The 16.6 km Downtown Line 2 (DTL2) which connects Bukit Panjang with Rochor will start operating on 27 December 2015, announced Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew recently.
On that day, the authorities will open 12 stations along the route – Bukit Panjang, Cashew, Hillview, Beauty World, King Albert Park, Sixth Avenue, Tan Kah Kee, Botanic Gardens, Stevens, Newton, Little India and Rochor.
To celebrate the opening, commuters will get to enjoy free train rides on the entire Downtown Line for a limited time only, reported Channel NewsAsia.
“When opened, rides will be free on DTL1 and DTL2 for a short period of time to encourage commuters to try out the new line and familiarise themselves with the stations,” said Mr Lui, who had earlier announced that train fares would be cut by up to 1.9 percent to commemorate the occasion.
By the time DTL2 starts operating, the total number of train stations on Singapore’s rail network would have risen to 157 from just 117 in 2010. “With this, we would have added 40 new stations or grown our rail network by 34 percent. Six in 10 households will be within a 10-minute walk to a station,” he added.
Meanwhile, the construction of Downtown Line 3 is still ongoing with completion targeted by 2017. The 21 km rail line will feature 16 stations from Fort Canning to the Singapore Expo.
Image: Map of Downtown Line Stage 2.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Singapore Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
