Circle Line to close early most Fridays and Saturdays, start late most weekends from Sept 5 to Dec 28
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The weekends of Oct 3 to 5, Nov 28 to 30 and Dec 5 to 7 are excluded from the early closures and late openings.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
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- Circle Line (CCL) will have early closures and late openings for system integration testing until December 2025.
- Testing ensures compatibility with CCL6, comprising Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road stations.
- Commuters should plan journeys; shuttle buses available, with potential for 30 minutes of extra travel.
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SINGAPORE – Train services at all Circle Line (CCL) stations will end earlier at 11pm on Friday and Saturday and start later at 9am on Saturday and Sunday between Sept 5 and Dec 28.
This is to allow time to test the integration of systems across the MRT line before the opening of CCL Stage 6 in the first half of 2026, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the line’s operator SMRT said on Aug 12.
The weekends of Oct 3 to 5, Nov 28 to 30 and Dec 5 to 7 are excluded from these early closures and late openings, meaning that train service will operate at regular hours during these weekends.
LTA and SMRT said they had completed in July the installation of a new integrated supervisory control system after six years of works. This system monitors and manages power supply, communications and station facilities on the CCL.
The system, which also supports communications between stations, control centres and trains, needed to be refreshed to ensure it would be compatible with the new stretch of stations on CCL6.
The next phase of works can now begin, which is to carry out systems integration testing across the entire CCL. “This testing ensures reliable service can be delivered after CCL6 is completed,” said LTA and SMRT.
CCL6, which comprises three new underground stations – Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road – will close the loop between HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations.
The closures between September and December will allow for longer engineering hours, which are needed for the integration and compatibility testing to be carried out “safely and rigorously”.
LTA and SMRT advised passengers to plan their journeys and rely on other MRT lines and bus services to reach their destinations.
Affected passengers can also use shuttle bus services 36 and 37 during the late-opening period from 5am to 9am on Saturday and Sunday. These shuttles will serve most CCL stations, LTA and SMRT said.
Shuttle 36 will run between HarbourFront and Bishan stations at intervals of seven to 10 minutes. Shuttle 37 will ply the route between Bishan and Promenade stations every three to five minutes.
The shuttle buses will charge the same fares as train journeys.
Passengers “may experience up to 30 minutes of additional travel time expected due to the service adjustments”, LTA and SMRT said.
Notices will be displayed at affected stations and bus stops nearby to inform passengers of the service adjustments.
Station staff will also be on hand to assist passengers, LTA and SMRT said.
They added that they thank passengers “for their patience and understanding during these train service adjustment periods”.
The opening of CCL6 is expected to shorten travel time by up to 10 minutes, with the closed loop offering faster, more direct journeys to and through the Marina Bay area.
Passengers from areas like Paya Lebar and Mountbatten will benefit from more direct access to the Central Business District, and the HarbourFront and Kent Ridge areas, said LTA and SMRT.
Between June 15 and July 30, train services on the CCL ended earlier at 11pm from Sunday to Wednesday to facilitate works on the integrated supervisory control system.
The previous system had been in use since the opening of the line in 2009.
