Normal MRT service on CCL to resume on April 10; shorter rail service on weekends till May 17

SINGAPORE – Regular MRT service on the Circle Line (CCL) will resume on April 10, as tunnel strengthening works have been completed ahead of the original April 19 end date.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) had said on March 26 that work to reinforce tunnels between Mountbatten, Dakota and Paya Lebar stations would finish early, as teams became more familiar with the complex processes and saved time.

Four peak-period shuttle bus services plying the affected stretches will continue to run at reduced frequencies from April 10 to April 13, when the services will end.

From April 11, passengers will face shorter weekend service hours for just over a month to allow testing ahead of the opening of the CCL’s final three stations.

Final system integration testing will begin to prepare for the sixth and final stage of the CCL, which will close the loop between HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations and is slated to open in mid-2026.

To facilitate this, train services on the entire CCL will end earlier at 11pm on Saturdays and start later at 9am on Sundays from April 11 to May 17. This is about an hour earlier on Saturdays and up to three hours later on Sundays.

Shuttle bus services will run from 5am to 9am on Sundays. Shuttle 36 will operate between HarbourFront and Bishan at intervals of seven to 10 minutes, and Shuttle 37 between Bishan and Promenade every three to five minutes.

Passengers will pay the same fares for the shuttle buses as for the MRT but may face up to 30 minutes of additional travel time, said LTA.

The early closure and late opening will provide the engineering hours needed for safe and rigorous testing, LTA added, noting that tests could begin only after the tunnel strengthening works were completed.

Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow had said in March that a “fixed date” for the opening of CCL Stage 6 will be given during or after the testing period.

LTA said the extension will improve connectivity, with three new underground stations – Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road.

Since Jan 17, tunnel works have led to longer waits between trains.

Services have been running on a single platform at 10-minute intervals between Mountbatten, Dakota and Paya Lebar, longer than the usual three minutes. On the 20-station stretch between HarbourFront and Paya Lebar, peak-hour intervals had increased from two to three minutes, while intervals between Mountbatten and Dhoby Ghaut and Marina Bay had risen from six to 10 minutes.

The reinforcement works were needed as tunnels in the affected stretch were built in soft marine clay, making them more prone to deformation. Minor defects such as water leaks had already appeared, and more than 300 steel rings were being added to strengthen the tunnels.