Singapore’s MRT network is the backbone of how most residents get around, and it’s still growing. Whether you’re new to the island, house-hunting near a future station, or just want to know what’s changing this year, here’s the current network and what it means for where Singapore is actually building next.
How Many MRT Lines Does Singapore Have?
Singapore currently runs six MRT lines:
North-South Line
NSL
Jurong East to Marina South, through the city centre
East-West Line
EWL
Pasir Ris to Tuas, Singapore’s longest line
North East Line
NEL
HarbourFront to Punggol
Circle Line
CCL
An orbital loop around the city centre
Downtown Line
DTL
Bukit Panjang to Expo
Thomson-East Coast Line
TEL
Woodlands North to the east coast
According to LTA’s published rail statistics, the network has 146 stations as of July 2026 and carries roughly 3.49 million rides a day.
What Changed in 2026, and What It’s Actually Unlocking
The Circle Line became a complete loop on 12 July 2026, with three new stations: Keppel, Cantonment, and Prince Edward Road. LTA confirms the line now spans 39 kilometres across 33 stations, with 12 interchanges connecting to every other line on the network. If you’ve seen a guide citing 142 stations or 240km for the whole system, that’s the pre-loop figure.
This is where the story stops being just about trains. Keppel station sits on what used to be the Keppel Golf Course, a 48-hectare site now earmarked as part of the Greater Southern Waterfront masterplan. Public sources tracking the masterplan put the planned housing count at around 9,000 homes, a mix of public and private, with the first BTO launches expected from 2027. That date hasn’t been confirmed by HDB directly, so treat it as an early estimate, not a fixed launch window, but the direction is clear: a station most transit guides mention only in passing is actually sitting at the centre of one of the largest planned residential precincts in southern Singapore.
Cantonment station, meanwhile, doesn’t unlock new land the way Keppel does. It serves existing residents in Tanjong Pagar, Spottiswoode Park, and the surrounding heritage neighbourhoods, areas that previously had no direct MRT access and relied on buses or a longer walk to HarbourFront.
What’s Still Under Construction
Two new lines are being built. The Cross Island Line will run through Pasir Ris, Hougang, Serangoon, Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Timah, Clementi, Jurong East, and Boon Lay, connecting major hubs like Jurong Lake District and Punggol Digital District without needing to pass through the city centre. The Jurong Region Line is a 27-station, fully elevated line serving the Jurong area, with its first phase currently targeted for mid-2028.
Both lines are still years from completion. Treat any specific station opening date as subject to change. LTA has already pushed back parts of the JRL timeline once.
Why This Matters If You’re House-Hunting
The pattern worth noticing: a new station rarely just improves a commute. Keppel is a live example of a station built specifically to open up land for thousands of new homes, not just to serve people already living nearby. If you’re watching the Cross Island Line for the same reason, the towns it actually passes through, Pasir Ris, Hougang, Serangoon, Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Timah, Clementi, Jurong East, and Boon Lay, are where that kind of shift is most likely to show up next, though on a timeline still measured in years, not months.
The Network, At a Glance
- Today: 6 lines, 146 stations, 3.49 million rides a day (as of July 2026)
- What just changed: Circle Line closed into a full 39km loop via Keppel, Cantonment, and Prince Edward Road
- Biggest thing to watch: Keppel sits at the centre of the Greater Southern Waterfront masterplan, roughly 9,000 homes planned, BTO launches expected from 2027 (not yet HDB-confirmed)
- What’s still coming: the Cross Island Line and Jurong Region Line, both under construction, extending the network into Pasir Ris, Hougang, Ang Mo Kio, Clementi, and Jurong East over the coming decade
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