{"id":62559,"date":"2026-06-21T20:01:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T12:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=62559"},"modified":"2026-06-21T20:01:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T12:01:01","slug":"new-circle-line-stations-cut-commuter-travel-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=62559","title":{"rendered":"New Circle Line stations cut commuter travel times"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

SINGAPORE \u2013 For 20-year-old Koh Kai Sern, the journey to his singing class at Bras Basah Complex every Friday is circuitous.<\/p>\n

It begins with a 13-minute bus ride from his Clementi home near Haw Par Villa to the bus stop outside Clementi MRT station. He then takes the East-West Line (EWL) from Clementi to Bugis MRT station \u2013 a 31-minute journey \u2013 followed by a seven-minute walk.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bus comes every 10 minutes, and the road from my house to Clementi MRT station is always jammed around that time, so it\u2019s just awful,\u201d said Koh, who will soon attend university.<\/p>\n

The entire journey is slightly over an hour long, including waiting time and congestion.<\/p>\n

Come July 12, his journey will be cut by around 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

\n
\"For<\/picture><\/div>
\n

For 20-year-old Koh Kai Sern, the journey to his singing class at Bras Basah Complex every Friday will be cut by around 30 minutes come July 12.<\/p>\n

ST PHOTO: GIN TAY<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seventeen years after the Circle Line (CCL) opened, three stations \u2013 Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road \u2013 will open to close the loop between HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations<\/span><\/a>, making his route more direct.<\/p>\n

The Land Transport Authority estimated that the travel time from station to station along the new stretch is two minutes or so.<\/p>\n

Koh will be able to take an eight-minute bus ride from his home to Haw Par Villa MRT station, followed by a train journey on the CCL to Esplanade MRT station, which will take 22 minutes. The journey ends with an eight-minute walk to Bras Basah Complex, bringing the total travel time to an estimated 38 minutes.<\/p>\n

The Straits Times interviewed 20 passengers in the past week on how the opening of the three stations would improve their journeys.<\/p>\n

Ephraim Tan, who is doing national service, will also benefit from the new stations. When visiting City Hall weekly for leisure, he goes through 12 MRT stops, taking the CCL from Pasir Panjang to Buona Vista, before switching to the EWL to City Hall. The journey, including waiting and walking time, usually takes him 45 minutes.<\/p>\n

With the new CCL stations, he will reach City Hall in nine stops by travelling on the CCL from Pasir Panjang to Marina Bay, before transferring to the North-South Line (NSL) to City Hall. This reduces his travel time to 18 minutes, excluding waiting time. \u201cIt definitely makes things much more convenient and saves time for a lot of the commutes I make on the weekends due to the better connectivity with the NSL and Downtown Line,\u201d the 19-year-old said.<\/p>\n

\n
\"New<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Agnes Heng, 65, who lives two blocks away from the new Cantonment station, said her family is \u201cvery excited for it to open\u201d. Said the retired bank manager: \u201cThe main benefit is not having to walk (much).\u201d<\/p>\n

She currently takes 10 minutes to walk to the nearest MRT station, Outram Park. She said it would be more convenient to visit her three daughters weekly in Woodleigh, Bedok Reservoir and Redhill.<\/p>\n