12 Downtown Line stations to open in December, free
rides for limited time
SINGAPORE: There will be 12 Downtown Line stations from Bukit
Panjang to Rochor that will open on Dec 27 this year, and commuters
will get to enjoy free rides on the entire Downtown Line for a
limited time period after the opening.
Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew announced the official opening
date on Thursday (Aug 6) as he visited the Gali Batu depot. The 12
stations are: Bukit Panjang, Cashew, Hillview, Beauty World, King
Albert Park, Sixth Avenue, Tan Kah Kee, Botanic Gardens, Stevens,
Newton, Little India and Rochor.
"When opened, rides will be free on DTL1 and DTL2 for a short
period of time to encourage commuters to try out the new line and
familiarise themselves with the stations," Mr Lui said.
"I encourage residents from Bukit Panjang and Bukit Timah to
take the trains to the city to enjoy the festive lights, do some
post-Christmas shopping or attend the New Year Countdown."
The opening of Downtown Line 2 in December will also mark the
start of operations of the Gali Batu depot, which is meant to be
the main train stabling and maintenance facility for the line. The
depot also houses the line's Operation Control Centre.
The full Downtown Line is expected to open in 2017.
Mr Lui said with DTL2 and the completion of other projects such
as the Circle Line, the first stage of the Downtown Line and the
extension on the North-South Line, capacity of the rail network
would increase by 34 per cent since 2011.
"With this, we would have added 40 new stations or grown our
rail network by 34 per cent. Six in 10 households will be within a
10-minute walk to a station," he said.
The minister said capacity on existing MRT lines is also being
enhanced through the addition of new trains and the upgrading of
signalling systems. He added that reliability of train services has
also improved over the years. For example, train delays longer than
five minutes have been reduced by about 30 per cent, he said.
Mr Lui had earlier announced that public transport fares would
be reduced by up to 1.9 per cent to coincide with the opening of
the second phase of the Downtown Line.
- CNA/kk
