Tagline
PRINT

Subway MRT


Subway MRT in Singapore Singapore's Mass Transport System, with its heart the MRT (subway), is in simple words, superior to almost every applied system I saw back in Europe.
You can rant and complain and write letters to the government (just like a lot of Singaporeans do every day) about slow and crowded trains and pointing out the good and bad and the bad and the bad, but please... seriously, you, we, everybody who has to use Singapore's MRT system on a daily basis or just during his holiday should be happy about the clean, quick, cheap and efficient transportation option you get offered here.
Picture by Danilo Mistroni


In General

The MRTS trains and 110km of track are getting operated by two different companies. The two main lines (red and green) are taken care of by SMRT, the purple line is operated by SBS Transit. However, trains look the same, prices are the same, payment system is the same. You wont recognize much difference (besides the TV screens in the purple line).

Trains are all clean, air-conditioned and of pretty good, new standard. You wont find any Graffiti or vandalized interior here. Yes, pretty amazing (but all trains inside are monitored by CCTV)


Stations

You cannot miss the MRT stations which are usually big lifestyle hubs surrounded by shopping malls or food centers. They are strategically placed over the island and just as the trains, clean and mostly new.

No Graffiti or vandalism here neither. Every station comes with free restrooms, payphones and a Service Station for customer inquiries or ticket purchase/top up. I never felt any unease when waiting for one of the last trains during the night, compared to the creepy stations you sometimes encounter at other places. The stations are secure and usually monitored by a number of security guards and CCTVs.


Frequency

In very much difference to the system I was used to (fixed train/bus departure timings, precise on the minute) you will not find any such time tables in Singapore. Instead you will find "frequency tables". For example, "Bus 512 will leave every 8 minutes", "MRT train will leave every 3.5 minutes". The trains usually operate with a frequency between 3 and 8 minutes. Furthermore is every station equipped with huge LCD TVs displaying the current train times and announcements in front of the main entry and several times along the waiting platforms. The general operating times of the trains are from approx 5.30AM to 12.30AM every day.
Link: Official Train Time Calculations


Maps / Plans

We are living on an island, a small island, and the train system is according to this pretty much easy to understand. There's a North-South line (red), a East-West line (green) and a ...well...diagonal line, North-East line if you want (purple).
  • NS-Line: Serving the Main hubs like Orchard Road, Raffles Place, Newton and the whole North of the Island (Link: More Information)
  • EW-Line: Connecting the city with the Changi Airport, serving business district Raffles place and the whole West of the island (Link: More Information)
  • NE-Line: Connecting Sentosa Island (Harbour Front) with the main hubs like Dhoby Ghaut, and serving the North-East of the island (Link: More Information)
You have several interchanges but usually one train station only serves one line, which means the only mistake you can make is getting onto the correct train, but wrong direction, then you just hop of the next station and change sides.
Link: The Official Train Map From SMRT


Tickets

There are three different ways of how you pay for your ticket to the nice and cheap sightseeing tour around Singapore's island using public transportation.
  • Standard Ticket - Green Credit Card Sized Plastic Card
  • EZ-Link Ticket - Blue Credit Card Sized Plastic Card
  • Cash Ticket - Paper Ticket (only bus)
In general you purchase your ticket either at one of the ticket machines(at least 4 at every station) or the service counters and then just tap it on one of the wireless card readers next to the entry gates. Your fare will be automatically calculated upon leaving your destination using the same procedure, subtracting the amount from your card.


Rules / Fines

Having clean and secure stations and trains comes with a price. Well, in this case a pretty affordable. There are several things you shouldn't do at the stations and trains, connected to heavy fines (between 500$ and 5000$) if you cant listen/read properly what the many signs are telling you.
  • No Smoking
  • No Eating Or Drinking
  • No Flamable Goods
  • No Durian Fruits