Transportation Deployment Casebook/2025/Singapore MRT

Introduction

The Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system is amongst the most efficient, reliable and comprehensive rapid transit systems in the world and the second rapid transit system in South East Asia with the Manila Light Rail Transit being the first in the region.

Since its inception in 1987, The MRT system currently has 240 kilometres of tracks and 160 stations with six main lines namely the North-South line, East-West line, North-East line, Circle line, Downtown line and Thomson East Coastline. On top of the MRT lines, a total of two light rail systems namely the Bukit Panjang Line, Sengkang and Punggol Line have a total of 28 kilometres of tracks across 3 lines with 42 stations in total. The system currently serves over 6.0 million people with a daily ridership of over 3 million commuters.

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) aims to connect 8 out of 10 households within a 10 minutes’ walk to the train stations. Hence, more MRT lines will be put into operation shortly including the current Downtown Line extension to Hume station in 2025, whereas in 2026 a few new extensions would be slated to be in operation which provide for Thomson East Coast line stage 5, Downtown Line Stage 3 and Circle line stage 6 along with the RTS link connecting Woodlands to Johor Bahru, Malaysia by the end of 2026. 2027 saw the opening of the first stage of the 7th MRT of the island which is the Jurong Region Line (JRL) with the second stage slated to open in 2028 and the final stage slated for 2029 operation. However, 2030 saw the opening of the Cross Island Line (CRL) Phase 1 and the Cross Island Lime (CRL) Punggol Island and Phase 2 slated for operation in 2032 and the Downtown Line extension 2 in 2035. By then the Singapore MRT system would be 360 kilometres of rail network. 

Transportation development history of Singapore

Before the existence of the Singapore MRT, several forms of public transport systems existed on the island in the form of Steam Trams, Electric Trams and Trolley Buses which were operated for a brief period before World War II up till the early 1960s before motor buses became the mainstream mode of commuting. Motor buses were introduced to the island in 1919 by several private ethnic Chinese-owned companies that operated small seven-seater vehicles without licenses piled up on the streets recklessly waiting for passengers.

From the 1920s to the 1930s, multiple bus companies began operating within their territories setting up their route, regulation, timetables and fare system. However, in 1935 the Municipal Ordinance ruled that only certified providers would be granted a license forcing individuals to restructure into 12 companies these later came to 11 companies after World War II. The number of companies was reduced to 4 and then to 3 in the 1970s due to corruption, strikes, overcrowding, inadequate staff training, poorly maintained buses and lack of coordination between the operators where the notable ones were the Hock Lee Bus Riots in 1955.

In 1973 the issue of lack of standardisation and route duplication still persisted amongst the 3 bus operators. Hence, the government would then step in to merge these companies and form the predecessors of what was today SBS Transit which marks the start of nationalising the bus service of Singapore.

Background of the development of Singapore MRT system – Early Market Development

The idea and proposal of building a rapid transit system in Singapore was first mooted in 1967, just two years after the young island nation was separated from Malaysia by a team of city planners from the State and City Planning Project, which was established on the same year to guide the long-term physical development in Singapore where they provide a forecast and conclude that the island needs a rail transit system by1992. This proposal was later added to the Ring Concept Plan or the 1971 Concept Plan in April 1970. To study the feasibility of implementing such a system, several feasibility studies have been conducted between the 1970s to the 1980s with the help of the United Nations Development Programme and World Bank. The first study conducted between 1972 to 1974 proposed a rail-based system to alleviate congestion and to provide mobility across the island which was reiterated in the second study conducted between 1974 to 1976. The second study also highlights the cost of implementing the MRT system which comes to be at S$1.75 billion spanning two lines running north-south and east-west. However, in the third and final study conducted between 1979 to 1980, the system would the expanded to include more stations and cover more areas which brings the cost up to S$3.9 billion.

Other than the rail proposal, other alternative proposals are being proposed to the Singaporean government which are the all-bus system recommended by the Havard University team which was supported by the then finance minister Goh Keng Swee. This then evolved into a Great MRT Debate in 1980 which debated which system would Singapore likely go ahead with. Preset at the debate was Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, then Communication Minister Ong Teng Chong and then Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee. Then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew agreed to a rail-based system backed by then communication minister Ong Teng Chong that would bolster economic and social growth. The reason behind this rationale is that the 1982 Comprehensive Traffic Study shows that the all-bus proposal has some limitations due to Singapore’s limited land space.

In May 1982, the Singaporean government has given the green light to construct the initial phases of the MRT system for a total of S$5 billion for a 67km long system running in three lines- North-South line linking Yishun with Marina Bay, East-West line linking Pasir Ris with Boon Lay and a Western line linking Jurong town and Bukit Panjang with 42 stations.19 kilometres of the alignment runs underground while the remaining 48 kilometres are elevated. In August 1983, MRT Corporation took control of the project and active construction began in October of that year in phases up to January 1988 with commercial operation of the first section between Toa Payoh to Yio Chu Kang on 7 November 1987.

Technology

To implement and deliver the Singapore MRT system. Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC) has roped in several expertise in the form of a review team of seven members led by Kenneth Hansen from Havard and Indiana University during the initial planning and evaluation stages in 1980 to review the proposal prior to implementation. During the active construction phase, MRTC has also roped in expertise from MTR Hong Kong to assist in the construction and commissioning of the MRT system.

A typical Singapore MRT train serving the North South Line and East West Line

The Singapore MRT system is a modern and sophisticated metro network that serves Singapore. It consists of several high-capacity, electrified rail lines operating primarily on a steel-wheel-on-steel-rail system, ensuring smooth and efficient transport. Essential technological characteristics include:

• Driverless operation: The North East Line, Circle Line, Downtown Line and Thomson East Coast Line are fully automated (using Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) technology capable of Unattended Train Operation (UTO)), enhancing operational efficiency and reducing labour costs.
• Electrification: The MRT operates through a 750V DC third rail (for most lines) and 1500V DC overhead catenary (for North East Line), providing a reliable power supply.
• Smart Ticketing: Singapore MRT introduced an integrated fare system using the EZ Link or NETS FlashPay, which can be used in all public transit services are selected merchants and retailers. EZLink also provides one-day to five-day Singapore Travel Passes for passengers for unlimited travel in all public transport services.
• Platform Screen Doors: Installed in underground stations along with some half-height screen doors on elevated stations in recent years to improve passenger safety and the system efficiency.

The main advantages that the Singapore MRT has delivered to the city-state over the past 3 decades would be reducing congestion, improving air quality, and enhancing urban mobility by offering a fast, efficient alternative to road-based transport.

Table 1: Different systems used in all lines (Present & Upcoming).

Line	Rolling Stocks	Passengers	Maximum Speed	Method of Control	Wheels
North South Line (Red)	6-car EMU Manufacturer: Kawasaki, Siemens, CRRC Sifang, Alstom	1920	80 km/h	Formerly: Fixed Block Supervised Train Operation (STO), Currently: Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), Driverless Train Operation (DTO)	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
East West Line (Green)	6-car EMU Manufacturer: Kawasaki, Siemens, CRRC Sifang, Alstom	1920	80 km/h	Formerly: Fixed Block Supervised Train Operation (STO), Currently: Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), Driverless Train Operation (DTO)	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
North East Line (Purple)	6-car EMU Manufacturer: Alstom	1920	100 km/h	Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), Unattended Train Operation (UTO)	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
Circle Line (Yellow)	3-car EMU Manufacturer: Alstom	931	80 km/h	Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), Unattended Train Operation (UTO)	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
Downtown Line (Blue)	3-car EMU Manufacturer: Bombardier	931	80 km/h	Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), Unattended Train Operation (UTO)	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
Thomson East Cost Line (Brown)	EMU train with four carriages Manufacturer: CRRC Sifang Kawasaki	1280	90 km/h	Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), Unattended Train Operation (UTO)	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
Bukit Panjang LRT (Grey)	Automated People Mover Manufacturer: Bombardier	105 per train	55km/h	Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), Unattended Train Operation (UTO)	Rubber Tyred
Sengkang Punggol LRT (Grey)	Automated People Mover Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	105 per train	80 km/h	Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), Unattended Train Operation (UTO)	Rubber Tyred
Jurong Region Line (Teal)	EMU train with three carriages Manufacturer: Hyundai Rotem	Approximately 450 per train	80 km/h	Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), Unattended Train Operation (UTO)	Steel-wheel on steel-rail
RTS Line	EMU train with four carriages Manufacturer: CRRC Zhuzhou	Approximately 1,087 per train	80 km/h	Communication Based Train Control (CBTC), Unattended Train Operation (UTO)	Steel-wheel on steel-rail

Market

After the Singapore MRT began operating in 1987, it significantly changed travel patterns, serving over 3 million passengers daily. It mainly served passengers travelling between the island's central business districts and also to residential, commercial, and industrial hubs.

The early market segments included:

Office workers: Reduced commuting and journey time from home to workplace.

Students: Providing convenient transportation to schools and universities from home results in high student patronage.

Tourists: Linking major commercial, attraction and cultural districts promotes retail and tourism development.

The continuous expansion of MRT into more areas and planned zones in the west like Tuas and Jurong is expected to attract even more passengers in the future. Additionally, the MRT is well integrated with other public transportation modes, such as buses and light rail as well as cruises and monorail to Sentosa island has further increased travel demand and enhanced its connectivity to all corners of the island [8].

Policy

In Singapore, eating and drinking are prohibited on the trains and at the station. However, several rules are in place in the MRT system that could result in a hefty fine if one violates them. This includes S$500.00 for eating and drinking inside the trains and stations, S$1,000.00 for smoking and the most severe of all spitting, littering, damaging railway property, bringing dangerous goods and travelling on an invalid ticket would result in a S$5,000.00 penalty.

To comply with the policies enacted by the Ministry of Transport Singapore and the Public Transport Council (PTC). There are various methods of Automated fare collection for the Singapore MRT system which are distance-based fare from the ticket vending machine, fare concessionaire and Account-based ticketing where the most widely used form of this ticketing method is Ez Link. Unveiled in 2002 as an innovative cashless payment method as the successor to traditional magnetic strip cards, Ez Link offers seamless transfers from different modes of transport from MRT, and LRT to buses at a discounted rate along with purchases made at certain retail partners.  The integrated ticketing and fare policy aims to encourage the use of multimodal transport and facilitate seamless transfers between the various modes of transport.

Growth of Singapore MRT

Important timeline

Initial network (First phase)

·       1987/11/07 - North South Line (Red): Yio Chu Kang station to Toa Payoh station

·       1987/12/12 - North South Line (Red): Toa Payoh station - Outram Park station

·       1988/03/12 – Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew officially launches the MRT system

·       1988/03/13 - North South Line (Red): Outram Park station- Tiong Baru Station - Clementi station

·       1988/11/05 - East West Line (Green): Jurong East station – Lakeside station

·       1988/12/20 - North South Line (Red): Khatib station - Yishun station

·       1989/11/04 - North South Line (Red): Bugis station – Marina Bay station

·       1989/11/04 - East West Line (Green): Bugis station – Tanah Merah station

·       1989/12/16 - East West Line (Green): Simei station – Pasir Ris station

·       1990/03/10 - North South Line (Red): Jurong Each station – Chao Chu Kang station

·       1990/03/10 - East West Line (Green): Boon Lay Station opened

Singapore MRT maps as of the 1990s

Subsequent Network (Expansion projects)

·       1996/02/10 - North South Line (Red): Extension: Choa Chu Kang station – Woodlands Station

·       2001/10/18 - East West Line (Green): Extension: Clementi station - Dover station

·       2002/02/08 - East West Line (Green): Extension: Tanah Merah station – Changi Airport station

·       2003/06/20 - North East Line (Purple): Harbour Front station – Punggol station

·       2009/02/28 - East West Line (Green): Extension: Pioneer station – Joo Koon station

·       2009/05/28 - Circle Line (Yellow): Bartley station - Marymount station

·      2010/04/17 - Circle Line (Yellow): Bartley station - Dhoby Ghaut station

·       2011/10/08 - Circle Line (Yellow): Marymount station - Harbour Front station

·       2012/01/14 - Circle Line (Yellow): Marina Bay Station opened

·       2013/12/22 - Downtown Line (Blue): Bugis station - Chinatown station

·       2015/12/27 - Downtown Line (Blue): Bukit Panjang station - Rochor station

·       2017/06/18 - East West Line (Green): Tuas Extension: Gul Circle station – Tuas Link station

·       2017/10/21 - Downtown Line (Blue): Fort Canning station – Expo station

·       2020/01/31 - Thomson East Cost Line (Brown): Woodland North station – Woodland South station

·       2021/08/28 - Thomson East Cost Line (Brown): Springleaf station – Woodland South station

·       2022/11/13 - Thomson East Cost Line (Brown): Mount Pleasant station – Gardens by the Bay station

·       2024/06/23 - Thomson East Cost Line (Brown): Founders' Memoria station – Bayshore station

·       2025/02/28 - Downtown Line (Blue): Hume station opened

Singapore MRT map as of 2023 showing future lines and other services like the LRT lines

Future Network (Expansion projects)

·       2026/2H Thomson East Cost Line (Brown) – Stage 5 from Bedok South – Sungei Bedok

·       2026/2H Downtown Line (Blue) – DTL 3 extension – Xinlin Station to Bukit Bedok Station

·       2027/01 RTS Link Line opening from Woodlands station – Bukit Chagar station

·       2027 Jurong Region Line (Teal) – Stage 1 opening from Choa Chu Kang station – Tawas station

·       2028 (to be announced) - Jurong Region Line (Teal) – Stage 2 opening from Tengah station – Pandan Reservoir station

·       2029 (to be announced) - Jurong Region Line (Teal) – Stage 2 opening from Tengah station – Pandan Reservoir station

·       2030s and beyond – Cross Island Line (CRL) opening, Downtown Line (Blue) extension and TEL extension to Changi airport

Quantitative Assessment – Data Collection and Analysis

To provide a quantitative assessment to analyse the lifecycle and growth of the Singapore MRT network. The use of a three-parameter logistic function to map the growth and the lifecycle of the Singapore MRT network using the following formulae:

S(t) = Smax/[1+exp(-b(t-ti)]

The table 2 shows the travel demand for both the predicted and observed market size for the Singapore MRT system from 1995 which is the year the MRT system is in its initial form of having just 2 lines spanning 67km tracks to its current form in 2023 which already have 6 lines spanning 240km of tracks.

Table 2: Taipei MRT Travel demand

Year	Observed Market size	Predicted Market size
1995	270100	287525
1996	311100	306664
1997	332515	326879
1998	345290	348205
1999	359890	370673
2000	383202	394313
2001	390915	419149
2002	394565	445202
2003	427415	472489
2004	464820	501019
2005	482165	530797
2006	513920	561821
2007	557355	594083
2008	650430	627564
2009	650430	662241
2010	755185	698079
2011	837675	735036
2012	924150	773061
2013	957395	812094
2014	1008130	852065
2015	1047915	892897
2016	1132770	934505
2017	1139530	976795
2018	1205230	1019668
2019	1235160	1063016
2020	740418	1106730
2021	766500	1150694
2022	1001925	1194791
2023	1183695	1238902

Using the S-curves to represent the data of the passenger volume, using the life cycle model represent by the equation:

f1−f=e−at+b

where:

·       f = S(t)/K represent the fractional share of technology

·       S(t) = technology's size in year t and

·       K = final market size)

·       t = time

·       a, b = model parameters

The formula of S(t) can identify the final market size(K):

S(t)=K1+e−a(t−t0)

·       t0: midpoint year (inflection time)

Then, use the 3-parameter logistic function to analyse the data:

S(t)=K[1+exp⁡(−b(t−t0))]

The results are shown in Table 3 below:

Table 3: Excel Regression
Parameter	Value
Intercept	-151.7359388
b	0.07354158
RSQ	0.858905911
t_i=c/-b	2022.118047

Analysis the change of passengers volume

Singapore MRT Observed vs Predicted from 1995 to 2023

Early Stage (1987-1999): Initial Expansion

·       Singapore MRT began operations in November 1987 with the North South Line.

·       The early ridership growth was steady as passengers shifted from buses and private vehicles to the MRT.

·       Expansion of major lines (East West line and Woodland’s extension) led to increased connectivity and market penetration.

·       Government policies promoting transit-oriented development (TOD) development by integrating residential blocks (HBD) with food courts, void decks along with businesses like mini market and supermarkets integrated to MRT and bus stations to densify these areas thus increasing ridership.

·       Passenger volume steadily increased as new lines opened, and system reliability improved.

·       Light Rail Bukit Panjang Line opened in 1999 results in a steady growth of ridership in the North South East West MRT lines

Growth Phase (1999-2019): Network Expansion

·       Major new lines have been added such as the North East Line, Circle Line, Downtown Line.

·       Ridership saw consistent year-on-year growth along with the opening of the NEL and Punggol LRT line in the Punggol area

·       EZ Link has been introduced to provide seamless integration between several modes of public transport in Singapore

·       Newer lines being built since then are fully automated and driverless.

COVID-19 Impact and Recovery (2020-2023)

·       There is a sharp decline in ridership occurred in 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdowns such as the Circuit Breaker and travel restrictions.

·       The lowest point was observed between 2020 to 2021, when passenger numbers fell by nearly 40%, due to the circuit breaker policy.

·       Recovery began in 2022, people started to coexist with COVID-19.

·       By 2023, ridership had rebounded but remained slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels, as the pandemic changed working patterns and working from home (WFH) became more popular.

. Major disruption on the East West Line occurred on 25 September 2024 caused by an equipment falling of from one of the older fleets of trains on the service damaging track equipment near Clementi station and causing a shut down between Boon Lay and Queenstown stations up till 1 October 2024.

Future Prospects (2024 and Beyond)

·       Continued network expansion with new planned lines and extensions (e.g., extension of the DTL and TEL along with JRL CRL West Coast extension and the RTS link to Johor Bahru), which is expected to attract more passengers and tourist into Singapore

Maturity and future prospects

As the system matures and the travel demand grows, the Singapore MRT faces new challenges:

• Expanding the service into underserved suburbs in the form of the proposed Seletar and Tengah Lines that would be ready by the 2040s
• Harnessing advanced automation and big data into train maintenance and operation to provide better predictive maintenance which enhances service reliability.
• Sustainable transportation: Promoting green infrastructure such as greener station design and energy-efficient trains and stations when on newer MRT lines.

Digital service upgrades by providing real-time travel information and journey planning by utilizing the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform