The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system is a rapid transit system in Singapore and the country's principal mode of transport. Owned by the Land Transport Authority, the system spans and has six lines: the NorthâÂÂSouth Line (NSL), EastâÂÂWest Line (EWL), North East Line (NEL), Circle Line (CCL), Downtown Line (DTL), and ThomsonâÂÂEast Coast Line (TEL). The MRT has two operators: SMRT Trains and SBS Transit. SMRT operates the NSL, EWL, CCL, and TEL, whilst SBS operates the NEL and DTL. Two MRT lines â the Jurong Region Line (JRL) and the Cross Island Line (CRL) â are under construction or planning. As of 2025, the MRT serves 3.49 million passengers a day.
As of March 2026, there are 143 stations in operation, all of which are wheelchair accessible. Some MRT stations are public civil defence shelters, which protect occupants from attacks during a wartime emergency. Additionally, all NEL, CCL, DTL, and TEL stations in operation, as well as two NSL stations, have public artworks as part of the Art in Transit programme. With 35 stations, the EWL starts from Pasir Ris and terminates at Tuas Link. At Tanah Merah station, the line splits into a branch service, the Changi Branch (CG); the CG service goes from Tanah Merah to Changi Airport stations. The NSL, with 27 stations, starts from Jurong East and terminates at Marina South Pier. The NEL, serving 17 stations, starts from HarbourFront and terminates at Punggol Coast. The CCL serves 30 stations, and goes from Dhoby Ghaut to HarbourFront. The line also has a branch service, the Circle Line Extension (CE), which goes from Promenade to Marina Bay; trains on this service start from HarbourFront and terminate at Marina Bay during peak hours, though during non-peak hours, trains go from Marina Bay and Stadium as a shuttle train service. The DTL starts from Bukit Panjang and terminates at Expo, serving 35 stations. With 27 stations, the TEL goes from Woodlands North to Bayfront stations.
There are six standalone terminal stations, 20 interchange stations, and six stations that are both terminal and interchange stations. 25 stations are connected to bus interchanges, whilst four stations interchange with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. Changi Airport station offers connections to Changi Airport Terminals 2 and 3, and Marina South Pier and HarbourFront stations have connections to ferry services; HarbourFront is also connected with the Singapore Cable Car and Sentosa Express. There are four non-operational stations planned for operations in the future, which are Bukit Brown on the CCL as well as Marina South, Mount Pleasant, and Tagore on the TEL. 42 stations are under construction; of these, Bahar Junction is the only station designated as an interchange, whilst three stations â Aviation Park, Pandan Reservoir, and Peng Kang Hill â are terminal stations. Three stations â Jurong Pier, Sungei Bedok, and West Coast â are both interchange and terminal stations. Riviera station on the CRL will be connected with the station's LRT station. Five stations are under planning; two stations, Changi Terminal 5 and Sungei Kadut, will be terminal and interchange stations, respectively. The former will also be connected to Changi Airport Terminal 5.
Plans for a national rail transport system were conceptualised in a study by the Singapore government and United Nations Development Programme in 1971, which hypothesised that the country would need such a system by 1992. Various studies on the feasibility of a rapid transit system were conducted between 1972 to 1980, with some experts opposing the idea and arguing that Singapore's bus system should be further expanded. The government approved the MRT's construction in 1982, and the system opened on 7 November 1987 with five stations from Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh. Between 1987 and 1988, 20 stations commenced operations, which included nine stations from Novena to Outram Park on 12 December 1987, six stations from Tiong Bahru to Clementi on 12 March 1988, three stations from Jurong East to Lakeside on 5 November 1988, and Khatib and Yishun stations on 20 December 1988. However, with the opening of Marina Bay station and nine stations from Bugis to Tanah Merah on 4 November 1989, the MRT system split into two lines: the NorthâÂÂSouth Line (NSL), which went from Yishun to Marina Bay, and the EastâÂÂWest Line (EWL), which went from Tanah Merah to Lakeside. On 16 December 1989, a three station extension on the EWL from Simei to Pasir Ris opened. A new line, the Branch Line, opened on 10 March 1990, and consisted of four stations from Jurong East to Choa Chu Kang. With the opening of Boon Lay station on 6 July 1990, the initial MRT system was completed.
Six stations on the NSL's Woodlands Extension, from Sembawang to Yew Tee, opened on 10 February 1996. That same year, the four stations on the Branch line became part of the NSL. Between 2001 to 2002, three stations on the EWL opened, including Dover as an infill station on 18 October 2001 and Expo and Changi Airport on the EWL's Changi Branch; the latter two opened on 10 January 2001. On 20 June 2003, most of the North East Line (NEL), which consisted of 14 stations from HarbourFront to Punggol, opened; two stations, Buangkok and Woodleigh, later opened as infill stations on 15 January 2006 and 20 June 2011, respectively. On 28 February 2009, the EWL was extended to Joo Koon and Pioneer stations. Various stages of the Circle Line (CCL) opened from 2009 to 2012, which included five stations from Marymount to Bartley on 28 May 2009, 11 stations from Tai Seng to Dhoby Ghaut on 17 April 2010, 12 stations from Caldecott to HarbourFront on 8 October 2011, and the Circle line Extension to Marina Bay on 14 January 2012, which included Bayfront station. The Downtown Line (DTL) also opened in various stages between 2013 to 2017, which included six stations from Bugis to Chinatown on 22 December 2013, 12 stations from Bukit Panjang to Rochor on 27 December 2015, and 16 stations from Fort Canning to Expo on 21 October 2017. From 2014 to 2019, several new stations opened on existing lines, including the NSL extension to Marina South Pier on 23 November 2014, four stations from Gul Circle to Tuas Link on the EWL on 18 June 2017, and Canberra on 2 November 2019 as an infill station on the NSL. From 2020 to 2024, 27 stations on the ThomsonâÂÂEast Coast Line (TEL) opened for services, including three stations from Woodlands North to Woodlands South on 31 January 2020, six stations from Springleaf to Caldecott, 11 stations from Stevens to Gardens by the Bay, and seven stations from Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore. The NEL extended to Punggol Coast on 10 December 2024, and Hume station opened on the DTL as an infill station on 28 February 2025.
Six stations are expected to open in 2026. In the middle of 2026, Cantonment, Keppel, and Prince Edward Road stations on the CCL will start operations, and will "close" the CCL's loop. In the second half of the year, the DTL and TEL will be extended to interchange with other in Sungei Bedok; Bedok South on the TEL and Xilin on the DTL will open at the same time. Also on the TEL, Founders' Memorial station will open at the end of 2028. There are two upcoming lines on the MRT: the Jurong Region Line (JRL) and Cross Island Line (CRL). 24 stations on the JRL are under construction, and will commence operations in various stages from 2028 to 2029, which includes 17 stations in 2028 and seven stations in 2029. As for the CRL, 21 stations under construction will also commence operations in various stages between 2030 and 2032, including 12 stations in 2030, six stations in 2032, and a branch service from Pasir Ris to Punggol consisting of three stations in 2032. Five stations under planning are expected to open around the mid-2030s, which are Brickland on the NSL in 2034, Changi Terminal 5 on the TEL and CRL in the mid-2030s, JS2A on the JRL, and DE1 on the DTL and Sungei Kadut on the NSL and DTL; the last two are expected to open in 2035.