Keppel, Cantonment, Prince Edward Road MRT stations on Circle Line to open on July 12

SINGAPORE – The three remaining stations that will close the loop between HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations on the Circle Line (CCL) will begin operations on July 12, said Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow.

He made the announcement on the evening of May 14 after a Lasalle College of the Arts graduate fashion show at Cantonment station, one of the three new stops.

The other two new stations are Keppel and Prince Edward Road, and they make up the sixth and final stage of the CCL.

Ahead of the opening, the public can preview and ride free of charge between the three stations on July 4, from 9.30am to 9pm, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on May 14.

Mr Siow said the new stretch is undergoing final system tests and integration, and the opening of the stations will bring the CCL Stage 6 project to completion.

Announced in 2015, the 4km stretch was originally slated to be operational in 2025, but was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was then scheduled to open in the first half of 2026, before the timeline was revised to mid-2026, as tunnel strengthening work on the line needed to be completed before remaining work on the final stage could resume.

The sixth stage of the CCL, which is run by operator SMRT, is expected to shorten travelling times and give commuters alternative routes that bypass the busy City Hall and Raffles Place interchanges.

With its completion, the line will have 33 stations and span 39km. Twelve of the stations are interchanges.

LTA said passengers will have shorter travelling times between western areas of Singapore, such as Pasir Panjang and Kent Ridge, and the city centre and parts of the east, like Paya Lebar.

For example, a commute from Telok Blangah to Marina Bay now requires transfers between the CCL, North East Line and North-South Line. The completion of the new stations removes the need for transfers and will cut about 10 minutes of travelling time.

Keppel station, located in Keppel Road, will serve future homes and commercial developments in the Greater Southern Waterfront, and improve access to business hubs nearby, such as the Keppel Distripark.

The station has vent shafts – which move air in and out of confined spaces – inspired by the iconic cable cars in HarbourFront.

Cantonment station, located underneath the old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, will serve areas such as the Spottiswoode Park estate and Everton Road. Parts of the old railway station’s design have been integrated into the MRT station, such as at the platform, which features a curved ceiling and large paintings adorning the walls.

Prince Edward Road station will improve rail connectivity for workers and visitors in Shenton Way.

The station’s design draws inspiration from the area’s maritime history, particularly Singapore’s old waterfront and the seafaring communities that once shaped the Republic’s development.

Mr Adrian Loo, 29, a resident of Spottiswoode Park, which is near Cantonment station, said that once the new stations begin operations, he will have an easier time travelling across the island.

“The stations close by all have multiple lines operating, and now that we are all connected, it is going to be easy to get to wherever I need to, instead of having to travel farther out and transferring,” said Mr Loo, who works in information technology.

The CCL, which opened in 2009, started with five stations: Bartley, Serangoon, Lorong Chuan, Bishan and Marymount.

From April 11 to May 17, 2026, the line is operating shorter weekend service hours as final system integration testing is being done before the opening of the three new stations.

On Saturdays, train services end earlier at 11pm, while they start later at 9am on Sundays. This means the line’s operations end about an hour earlier on Saturdays, and start about three hours later on Sundays.

On April 13, new trains began plying the line.

Featuring orange exteriors, the third-generation Alstom Metropolis C851E trains have more colourful cabins, as well as updated route maps that include the three new stations.

The new trains are equipped with upgraded monitoring systems that can track their individual conditions, equipment performance, and track conditions.

At the Lasalle fashion show on May 14, the platform of Cantonment station was converted into a runway where models showed off the works of graduating students from the college’s fashion programme.