Singapore MRT Map

Mass Rapid Transit Map (Singapore)

The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT (Simplified Chinese: 大众快速交通 or more commonly known as 地铁; Malay: Sistem Pengangkutan Gerak Cepat; Tamil: சிங்கை துரிதக் கடவு ரயில்) is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang and Toa Payoh, opened in 1987 establishing itself as the second-oldest metro system in Southeast Asia, after Manila's LRT System. The network has since grown rapidly as a result of Singapore's aim of developing a comprehensive rail network as the main backbone of the public transport system in Singapore with an average daily ridership of 1.564 million in FY07/08, about half of the bus network's 2.969 million in the same period.^[1]

The MRT has 64 operating stations with 109.4 kilometres of lines and operates on standard gauge. The rail lines have been constructed by the Land Transport Authority, a department of the government of Singapore, which allocates operating concessions to the profit-based corporations SMRT Corporation and SBS Transit. These operators also run bus and taxi services, thus ensuring that there is a full integration of public transport services. The MRT is complemented by the regional Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems that link MRT stations with HDB public housing estates.^[2] Services operate from about 5:30 am and usually end before 1 a.m. daily with frequencies of approximately three to eight minutes, and services extended during festive periods.^[3]

Since 1987, the Land Transport Authority has been expanding the system in order to connect every neighbourhood/region in Singapore. The North-South MRT Line, East-West MRT Line and North-East MRT Line are operational. The Circle MRT Line and Downtown MRT Line are under construction. Construction schedules for the Thomson MRT Line and Eastern Region MRT Line have been announced.