Circle Line MRT services to end early from Sundays to Wednesdays between June 15 and July 30
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Train services on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays during the June 15 to July 30 period will remain unchanged.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Esther Loi and Savanna Tai
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SINGAPORE – Train services at all Circle Line (CCL) stations will end earlier at 11pm from Sunday to Wednesday between June 15 and July 30.
This is to facilitate system renewal works ahead of the opening of Stage 6 of the line in the first half of 2026, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT on May 22.
CCL6 – which comprises the three new underground stations Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road – will close the loop between HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations.
The LTA and SMRT said train services on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays will remain unchanged.
At present, the last train departs from HarbourFront station between 11.03pm and 1.30am, and from Marina Bay station at 11.55pm.
The renewal works are required as the current integrated supervisory control system – which monitors and manages power supply, communications and station facilities on the CCL – has been in use since the opening of the line in 2009, said LTA and SMRT.
The system, which also supports communications between stations, control centres and trains, needs to be refreshed to ensure it is compatible with the new stretch of stations on CCL6.
Adjustments to service are therefore needed to provide longer engineering hours to allow safe and rigorous testing and commissioning of the new servers and equipment.
The authorities advised passengers to plan their journeys and rely on other MRT lines and bus services to reach their destinations.
Posters will be displayed at all CCL stations and other rail interchanges that connect with the CCL to alert the public to these changes. Station staff will also be deployed at affected stations to help passengers.
SMRT and the LTA said that further service adjustments will be needed, tentatively from September to December, to complete tests on the integration of the systems across the entire CCL and ensure that the CCL6 stretch is well integrated with the rest of the line.
More details about these future adjustments will be provided later.
Seeking understanding and patience from passengers, SMRT and LTA said: “These works will bring us closer to the completion of the CCL6 extension, which will enhance connectivity, shorten travel times and bring greater convenience to our commuters.”
Some passengers told The Straits Times that they will be affected by the early closure, while others said they tend not to stay out too late and will return home before train services end.
Mr Khanthen Gangadaran, who works at a fast-food chain at Nex shopping centre in Serangoon, said some of his workers’ shifts end at 11pm or 11.30pm, so they would not be able to catch the CCL trains home.
But the 31-year-old noted that they can take the bus from Serangoon Bus Interchange.
He added that it would be good if the authorities could remind passengers of these changes seven to 10 days before the early closure begins, so they can make alternative arrangements.
Junior college student Dharunya Vijayakumar said she may be affected by the early closure on days when she stays behind at school.
The 18-year-old typically travels from her school in Potong Pasir, which is on the North East Line (NEL), back to her home in Boon Lay via Serangoon station on the CCL and the Buona Vista stop on the East-West Line.
She said she can take the NEL to Outram Park station as an alternative.
Ms Kesia Lam, who works in marketing, said she ends work before 11pm and will head home before the early closure kicks in.
The 31-year-old said she will be affected only if she attends parties late at night. Then, she said, she can take a private-hire car or the North-South Line back to her Yishun home.
