SINGAPORE- More commuters are using the Downtown Line (DTL), following the opening of its second stage (DTL2) in December last year- a 16.6km, 12-station stretch linking to the north-western parts of the island.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that average daily weekday ridership has near tripled from 83,000 in October 2015, before the DTL2 opened, to more than 250,000 as of mid-July this year.

"It is likely that more commuters have shifted from driving to taking the DTL," the LTA also said in a press release on Wednesday (July 27).

According to the authority, the average number of journeys on public transport on weekdays along the DTL corridor has increased by about 60 per cent, compared to before the DTL2 was opened.

Journeys on public transport include bus or train rides, or a combination of both to reach a destination.

The DTL2 has also helped to reduce the passenger load on other MRT Lines.

"For example, the number of commuters travelling on the North-South Line along Bukit Batok-Jurong East, and on the East-West Line along Jurong East-Clementi, has decreased up to 10 per cent during the morning peak hours," the LTA said.

Commuters living along the DTL corridor who used to take the bus are now also hopping onto the train instead.

This had led to bus journeys plying along the DTL corridor becoming smoother, with speeds improving by up to 6 per cent during peak periods, the LTA added.

"This could be due to fewer boarding and alighting passengers, and hence shorter dwell time at bus stops," the LTA said.

On the other hand, feeder bus services that bring commuters to DTL stations, such as Services 920 and 922 in Bukit Panjang, have seen an increase in ridership, the authority added.