COMMUTERS who ride the new Circle Line (CCL) will pay the same fares as that on the North-east Line (NEL), the Public Transport Council (PTC) announced on Thursday.

The fares range from 73 cents to more than $2, depending on distance, and cost five to 25 cents more than fares on the north-south and east-west lines.

Commuters can also look forward to an earlier opening date of the first five stations of the CCL.

They will open on May 28 instead of May 30 as previously announced.

The five stations are Serangoon, Bishan, Marymount, Bartley and Lorong Chuan.

Serangoon and Bishan are interchanges for the north-east line and north-south line respectively.

The Circle Line, an orbital rail line, will help commuters transfer between existing lines quickly.

Ridership for the five stations are expected to hit 55,000 trips a day, said the PTC.

When they open, more than 31,000 train trips a week will be made with lower fares.

These commuters will pay five to 77 cents less as they will travel shorter distances by making use of the Circle Line, said the PTC.