THREE new MRT stations in the north-west of Singapore will create a new connection between the Downtown Line (DTL) and North-South Line (NSL), upon completion in 2035.
Two of the new stations will form the yet unnamed DE2/NS6 interchange, at the junction of Sungei Kadut Central and Sungei Kadut Street 2.
The new interchange comprises the underground DE2, which will become the new terminus for the DTL, and the above-ground NS6 between the existing NSL stations NS5 Yew Tee and NS7 Kranji.
This will be the second interchange between these lines, after NS21/DT 11 Newton interchange.
The third new station, DE1, will be located along Sungei Kadut Avenue. This lies between DE2 and the current terminus of the DTL, DT1 Bukit Panjang.
Spanning 4 km, the new stations consist of the Downtown Line 2 extension. This will improve transport connectivity to existing and new growth areas such as Yew Tee Village and the future Sungei Kadut Eco-District, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) at a media briefing on Monday (Jan 6).
No new land acquisitions were required as the stations will be built on JTC land. Construction will begin in the fourth quarter of 2025 after all existing tenant leases have expired. LTA did not elaborate on the cost of the extension.
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The extension provides alternative ways – besides the current NSL and Thomson-East Coast Line – for commuters in the north-west to travel to the city centre, cutting travel times by as much as half an hour.
For example, the train ride from Yew Tee Village to Chinatown will take 40 minutes, down from one hour by train and bus. A commute from Bukit Panjang to Sungei Kadut Central will take 10 minutes by train, compared with 40 minutes by bus.
Closer to the opening of the stations, key stakeholders will submit names to be chosen by the Street and Building Names Board.
LTA said that an environmental monitoring and management plan will be carried out to minimise the impact of the construction. This includes a wildlife corridor along the Rail Corridor and monitoring of sensitive habitats by ecologists.
It added that an environmental study conducted with the consultation of nature groups for the Downtown Line 2 extension has been completed and will be published on its website on Monday.
Separately, the DTL is also getting the new Hume station between Hillview and Beauty World, scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2025.
Under the Downtown Line 3 extension in the east, Xilin and Sungei Bedok stations will open in the second half of 2026. Altogether, the DTL will have a total of 39 stations in 2035.
The DTL is operated by SBS Transit, a subsidiary of ComfortDelgro. The NSL is operated by SMRT Trains, a subsidiary of SMRT.
