SINGAPORE - Leaders and members of Singapore's Inter Religious Organisation were hosted to a private ride on the new Downtown Line 2 (DTL2) on Thursday morning (Dec 17).

They were joined by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who posted a photograph of the visit on his Facebook page.

"They were thoughtful and compassionate to use the occasion to jointly pray for peace and happiness for mankind, and specifically for Singapore, safety and progress beyond SG50, as well as successful transformation of our public transport system," Mr Khaw wrote.

The 12-station, 16.6km DTL2 will open officially on Dec 27. It will start from Bukit Panjang, and pass through the Bukit Timah corridor towards Rochor, before connecting to the Downtown Line 1 at Bugis station.

Travel time for commuters is expected to be cut by up to 40 per cent with the new line. For example, a trip from Bukit Panjang to Bugis, which now takes about 50 minutes, will be slashed to 30 minutes.