New Circle Line stations open for public preview, completing MRT line after more than 30 years in the making

New Circle Line stations open for public preview, completing MRT line after more than 30 years in the making Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road MRT stations will open for passenger service on Jul 12. SINGAPORE: Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road MRT stations opened for a public preview on Saturday (Jul 4), marking the completion of the Circle Line more than 30 years after the project was first conceived. The three stations are open to the public until 9pm on Saturday, with free travel between them. Passenger service will start on Jul 12. The completed Circle Line spans 39km across 33 stations, with 12 interchange stations connecting commuters to all existing MRT lines, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said. At the opening ceremony for the sixth and last stage of the Circle Line, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said the project had passed through the hands of many engineers, project managers, contractors and workers. Mr Siow, who was in the Ministry of Transport in 2013 when the decision to build Circle Line Stage 6 was announced, said he was “incredibly grateful” to be opening the stations to the public 13 years later. Although Stage 6 was part of the Circle Line's original design years earlier, construction could not begin until the land became available, he said. This included the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and its tracks, which were returned to Singapore only in 2011, and the port terminals in the city, once plans were firmed up to relocate them to Tuas. “Finally today, people can stop asking LTA why the Circle Line is not a circle,” he said. Mr Siow said the three new stations will give residents in the area direct access to the MRT, and more than 10,000 commuters are expected to benefit from shorter train rides. “But the real benefit is that these three stations will open up the next chapter of our city, including the Greater Southern Waterfront and Marina Bay," he said. “This will connect new opportunities: more homes, more jobs, more community spaces, now and in the future.” Delivering the three new stations in Singapore’s busy downtown was one of the most difficult engineering projects LTA has completed, Mr Siow said, noting that previously undiscovered coastal structures under the port terminal had to be removed before work could begin. “Our engineers had to tunnel just 7m below the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, without damaging the nearly 100-year-old structure which we really wanted to conserve," he said. “They also had to tunnel under the live Keppel Viaduct – which required careful work to protect the viaduct foundations, so as not to affect road traffic.” Mr Siow called the three stations the “most beautifully designed stations on our MRT network”. Keppel station is inspired by nature, Prince Edward Road station by Singapore's maritime heritage and Cantonment station by the former railway station. “I believe public transport is intricately woven into the history and fabric of a city. It is not just infrastructure; it is part of our collective memories,” Mr Siow said.