Downtown MRT line

The Downtown Line (DTL) is a medium-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore. 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 center. Colored blue on the rail map, the line serves 34 stations, all of which are underground. The DTL is the fifth MRT line on the network to be opened and the third line is entirely underground. It is the second MRT line to be operated by ComfortDelGro's SBS Transit after the North East Line. It also serves as an alternative to the East–West Line which runs roughly geographically parallel from Bugis 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 to Chinatown stations opened in December 2013, followed by Stage 2 from Bukit Panjang to Rochor stations opening in December 2015. The third and final stage, from Fort Canning to Expo stations, opened in October 2017. At 41.9 kilometers (26.0 mi), the DTL is the longest underground and automated rapid transit line in Singapore as of 2017. It utilizes the Bombardier Movia C951 electric multiple unit (EMU) and runs in a three-car formation.

The line will have new stations and extensions in the 2020s and 2030s. An infill station initially constructed as part of Stage 2, Hume, will begin operations in 2025. Stage 3e, a two-station extension consisting of Xilin and Sungei Bedok, is under construction and is scheduled to begin operations in 2026. By 2026, it will be about 45 kilometers (28 mi) 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 October 23, 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 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 benefit those living in Tampines, Bedok, and Marine Parade.

On June 14, 2005, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced the Downtown Extension (renamed to "Downtown Line Stage 1"), which would serve the New Downtown Marina Bay area, where an integrated resort (Marina Bay Sands) and Singapore's second botanical garden (Gardens by the Bay) were to be located. The 3.4-kilometer (2.1-mile) extension, estimated to cost S$1.4 billion, was initially announced to be part of the Circle line. On April 27, 2007, then Transport Minister Raymond Lim announced that the Downtown Line would be built in three stages stretching 40 kilometers (25 miles) with 33 stations.

Construction and opening

The construction of DTL tunnels near Clarke Quay. The diversion of the Singapore River for construction works for the tunnels between the Chinatown and Fort Canning stations was considered an engineering feat at the time.

A separate entrance for the DTL platforms for Tampines MRT station, which is not directly connected to the EWL platforms of the station.

The line was built in 3 stages: Stage 1 of the Downtown line, stretching 4.3-kilometer (2.7 mi), 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 December 22, 2013, with its official inauguration made on the day before by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Stage 2, first conceptualized and announced as the Bukit Timah line on October 23, 2001 is 16.6 kilometers (10.3 mi) long with 12 stations connecting Bukit Panjang and Rochor stations, including four interchange stations. Construction for Stage 2 began on July 3, 2009 with a groundbreaking ceremony at Beauty World station. The line was inaugurated on December 27, 2015, with free travel for all 18 stations from December 27, 2015 to January 1, 2016.

Stage 3 goes from Chinatown to Expo. The station locations and finalized route were unveiled on August 20, 2010. Stage 3 of the Downtown line is 21 kilometers (13 mi) long and serves 16 stations. The route opened on October 21, 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 S$20.7 billion, up more than 70% from the initial estimation, due to sharp rises in construction costs and several changes in plans.: 19 

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 and Tan Kah Kee), went bankrupt in mid-2013. On June 28, 2015, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew announced that the delay was "completely resolved" by the authorities and Stage 2's opening date was brought forward to December 27, 2015. The DTL 3 started operations on October 21, 2017, officially opened by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

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.

Future

On January 17, 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 finalized and announced on August 15, 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 2.2 km (1.4 mi). Expected to be completed in 2026, Stage 3e will connect the current East–West Line at Expo station and the future TEL at Sungei Bedok station.

On March 7, 2019, Hume station was announced to be opened by 2025 to better serve Hillview residents. An additional extension to the Downtown Line to Sungei Kadut station from Bukit Panjang station was announced on May 25, 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 December 6, 2024, it was announced that Hume station will be opening in Q2 2025 and Stage 3e will commence operation in the second half of 2026. On January 6, 2025, a 4 km (2.5 mi) 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 that was carrying out works at Mattar station on 24 May 2024 at around 1:00 am. This resulted in the section between Fort Canning and Mattar stations being 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

Geographically accurate map of the Downtown MRT line.

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 and the Singapore Expo in the east. It is 41.9 kilometres (26.0 mi) 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. The line then enters the central area, passing through Little India station before reaching the Central Business District via Bugis station. The Downtown line runs parallel to the Circle line at the Promenade and Bayfront stations. Passing through the Downtown Core, the line interchanges with the North East line at Chinatown 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 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 color on the system map. Most stations have island platforms, with the exception of Downtown, Telok Ayer, Chinatown, and MacPherson stations having side platforms whilst Stevens and Promenade stations have stacked side platforms.

The initial LED Dynamic Route Map Display (DRMD) system on DTL trains that was in use from 2013 to 2024.

The current LCD DRMD which has since replaced the former (bottom).

Downtown Line stations timeline

Date	Project	Description
December 22, 2013	Stage 1	Bugis–Chinatown
December 27, 2015	Stage 2	Bugis–Bukit Panjang
October 21, 2017	Stage 3	Chinatown–Expo
February 28, 2025	Hume Station	Hume station between Hillview and Beauty World
2026	Stage 3 Extension	Expo–Sungei Bedok
2035	Stage 2 Extension	DE1–Sungei Kadut

Legend

Elevated	Line terminus	Transfer outside paid area
Ground-level	Wheelchair accessible	Bus interchange
Underground	Civil Defense Shelter	Other transportation modes

List

Station code	Station name	Images	Interchange; Adjacent transportation	Opening	Cost
DT 1–BP 6	Bukit Panjang		Bukit Panjang LRT   ―  Bukit Panjang	December 27, 2015	S$452.4 million
DT 2	Cashew		—		S$431 million
DT 3	Hillview
DT 4 Infill station	Hume			February 28, 2025	S$259.538 million
DT 5	Beauty World		Beauty World	December 27, 2015	S$339.88 million
DT 6CR 15	King Albert Park		Cross Island Line  (2032)		S$574.7 million
DT 7	Sixth Avenue		—
DT 8	Tan Kah Kee				S$572 million
DT 9CC 19	Botanic Gardens		Circle Line		S$378.2 million
DT 10TE 11	Stevens		Thomson–East Coast Line
DT 11—NS 21	Newton	File:DT11 Newton MRT platforms 20201209 134913.jpg	North–South Line		S$356 million
DT 12NE 7	Little India	File:2016-04-03 Little India MRT Station 05.jpg	North East Line		S$803.3 million
DT 13	Rochor	File:DT13 Rochor MRT platforms 20211229 105710.jpg	—
DT 14EW 12	Bugis	File:DT14 Bugis Platform B with escalator.jpg	East–West Line	December 22, 2013	S$582 million
DT 15CC 4	Promenade	File:DT15 Promenade MRT Platform C 20200902 142627.jpg	Circle Line   —  Marina Centre		S$231 million
DT 16CE 1	Bayfront	File:DT16 Bayfront MRT Platform A 20201201 151306.jpg	Circle Line Extension		S$463 million
DT 17	Downtown	File:DT17 Downtown MRT Platform B 20201201 160246.jpg	—		S$230.3 million
DT 18	Telok Ayer	File:DT18 Telok Ayer MRT Platform A 20210310 153836.jpg			S$224.9 million
DT 19NE 4	Chinatown	File:DT19 Chinatown MRT Platform C 20201017 150017.jpg	North East Line		S$160.3 million
DT 20	Fort Canning	File:DT20 Fort Canning station.jpg	—	October 21, 2017	S$255.05 million
DT 21	Bencoolen	File:DT21 Bencoolen station.jpg			S$177.58 million
DT 22	Jalan Besar	File:DT22 Jalan Besar station.jpg			S$171.46 million
DT 23	Bendemeer	File:DT23 Bendemeer station.jpg			S$215.24 million
DT 24	Geylang Bahru	File:DT24 Geylang Bahru Platform.jpg			S$123 million
DT 25	Mattar	File:DT25 Mattar station.jpg			S$199.85 million
DT 26CC 10	MacPherson	File:DT26 MacPherson station Platform C 20200911 171940.jpg	Circle Line		S$188 million
DT 27	Ubi	File:DT27 Ubi station.jpg	—		S$161.71 million
DT 28	Kaki Bukit	File:DT28 Kaki Bukit station.jpg			S$93.8 million
DT 29	Bedok North	File:DT29 Bedok North station.jpg			S$480.38 million
DT 30	Bedok Reservoir	File:DT30 Bedok Reservoir station.jpg			S$196.46 million
DT 31	Tampines West	File:DT31 Tampines West station.jpg			S$226.92 million
DT 32–EW 2	Tampines	File:DT32 Tampines MRT Platform A 20200919 171156.jpg	East–West Line  ―  Tampines  Tampines Concourse		S$118.5 million
DT 33	Tampines East	File:DT33 Tampines East station.jpg	—		S$208.52 million
DT 34	Upper Changi	File:DT34 Upper Changi station.jpg			S$256.98 million
DT 35CG 1	Expo	File:DT35 Expo station.jpg	EWL Changi Airport Branch Line  (until 2040)   Thomson–East Coast Line  (after 2040)		S$211.35 million
Stage 3 Extension (under construction, to be ready by 2026)
DT 36	Xilin	File:DT36 Xilin MRT station construction 20210410 172220.jpg	—	2026	S$833.6 million
DT 37TE 31	Sungei Bedok	File:DT37 TE31 Sungei Bedok under construction 20201114 190055.jpg	Thomson–East Coast Line  (2026)		S$418 million
Stage 2 Extension (under planning, to be ready by 2035)
DE 1	DE1		—	2035	TBA
DE 2NS 6	Sungei Kadut		North–South Line  (2035)

Depots

Number	Depot name; Lines	Location	Images	Line-specific stabling capacity	Cost	Opening
1	Gali Batu	Sungei Kadut	File:DTL Gali Batu MRT Depot (1).jpg	81 trains	S$410 million	December 27, 2015
2	Tai Seng	Hougang		18 trains	S$81.5 million	October 21, 2017
3	East Coast   EWL   TEL	Changi		66 trains	S$1.99 billion	2026

Rolling stock

As of 2011, 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. As of 28 February 2013, 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 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 (previously Invensys before Siemens acquisition) Trainguard Sirius Communications-based train control (CBTC) moving block signaling system with Automatic train control (ATC) under Automatic train operation (ATO) GoA 4 (UTO). The subsystems consist of Automatic train protection (ATP) to govern train speed, Control guide Rail 9000 Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) to track and schedule trains and Trackguard Westrace MK2 Computer-based interlocking (CBI) system that prevents incorrect signal and track points to be set.

A fall-back signaling 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 (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.