Type Rapid transit | Services 1 | |
 | ||
System Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) Status Operational (Stages 1 & 2)
Under testing (Stage 3)
Under construction (DTL3e) Termini Bukit Panjang
Chinatown
Expo (2017)
Sungei Bedok (2024) Stations 18 (Operational)
16 (Under Testing)
2 (Under Construction) | ||
The Downtown Line (DTL) is the fifth Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The 4.3-kilometre (2.7 mi), Stage 1 section of the line opened in 22 December 2013. Stage 2 began operations in 27 December 2015. Stage 3 is due to be opened by end-2017, while stage 3e to be completed in 2024. The line will connect the North-Western and Central-Eastern regions to the downtown of Singapore.
Contents
The Downtown Line currently interchanges with the North East Line at Chinatown and Little India, with the East West Line at Bugis, with the Circle Line at Bayfront, Promenade and Botanic Gardens, with the North South Line at Newton, and with the Bukit Panjang LRT at Bukit Panjang. Future extensions of the Downtown Line will interchange with the East West Line at Tampines and Expo, with the Circle Line at MacPherson, and with the Thomson-East Coast Line at Stevens and Sungei Bedok.
This line is the third in Singapore to be entirely underground. When fully completed, the line will be about 44 km (27 mi) long with 36 stations and will serve more than half a million commuters daily. It will also be the longest driverless rapid transit line in Singapore, surpassing the record set by the Circle Line. Travelling from one end to the other will take around 70 minutes. Travelling from Expo to Bukit Panjang is better by changing at Tanah Merah and Bugis. The line is coloured blue in the rail map.
The Downtown Line intersects itself at the junction of Bencoolen Street and Rochor Canal Road, near Sim Lim Square. However, there is no interchange station at the intersection.
History
On 14 June 2005, the Land Transport Authority announced the Downtown Extension of the Circle Line to serve the Downtown at Marina Bay area, where an integrated resort (Marina Bay Sands) and Singapore's second botanical garden (Gardens by the Bay) was to be located. The 3.4-kilometre fully underground line was estimated to cost S$1.4 billion. Construction of the extension began in January 2008. During the construction of the North East Line at Chinatown station, platform provisions were built to facilitate an interchange station. In August 2011, SBS Transit won the bid and was appointed to be the operator of the Downtown Line, under a new framework which would see the authority remaining the owner of the line.
Stage 1 of the Downtown Line began service on 22 December 2013, with its official inauguration made on the day before by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Stage 2 of the Downtown Line was first conceptualized and announced as the Bukit Timah Line. It was supposedly a 20-kilometre line that would connect the new downtown with the Bukit Panjang, Upper Bukit Timah and Bukit Timah corridor, alleviating the heavy traffic travelling along the sector, but a full route was released. Provisions were provided at Nicoll Highway station which would have seen the line terminating there and interchanging with the Circle Line. However, the Nicoll Highway collapse and subsequent feasibility works and deemed the old station unusable. The former Downtown Extension of the Circle Line was subsequently amalgamated into the Downtown Line and was revamped as part of Stage 1, a 4.3-kilometre (2.7 mi), 6 station segment connecting Chinatown to Bugis stations. Stage 2 is now 16.6-kilometre (10.3 mi) long , consisting of twelve stations, including three interchange stations.
Construction for Stage 2 began on 3 July 2009 with a groundbreaking ceremony at Beauty World Station and became operational on 27 December 2015.
Stage 3 of the Downtown Line consists of the original Eastern Region Line that was announced in 2001. The route goes from Chinatown to Expo. The station locations and finalized route were unveiled on 20 August 2010. Stage 3 of the Downtown line will be 21-kilometre (13 mi) long and serve 16 stations. It is expected to be completed by end-2017.
To serve the line, the Gali Batu Depot was opened in December 2015 to stable 42 trains. It is situated at part of the former Kwong Hou Sua Teochew Cemetery off Woodlands Road. Also in February that year, the Land Transport Authority announced that the capacity of the depot will be expanded to stable 81 trains by 2019.
Final costs of building the line may reach an estimated about S$20.7 billion, up more than 70% from an initial estimation of S$12 billion. In January 2013, plans for a southern extension which will run from Expo through the East Coast area, interchanging with the Eastern Region Line were announced for completion by 2025.
DTL3e was announced on 15 August 2014, in conjunction with the announcement of the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line. Two stations, Xilin MRT Station and Sungei Bedok MRT Station will be added to the Downtown Line, with Sungei Bedok as an interchange station with the Thomson-East Coast Line. It will add an additional 2.2 km to the line with the extension. Due in 2024, Stage 3e will join the current East West and future Thomson-East Coast lines that runs through Marine Parade.
In October 2014, it was announced that Stage 2's opening would be pushed back to the first quarter of 2016. It had to be delayed when main contractor Alpine Bau went bankrupt in mid-2013.
On 28 June 2015, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew announced that the delay caused by Alpine Bau's insolvency was "completely resolved" by the authorities and Stage 2's opening date was reverted back to 27 December 2015.
Rolling stock
The rolling stock consists of Bombardier MOVIA C951 cars, running in a three-car formation. They are stabled at Gali Batu Depot after it opened with Stage 2 of Downtown Line on 27 December 2015. For the period between the operation of Downtown Line Stage 1 and Downtown Line Stage 2, trains were stabled at a maintenance facility that was built at Marina Bay as part of the Circle Line project. Kim Chuan Depot housed the Operations Control Centre for the Downtown Line Stage 1 until Gali Batu Depot was ready to be used.
On 12 October 2012, the first of 11 trains for the Downtown Line Stage 1 arrived at Jurong Port. It was transported to Kim Chuan Depot to undergo testing by LTA before it was handed over to SBS Transit. As of 28 February 2013, Bombardier had delivered five of the 11 trains for Downtown Line Stage 1. LTA together with the operator, SBS Transit, conducted the necessary tests to ensure safety standards, functional performance and systems compatibility requirements were met before revenue service began on 22 December 2013.
Testing on the Downtown Line Stage 2 has begun during operational hours since 25 October 2015 and rolling stock that was delivered to Gali Batu Depot have commenced service on Stage 1 starting on 21 October 2015. Kim Chuan Depot, together with the adjacent Tai Seng Facility Building will operate on a minor capacity until the Downtown Line Stage 3 opens. A new depot, named the East Coast Integrated Depot will provide additional stabling capacity to the line.
Train control
The Downtown Line is equipped with Siemens (previously Invensys before Siemens acquisition) Trainguard Sirius Communications-based train control (CBTC) moving block signalling system with Automatic train control (ATC) under Automatic train operation (ATO) GoA 4 (UTO). The subsystems consist of Automatic train protection (ATP) to govern train speed, Controlguide Rail 9000 Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) to track and schedule trains and Trackquard Westrace MK2 Computer-based interlocking (CBI) system that prevents incorrect signal and track points to be set.
A fall-back signalling system, relying on conventional track-circuit occupancy detection, is included to ensure fully automatic operation and train protection independent of the radio system.
Platform screen doors by Invensys Westinghouse Rail Systems provide safety for passengers, offering protection from arriving and departing trains.