3 new MRT stations, including new interchange connecting Downtown Line and North-South Line, to open by 2035

Three new MRT stations in the north-western region of Singapore are slated to open by 2035, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Monday (Jan 6).

The train stations, currently termed DE1, DE2 and NS6, are part of the Downtown Line 2 extension (DTL2e) and will begin construction in the fourth quarter of 2025.

DTL2e will be a 4km stretch connecting the Downtown Line from its existing terminus at Bukit Panjang station to a new NS6/DE2 interchange station on the North-South Line, LTA said.

DE1 will be an underground station located along Sungei Kadut Avenue near the Rail Corridor, in close proximity to Pang Sua Fishing Deck and Yew Tee Village.

A new pedestrian link bridge will be built, extending from the station and connecting it to Pang Sua Park Connector.

DE2, also an underground station, will be an interchange connected to the new above-ground NS6 station between Kranji and Yew Tee MRT stations.

This interchange will be situated beside the Sungei Kadut Eco-District, which is undergoing developments aimed at rejuvenating the old industrial estate.

Commuters in the vicinity of these new MRT stations can expect shorter travel times.

For instance, a person travelling from Yew Tee to Chinatown will take 40 minutes via DTL2e instead of the 60 minutes by train and bus presently.

A commuter from Bukit Panjang will only need a 10-minute MRT ride instead of a 40-minute-long bus trip to get to Sungei Kadut Central, and the train journey of Marsiling residents heading to Promenade will take 45 minutes instead of 55 minutes.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat said: "We are expanding our rail network for residents in the north-western region of Singapore!

"The Downtown Line 2 extension (DTL2e) will connect Bukit Panjang station on the Downtown Line (DTL) to the North-South Line (NSL), improving connectivity and shortening travel times to the city centre."

LTA added that it has consulted with nature groups for an environmental study on DTL2e and intends to implement an environmental monitoring and management plan.

This plan is aimed at mitigating the environmental impact of the line's construction and includes a wildlife corridor along the Rail Corridor during construction. 

Relevant reports will be published on LTA's website this month for public feedback, the authority said.

With the completion of the DTL2e, the DTL will have a total of 39 stations.

This includes the upcoming Hume station that will open in the second quarter of 2025 as well as the DTL 3 extension comprising Xilin and Sungei Bedok stations that will open in the second half of 2026.

"Together with other rail network expansions over the next decade, DTL2e will bring us one step closer to our Land Transport Master Plan 2040 target of having eight in 10 households within a 10-minute walk to a train station by the 2030s," LTA said.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com