SINGAPORE - Commuters transferring between train lines at two interchange stations on the upcoming Downtown Line 2 (DTL2) will have to exit and re-enter fare gantries.

This will be a first for Singapore's rail network.

At Newton MRT, commuters arriving on the DTL2 will have to tap out of the fare gantries and walk through a 56m public linkway before tapping in again to the North-South Line (NSL).

As long as the transfer is made within 15 minutes, commuters will be charged for a single journey.

This is because the underground link between the NSL and DTL2 is a 24-hour public underpass under Scotts Road, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Tuesday (Dec 1).

A similar tapping out and re-tapping in will be needed for transfers between the DTL2 and LRT systems at Bukit Panjang.

Having separate paid areas will allow an existing link bridge to continue to be used when trains are not in operation, LTA said.

The 12-station, 16.6km DTL2 will open on Dec 27, connecting commuters in Bukit Panjang and Bukit Timah directly to the city.