SINGAPORE - Trips on the Downtown Line have increased by more than 50 per cent since the opening of Downtown Line 3 (DTL3) a little over three months ago, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Saturday (Feb 10).

The number of daily weekday rides on the Downtown Line increased from 300,000 to 470,000 following the opening of the 16-station extension in October last year, said the authority.

The LTA added that the 42km-long line is expected to see more than half a million rides daily by the end of the year.

This is about 16 per cent of the 3.1 million rides taken on the MRT network here daily.

During its official opening in October, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan described Downtown Line 3 as a game-changer for those living in the east, noting that it significantly cut down travel time for residents.

For example, a journey from Tampines East to Telok Ayer now takes 34 minutes, compared with 52 minutes previously.

Downtown Line 3, stretching from Fort Canning to Expo, has also doubled the number of households in Bedok and Tampines within walking distance of an MRT station.

In Bedok, the number of households within 10 minutes' walk of a station has increased from 32 per cent to 63 per cent, with the opening of the line.

In Tampines, where there are now five MRT stations - Tampines, Tampines East and Tampines West on the Downtown Line, and Tampines and Simei on the East-West Line - the proportion has increased from 39 per cent to 79 per cent.

The LTA said that with DTL3, 64 per cent of households across Singapore are now within 10 minutes' walk of a station. In a Facebook post on Saturday, Mr Khaw said this is one step closer to the goal of eight in 10 households by 2030.