loop around the city-centre. Coloured blue on the rail map, the line serves 35 stations, all of which are underground. The DTL is the fifth MRT line on the network to be opened and the third line to be entirely underground. It is the second MRT line to be operated by
ComfortDelGro ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited, commonly known as ComfortDelGro, is a multi-national transport group based in Singapore. It is listed on the Singapore Exchange and operates more than 54,000 vehicles across 13 countries. It was formed on 29 ...
's
SBS Transit SBS Transit Ltd (abbreviation: SBS or SBST) is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporati ...
after the North East Line. It also serves as an alternative to the East–West Line where it runs roughly geographically parallel from
Bugis The Bugis people, also known as Buginese, are an Austronesian ethnic groupthe most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassarese and Torajan), in the south-western province of Sula ...
to Expo station. Originally planned as three separate lines, the lines merged into the Downtown Line in 2007 and construction began in three stages. Stage 1, from
Bugis The Bugis people, also known as Buginese, are an Austronesian ethnic groupthe most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassarese and Torajan), in the south-western province of Sula ...
to
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
stations opened in December 2013, followed by Stage 2 from Bukit Panjang to
Rochor Rochor ( or ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area located within the Central Area, Singapore, Central Area of the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Rochor shares boundaries with the following planning areas ...
stations opening in December 2015. The third and final stage, from
Fort Canning Fort Canning Hill, or simply known as Fort Canning, is a prominent hill, about high, in the southeast portion of Singapore, within the Central Area that forms Singapore's central business district. The hill has a long history intertwined wi ...
to Expo stations, opened in October 2017. At , the DTL is the longest underground and
automated Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...
rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...
line in Singapore . It utilises the Bombardier Movia C951
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
(EMU) and runs in a three-car formation. The line is set to have new stations and extensions in the 2020s and 2030s. An
infill station An infill station (sometimes in-fill station) is a train station built on an existing passenger rail, rapid transit, or light rail line to address demand in a location between existing stations. Such stations take advantage of existing train ser ...
initially constructed as part of Stage 2, Hume, began operations in February 2025. Stage 3e, a two-station extension consisting of Xilin and Sungei Bedok, is under construction and is scheduled to begin operations from the second half of 2026. By 2H 2026, it will be about long with 37 stations, and will serve more than half a million commuters daily. A two-station extension to connect with the North South Line at Sungei Kadut is also being planned and set to open in 2035.


History


Background and inception

At the official opening of the Dover station on 23 October 2001, then-Minister for Communications and Information Technology Yeo Cheow Tong announced three MRT lines, two of which―the Bukit Timah Line and the northern part of the Eastern Region Line―are part of today's DTL. The Bukit Timah Line aimed to alleviate the traffic problems along the Bukit Timah and Dunearn Road corridor, and provide a direct link to the city area for residents in
Choa Chu Kang Choa Chu Kang (), alternatively spelled Chua Chu Kang and often abbreviated as CCK, is a planning area and residential town located at the northwestern point of the West Region of Singapore. The town shares borders with Sungei Kadut to the ...
and Bukit Panjang. The proposed Eastern Region Line, slated to be a loop in the eastern regions, aimed to relieve the passenger load on the often-congested East–West Line and benefiting those living in
Tampines Tampines ( or ) is the Regional centre (Singapore), regional centre of the East Region, Singapore, East Region of Singapore. With a population of 284,560 living across its five subzones as of 2024, it is the most populous Planning Areas of Sin ...
,
Bedok Bedok ( ) is a Planning areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential town located in the geographical region of Tanah Merah, Singapore, Tanah Merah along the south-eastern coast of the East Region, Singapore, East R ...
and Marine Parade. On 14 June 2005, the
Land Transport Authority The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a Statutory boards of the Singapore Government, statutory board under the Ministry of Transport (Singapore), Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore. History Incorporation The Land Transport Au ...
(LTA) announced the Downtown Extension (renamed to "Downtown Line Stage 1"), which would serve the New Downtown at Marina Bay area, where an
integrated resort A casino hotel is an establishment consisting of a casino with temporary lodging provided in an on-premises hotel. Customers receive the benefits of both gambling facilities and lodging. Since the casino and hotel are located on the same premis ...
(
Marina Bay Sands Marina Bay Sands is a integrated resort fronting Marina Bay, Singapore, Marina Bay in Singapore and a landmark of the city. At its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world's most expensive standalone casino property at Singapore dollar, S$8&nbs ...
) and Singapore's second botanical garden (
Gardens by the Bay The Gardens by the Bay (GBTB) is an urban park spanning in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden in Marina South, Bay East ...
) were to be located. The extension, estimated to cost S$1.4 billion, was initially announced to be part of the Circle line. On 27 April 2007, then Transport Minister
Raymond Lim Raymond Lim Siang Keat ( zh, s=林双吉, p=Lín Shuāngjí, born 24 June 1959) is a Singaporean former politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), Lim was a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the East Coast Group Repr ...
announced that the Downtown Line would be built in three stages stretching with 33 stations.


Construction and opening

The line was built in 3 stages: Stage 1 of the Downtown line, stretching , started construction in January 2008 at Chinatown station, where platform provisions were built to facilitate an interchange station during the construction of the North East line. It began service on 22 December 2013, with its official inauguration made on the day before by Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong Lee Hsien Loong (born 10 February 1952) is a Singaporean politician and former military officer who served as the third Prime Minister of Singapore, prime minister of Singapore from 2004 to 2024, thereafter serving as a Senior Minister of S ...
. Stage 2, first conceptualized and announced as the Bukit Timah line on 23 October 2001, is long with 12 stations connecting Bukit Panjang and
Rochor Rochor ( or ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area located within the Central Area, Singapore, Central Area of the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Rochor shares boundaries with the following planning areas ...
stations, including four interchange stations. Construction for Stage 2 began on 3 July 2009 with a groundbreaking ceremony at Beauty World station. The line inaugurated on 27 December 2015, with free travel for all 18 stations from 27 December 2015 to 1 January 2016. Stage 3 goes from
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
to Expo. The station locations and finalised route were unveiled on 20 August 2010. Stage 3 of the Downtown line is long and serve 16 stations. The route opened on 21 October 2017, with free travel for all DTL stations on the first two days of the line completion. The line, with an estimated cost of S$12 billion, was considered the government's most ambitious rail project. The cost exceeded those of the Circle Line (at $6.7 billion) and the North East Line (at $4.6 billion). Final costs of building the line may reach an estimated about S$20.7 billion, up more than 70% from the initial estimation, due to sharp rises in construction costs and a number of changes in plans. In October 2014, it was announced that Stage 2's opening would be pushed back to the first quarter of 2016. This was because one of the main contractors for the DTL2, Alpine Bau (which was building King Albert Park,
Sixth Avenue Sixth Avenue, also known as Avenue of the Americas, is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The avenue is commercial for much of its length, and traffic runs northbound, or uptown. Sixth Avenue begins four blocks b ...
and
Tan Kah Kee Tan Kah Kee (; also spelled as Chen Jiageng; 21 October 1874 – 12 August 1961) was a Chinese businessman, investor, and philanthropist active in Singapore, Hong Kong and the Chinese cities of Shanghai, Xiamen, and Guangzhou. A prominent fig ...
), went bankrupt in mid-2013. On 28 June 2015, Transport Minister
Lui Tuck Yew Lui Tuck Yew (; born 16 August 1961) is a Singaporean diplomat, former politician and two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as List of ambassadors of Singapore to the United States, Singapore Ambassador to the United States since 2023. Pri ...
announced that the delay was "completely resolved" by the authorities and Stage 2's opening date was brought forward to 27 December 2015. The DTL 3 started operations on 21 October 2017, officially opened by Transport Minister
Khaw Boon Wan Khaw Boon Wan ( zh, s=许文远, p=Xǔ Wényuǎn, poj=Khó͘ Bûn-oán; born 8 December 1952) is a Malaysian-born Singaporean former politician who served as Minister for Transport between 2015 and 2020, Minister for National Development betw ...
. To serve the line, the Gali Batu Depot was opened in December 2015 to stable 42 trains. It is situated at part of the former Kwong Hou Sua Teochew Cemetery off Woodlands Road. Also in February that year, the Land Transport Authority announced that the capacity of the depot will be expanded to stable 81 trains by 2019. On 7 March 2019, Hume station was announced to be opened by the second quarter of 2025 to better serve Hillview residents. The station was opened on 28 February 2025, ahead of the original timeline.


Future

On 17 January 2013, plans were announced for a southern extension extending from Expo to connect with the Eastern Region line (ERL); the ERL has since been subsumed into the Thomson-East Coast line. The extension was to provide more travel options and enhance connectivity for the residents along the East Coast. The Downtown Line 3 extension (DTL3e) was finalised and announced on 15 August 2014, in conjunction with the announcement of the Thomson–East Coast line. Two stations, Xilin MRT station and Sungei Bedok MRT station, will be added to the Downtown Line, with Sungei Bedok as an interchange station with the Thomson–East Coast line. It will lengthen the line by . Expected to be completed in the second half of 2026, Stage 3e will connect the current East–West Line at Expo station and the future TEL at Sungei Bedok station. An additional extension to the Downtown Line to Sungei Kadut station from Bukit Panjang station was announced on 25 May 2019 by the LTA. The extension is set to cut down travel time to the downtown area by up to 30 minutes for those living in the northwestern area of Singapore. The extension is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s. A study will also be conducted to determine the stops to be added between the Sungei Kadut and the existing Bukit Panjang stations. On 6 December 2024, it was announced that Stage 3e will commence operation in the second half of 2026. On 6 January 2025, a extension to the future Sungei Kadut station was announced, including an additional unnamed station between Sungei Kadut station and Bukit Panjang station, slated to begin operation in 2035.


Notable incidents

A fire occurred on a maintenance locomotive which was carrying out works at Mattar station on 24 May 2024 at around 1:00 am. This resulted in the section between
Fort Canning Fort Canning Hill, or simply known as Fort Canning, is a prominent hill, about high, in the southeast portion of Singapore, within the Central Area that forms Singapore's central business district. The hill has a long history intertwined wi ...
and Mattar stations to be closed as the locomotive could not be moved until heat from its body dissipated. The fire was put out by SCDF and one staff member was conveyed to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Train services at the affected MRT stations resumed at 7:26 am after more than an hour since the start of train service.


Network and operations


Route

The Downtown line generally goes in an east–west direction from Bukit Panjang in the northwestern side of Singapore, through the downtown area of Singapore, to
Tampines Tampines ( or ) is the Regional centre (Singapore), regional centre of the East Region, Singapore, East Region of Singapore. With a population of 284,560 living across its five subzones as of 2024, it is the most populous Planning Areas of Sin ...
and the Singapore Expo in the
east East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...
. It is long and is entirely underground. Before Bukit Panjang station, there exists a brief northwards extension to the line's depot Gali Batu Depot. The line begins at the Bukit Panjang station and then goes in the southeast direction, running parallel to Upper Bukit Timah Road and along the Bukit Timah Canal through
Bukit Timah Bukit Timah ( ), often abbreviated as Bt Timah, is a planning area and residential estate located in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. Bukit Timah lies roughly from the Central Business District, bordering the Central ...
. The line then enters the central area, passing through
Little India Little India (also known as Indian Street, India Bazaar, or India Town) is an Indian people, Indian or South Asian sociocultural environment outside India or the Indian subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with a significant concentra ...
station before reaching the
Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
via
Bugis The Bugis people, also known as Buginese, are an Austronesian ethnic groupthe most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassarese and Torajan), in the south-western province of Sula ...
station. The Downtown line runs parallel to the Circle line at the
Promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...
and Bayfront stations. Passing through the
Downtown Core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with two integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buil ...
, the line interchanges with the North East line at
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
station. After Chinatown station, the line goes in a northeast direction and under the Singapore River. Between the Bencoolen and Jalan Besar stations, the line intersects itself, the first MRT line to do so. After Geylang Bahru station, the line continues in a general eastwards direction, through the industrial areas of Kampong Ubi and Kaki Bukit (briefly paralleling Ubi Avenue 2 and Kaki Bukit Avenue 1), before continuing towards the Tampines Regional Centre and goes southwards, ending at
Changi Business Park The Changi Business Park (CBP) is a business park located in Changi South, in the eastern part of Singapore. Launch In 1992, JTC Corporation had plans to make a second business park in Changi South with the first 12-hectares being completed in ...
. The DTL3 extension (DTL3e) from Expo station will extend the line further towards the Thomson–East Coast line at Sungei Bedok station.


Stations

Station codes for the line are blue, corresponding to the line's colour on the system map. Most stations have island platforms, with the exception of
Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
, Telok Ayer,
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
and MacPherson stations having side platforms whilst Stevens and
Promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...
stations having stacked side platforms. Legend List


Depots


Rolling stock

, the Downtown line has one type of rolling stock, the Bombardier MOVIA C951(A) cars, running in a three-car formation. They have been stabled at Gali Batu Depot since it opened with Stage 2 of the downtown line on 27 December 2015. For the period between the opening of Stage 1 and that of Stage 2, trains were stabled at a maintenance facility that was built at Marina Bay as part of the Circle line project. Kim Chuan Depot housed the Operations Control Centre for the Downtown Line Stage 1 until Gali Batu Depot was ready. On 12 October 2012, the first of 11 trains for the line arrived at Jurong Port. It was transported to Kim Chuan Depot to undergo testing by the LTA before it was handed over to
SBS Transit SBS Transit Ltd (abbreviation: SBS or SBST) is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporati ...
. , Bombardier had delivered five of the 11 trains for Downtown line stage 1. LTA together with the operator, SBS Transit, conducted the necessary tests to ensure safety standards, functional performance and systems compatibility requirements were met before revenue service began on 22 December 2013. Testing for Stage 2 began on 25 October 2015 and rolling stock that was delivered to Gali Batu Depot commenced service in Stage 1 on 21 October 2015, while SBS Transit slowly moved the equipment managing the DTL trains to Gali Batu Depot during non-revenue hours. Kim Chuan Depot, together with the adjacent Tai Seng Facility Building, operated in a minor capacity until Stage 3 opened. A new depot, named the East Coast Integrated Depot, is planned to provide additional stabling capacity to the line in the second half of 2026. Testing on the integration of systems of Stage 3 and the rest of the line started from 14 May 2017 till 27 August 2017.


Train control

The Downtown line is equipped with
Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...
(previously Invensys before Siemens acquisition) Trainguard Sirius
Communications-based train control Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signaling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management and infrastructure control. CBTC allows a train's position to be known more accura ...
(CBTC)
moving block In railway signalling, a moving block is a signalling block system where the blocks are defined in real time by computers as safe zones around each train. This requires both knowledge of the exact location and speed of all trains at any given t ...
signalling system with
Automatic train control Automatic train control (ATC) is a general class of train protection systems for railways that involves a speed control mechanism in response to external inputs. For example, a system could effect an emergency brake application if the driver do ...
(ATC) under
Automatic train operation Automatic train operation (ATO) is a method of operating trains automatically where the driver is not required or is required for supervision at most. Alternatively, ATO can be defined as a subsystem within the automatic train control, which pe ...
(ATO) GoA 4 (UTO). The subsystems consist of
Automatic train protection Automatic train protection (ATP) is the generic term for train protection systems that continually check that the speed of a train is compatible with the permitted speed allowed by signalling, including automatic stop at certain signal aspects ...
(ATP) to govern train speed, Controlguide Rail 9000 Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) to track and schedule trains and Trackguard Westrace MK2
Computer-based interlocking Computer-based interlocking is railway signal interlocking implemented with computers, rather than using older technologies such as relays or mechanics Mechanics () is the area of physics concerned with the relationships between force, matt ...
(CBI) system that prevents incorrect signal and track points to be set. A fall-back signalling system, relying on conventional track-circuit occupancy detection, is included to ensure fully automatic operation and train protection independent of the radio system.
Platform screen doors Platform screen doors (PSDs), also known as platform edge doors (PEDs), are used at some train, rapid transit and people mover stations to separate the platform from train tracks, as well as on some bus rapid transit, tram and light rail ...
(PSDs) along the line were installed by Westinghouse Signal (Invensys Rail Group), supplied by Faiveley. The PSDs provide safety for passengers, offering protection from arriving and departing trains.


Notes


References


External links


Downtown LineThe Downtown Line - A commemorative book by LTA detailing the construction of the DTL
{{DEFAULTSORT:Downtown MRT line Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) lines Railway lines opened in 2013 2013 establishments in Singapore Automated guideway transit