The Circle MRT Line (CCL) is a
medium-capacity Mass Rapid Transit line in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
operated by
SMRT Corporation. It runs in a currently incomplete
loop
Loop or LOOP may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live
* Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets
* Loop Mobile, an ...
from
Dhoby Ghaut station in the
city area of Singapore to
HarbourFront station in the south via
Bishan station in
Central Singapore. It also has a branch to
Marina Bay station from
Promenade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...
station, which will be extended to Harbourfront station from 2026 to form a complete loop. Coloured orange on the rail map, the fully-underground line is long with 30 stations. Travelling from one end of the line to the other takes about an hour.
The line is the fourth MRT line to be opened, with the first stage (from
Bartley
Bartley is a family name and a given name. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
*Barrington Bartley (born 1980), Jamaican-American cricketer
*Charles Bartley (1921–1996), American scientist
* David M. Bartley (born 1935), American poli ...
to
Marymount stations) commencing operations on 28 May 2009 after delays due to the
Nicoll Highway collapse. The next stage to Dhoby Ghaut station was completed on 17 April 2010 and the next stage to Harbourfront opened on 8 October 2011. A two-station extension to Marina Bay station was opened on 14 January 2012. The last stage of the line from Harbourfront to Marina Bay will be completed in 2026, completing the loop.
It is the second line in Singapore to be
completely automated and driverless and is among the
world's longest driverless
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...
lines. It is also the first
medium capacity line in Singapore, with each Circle Line train, the
C830 and
C830C
The Alstom Metropolis C830C is the second generation of communication-based train control (CBTC) electric multiple unit rolling stock in operation on the Circle line of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. 24 trainsets of 3 cars were ma ...
, having a three-car configuration.
History
Original plans
The Circle Line dates back to 1989, when then Minister for Communications and Information,
Yeo Ning Hong
Yeo Ning Hong ( zh, s=杨林丰, p=Yáng Línfēng; born 3 November 1943) is a Singaporean chemist and former politician who served as Minister for Defence between 1991 and 1994, and Minister for Communications between 1984 and 1991. A former m ...
stated that such a system would be "feasible when the population reaches four million", noting the slow population growth and demand.
Feasibility studies for the proposed line commenced on 11 October 1994. The line, then named the Marina Line, was first announced on 16 October 1997. The line would serve Marina Centre and the new downtown at Marina South, with multiple branches to
Chinatown and Dhoby Ghaut via the
National Stadium to either
Kallang or
Paya Lebar
Paya Lebar is a planning area located in the East Region of Singapore, bordered by Hougang to the west, Sengkang to the northwest, Tampines to the east, Bedok to the south and Pasir Ris to the north.
As part of the Singapore Urban Redevelopme ...
stations. The line was planned to have 18 stations, with a possible extension to
Tanjong Pagar station. Plans for the line were confirmed and approved by the government on 12 June 1998. However, due to the high costs and lack of development in Marina South, the Chinatown branch was later removed in November 1999 and the line was reduced to 6 stations from the Dhoby Ghaut to Stadium stations. A part of the removed leg later became part of the
Downtown line
zh, 滨海市区地铁线 ta, டவுன்டவுன் எம்ஆர்டி வழி
, color =
, logo = Downtown Line logo.svg
, logo_width = 250px
, image = DT17 Downtown Platform B 1.jpg
, i ...
. On the other hand, a further extension towards Upper Paya Lebar was announced on 28 April 2001.
The Marina Line was eventually merged with a planned
LRT line that goes from Paya Lebar to
Buona Vista via
Serangoon
Serangoon () is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore.
Serangoon is bordered by these planning areas – Sengkang to the north, Hougang to the east, Ang Mo Kio and Bishan to the west, as well as ...
and
Bishan to form Circle Line Stage 3 on 20 January 2003, and subsequently Circle Line Stage 4 and 5 on 12 December 2003 when Stage 4 was extended from Buona Vista to World Trade Centre to close up the link and to provide connectivity from the west to Sentosa, becoming the Circle Line. On 8 August 2001,
SMRT won the bid and was appointed the operator of the Circle Line. Names for the stations for the first three stages of the Circle line were finalised in July 2005 after the
Land Transport Authority
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore.
History Incorporation of Land Transport Authority
Land Transport Authority (LTA) was established on 1 September 1995, f ...
(LTA) conducted a
public consultation exercise on the naming of stations. In November 2005, the names of the stations in Stages 4 and 5 were finalised.
Construction of the initial stages
Construction started on 13 March 2002 for Stage 1, 5 September 2002 for Stage 2, May 2003 for Stage 3, and January 2005 for Stages 4 and 5. Initially planned to be opened in stages from 2006 to 2010, at an estimated cost of S$6.7 billion, the
Nicoll Highway collapse delayed the opening of the first stage to 2009. When the line fully opened on 8 October 2011, the cost of construction had risen to nearly S$10 billion.
Due to the collapse, the station was relocated to a new site two-thirds the size of the original away. Three stations on the Circle Line were initially designed as 'shell stations', but the decision was made to open two of them, Caldecott and Haw Par Villa (previously Thomson and West Coast respectively), leaving
Bukit Brown
A number of former cemeteries in Singapore were cleared of Grave (burial), graves with the land redeveloped during the second half of the twentieth century. The cemetery, cemeteries had closed when they were either full or were relocated. The re ...
as the only unopened station on the line.
The first section of the line, Stage 3, a five-station segment stretching from Bartley to Marymount, opened on 28 May 2009.
Initial ridership on this section was lower than estimated, at 32,000 passengers per day (ppd) instead of the estimated 55,000 ppd. Tunneling works for the entire line were completed on 17 August 2009. Stages 1 and 2 started operations on 17 April 2010, followed by Stages 4 and 5 (from the
Marymount to HarbourFront stations) on 8 October 2011. A two-station extension to Marina Bay opened on 14 January 2012.
Circle Line Stage 6
On 17 January 2013, then-Minister for Transport
Lui Tuck Yew
Lui Tuck Yew (; born 16 August 1961) is a Singaporean diplomat, former politician and two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Singapore Ambassador to China since 2019. He previously served as Singapore Ambassador to Japan between 2017 an ...
announced 'Circle Line Stage 6' which will 'close the circle', set to be completed by 2025. The 4 km extension will run between
Marina Bay and HarbourFront. The extension will connect commuters between the HarbourFront to Marina Bay stations and expand the rail network to the southern edge of the Central Business District. On 29 October 2015, LTA announced the station locations for Stage 6, with the working names of the stations being
Keppel,
Cantonment and
Prince Edward. Tenders were called for construction between 2016 and 2017.
On 15 May 2017, the LTA invited the public to send in suggestions for names of the three MRT stations or propose to keep their current names. The Keppel and Cantonment stations kept their names, while Prince Edward station has been changed to 'Prince Edward Road' station.
Construction of Stage 6 commenced in late 2017. A
joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
– by China State Construction Engineering (The Singapore branch) and Nishimatsu Construction – won the contract to build the new Keppel MRT station and its associated tunnels.
Stage 6 of the line is now expected to be completed by 2026 instead due to delays caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Tunnelling works for the CCL6 were completed on 12 January 2022, with a final tunnel breakthrough from Prince Edward Road station into Cantonment station.
The tunnels between Cantonment station and the adjacent Prince Edward Road station were constructed only below the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. Prior to the tunnelling works, an extensive survey was conducted to ensure that the tunnels do not cross through the building's foundations. Structures were erected to protect the railway station's facade and interior, and monitoring instruments were installed to watch out for any building settlement.
To construct the tunnels to Keppel station, the Keppel viaduct had to be closely monitored while underpinning the viaduct with new micro piles. Three bored piles were removed for the tunnelling works.
Incidents
Nicoll Highway collapse
On 20 April 2004, a section of the tunnel being built for the Circle Line collapsed, when a
retaining wall
Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides.
Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...
used in the tunnel's construction gave way. This incident occurred near the proposed site of the Nicoll Highway station, not far from the
Merdeka Bridge. The accident left a collapse zone that was wide, long, and deep. Four workers were killed, and three were injured.
A criminal inquiry found the main contractor Nishimatsu Construction Company and joint venture partner firm Lum Chang Construction Company and their officers, as well as key
Land Transport Authority
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore.
History Incorporation of Land Transport Authority
Land Transport Authority (LTA) was established on 1 September 1995, f ...
officers responsible for the collapse. Several other officers and
subcontractors were reprimanded and issued warnings in connection with the accident.
As a result of this accident, the first phase of the Circle Line, previously scheduled to open in 2008, was completed in 2009 instead. The affected station has been shifted about away from the accident site and is now located at Republic Avenue.
This accident also resulted in stricter safety regulations for the construction of all future MRT lines. The shifting of the Nicoll Highway station also meant it can no longer serve as a terminus for the Bukit Timah Line, partially influencing the creation of the current
Downtown Line
zh, 滨海市区地铁线 ta, டவுன்டவுன் எம்ஆர்டி வழி
, color =
, logo = Downtown Line logo.svg
, logo_width = 250px
, image = DT17 Downtown Platform B 1.jpg
, i ...
.
Other incidents
On 16 August 2007, the
Building and Construction Authority (BCA) issued a stop-work order and revoked the contractor's tunnelling permit after a stretch of two lanes close to the junction of Telok Blangah Road and Alexandra Road sank about that evening.
A section of the road above a construction site near
Holland Road caved in on the morning of 24 May 2008, creating a hole. The hole, directly in front of two private houses along Cornwall Gardens, measured 8 by 7 metres and was 3 metres deep. No one was injured, but the road was temporarily closed to traffic.
Line disruptions
On 20 September 2011, a power fault disrupted train services at all 16 stations on the Circle Line. The four-hour delay left thousands of commuters stranded during rush-hour. It was reported that
leaks and a damaged
electrical cable
An electrical cable is an assembly of one or more wires running side by side or bundled, which is used to carry electric current.
One or more electrical cables and their corresponding connectors may be formed into a ''cable assembly'', whic ...
along the Circle Line were the cause of the disruption. The disruption started at about 5.30 am. Train services were gradually restored from 8 am and all services were restored just before 10 am.
Dakota and
Mountbatten stations were the last two to resume operations. Investigations were carried out, and the fault was traced back to a faulty cable beneath the platform level at Dakota station. 27,000 passengers were affected by the disruption during the four hour delay, with bus bridging services plying the Circle Line route.
In late August 2016, intermittent signal interference led to a five-day series of train disruptions. The issue reappeared in November. A team of
data scientists explored the data and discovered via a Marey Chart visualization that it was caused by hardware problems, sending errant signals from a "rogue" train, PV46.
Network and operations
Route
The Circle line forms an incomplete loop from
Dhoby Ghaut in the
Central Region of Singapore, north to
Serangoon
Serangoon () is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore.
Serangoon is bordered by these planning areas – Sengkang to the north, Hougang to the east, Ang Mo Kio and Bishan to the west, as well as ...
and
Bishan, and south to
HarbourFront, with a branch from
Promenade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...
to
Marina Bay station which will be extended to HarbourFront in 2026. The fully-underground circular route also makes several links with the other MRT lines. The line begins at
Dhoby Ghaut station, which has an interchange with the
North South and
North East
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
lines, going eastwards and paralleling Bras Basah Road and Raffles Boulevard, before joining the Circle line extension at Promenade station, which also interchanges with the
Downtown line
zh, 滨海市区地铁线 ta, டவுன்டவுன் எம்ஆர்டி வழி
, color =
, logo = Downtown Line logo.svg
, logo_width = 250px
, image = DT17 Downtown Platform B 1.jpg
, i ...
. From Promenade station, the line goes northwards and towards the east, passing beneath the
Kallang Basin
Kallang Basin (; ms, Lembangan Kallang) is an enclosed bay in Kallang, Singapore. The Kallang River, Rochor River and Geylang River empty into the Kallang Basin. The Marina Channel connects the Kallang Basin with the Singapore Straits.
At pres ...
. Between the
Stadium
A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
and
Dakota stations, the line parallels Stadium Boulevard and Old Airport Road, then the line continues northwards and follows the route of Paya Lebar Road and Upper Paya Lebar Road between the
Paya Lebar
Paya Lebar is a planning area located in the East Region of Singapore, bordered by Hougang to the west, Sengkang to the northwest, Tampines to the east, Bedok to the south and Pasir Ris to the north.
As part of the Singapore Urban Redevelopme ...
(which interchanges with the
East West line) and
Tai Seng
Tai Seng MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Circle line, situated along the boundary of Hougang and Toa Payoh planning areas, Singapore.
Located underneath Upper Paya Lebar Road near the junction of MacPherso ...
stations.
The line curves and continues westwards between the
Bartley
Bartley is a family name and a given name. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
*Barrington Bartley (born 1980), Jamaican-American cricketer
*Charles Bartley (1921–1996), American scientist
* David M. Bartley (born 1935), American poli ...
and
Marymount stations, also interchanging with the North East and North South lines at
Serangoon
Serangoon () is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore.
Serangoon is bordered by these planning areas – Sengkang to the north, Hougang to the east, Ang Mo Kio and Bishan to the west, as well as ...
and
Bishan stations respectively, and then it continues in a general southwest direction between
Caldecott and
Kent Ridge, the former having an interchange with the
Thomson East-Coast Line, passing through
Bukit Brown Cemetery Bukit, the Indonesian or Malay word for hill, may refer to:
* Bukit Peninsula
The Bukit Peninsula (Indonesian: ''Semenanjung Bukit'') is at the southern end of the island of Bali, Indonesia. It is traditionally considered to be the entire area so ...
between the Caldecott and
Botanic Gardens stations. The line also interchanges with the Downtown line at Botanic Gardens station and the East West line at
Buona Vista station. After Kent Ridge station, the line curves eastwards, paralleling the
West Coast Highway and then terminating at HarbourFront station, where it interchanges with the
North East line
The North East MRT line (NEL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore. Operated by SBS Transit, it is the shortest MRT line at . The line runs from HarbourFront station in southern Singapore to Punggol station in the no ...
.
From 2026, upon the completion of Stage 6, the Circle line will continue eastwards from Harbourfront, paralleling Keppel Road and
Ayer Rajah Expressway, and joins the Circle line extension at Marina Bay station. The Circle line extension from Marina Bay to Promenade station generally parallels the Downtown line and Bayfront Avenue, also passing underneath
Marina Bay Sands at
Bayfront station, which it serves and has cross-platform interchange with the Downtown line.
Stations
Legend
List
The Circle Line's numbering scheme reserves station code "CC18" for future use.
Depots
Rolling stock
The
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles ca ...
for the Circle Line uses electric multiple unit (EMU) trains operating in a three-car configuration, with four doors per side on each carriage and can accommodate of up to 931 passengers in each trainsets.
It consists of 40 first-generation
Alstom Metropolis
The Alstom Metropolis is a family of electric multiple units designed and produced by the French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom. It is designed for high capacity rapid transit or metro rail infrastructure systems. Trains can be run in various ...
trains were supplied under contract
C830. They are built in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
by
Alstom between 2006 and 2008.
They are stabled at
Kim Chuan Depot
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
, which was the world's largest underground depot when it opened in 2009. To increase the capacity of the Circle Line, an additional 24 second-generation
Alstom Metropolis
The Alstom Metropolis is a family of electric multiple units designed and produced by the French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom. It is designed for high capacity rapid transit or metro rail infrastructure systems. Trains can be run in various ...
trains were supplied under contract
C830C
The Alstom Metropolis C830C is the second generation of communication-based train control (CBTC) electric multiple unit rolling stock in operation on the Circle line of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. 24 trainsets of 3 cars were ma ...
, a similar in design to the first-generation trains, were delivered to Singapore from July 2014. They are also built in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
by
Alstom between 2014 and 2016.
To facilitate the extension of the line with the construction of Stage 6, a tender for additional trains for the line was published on 31 March 2017. To increase the capacity of the Circle Line for Circle Line Stage 6, an additional 23 third-generation
Alstom Metropolis
The Alstom Metropolis is a family of electric multiple units designed and produced by the French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom. It is designed for high capacity rapid transit or metro rail infrastructure systems. Trains can be run in various ...
trains were supplied under contract
C851E with the first train set arrived in Singapore on 11 March 2022.
The automated CBTC system on board relies on "continuous two-way digital communication" between each controlled train and the control centre.
Train control
The Circle Line is equipped with
Alstom Urbalis 300
Communications-based train control (CBTC)
moving block signalling system on the MASTRIA system with
Automatic train control (ATC) under
Automatic train operation (ATO) GoA 4 (UTO). The subsystems consist of
Automatic train protection
Automatic train protection (ATP) is a type of train protection system which continually checks that the speed of a train is compatible with the permitted speed allowed by signalling, including automatic stop at certain signal aspects. If it i ...
(ATP) to govern train speed, Iconis Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) to track and schedule trains and Smartlock
Computer-based interlocking (CBI) system that prevents incorrect signal and track points to be set.
Train Data Management System (TDMS) which concentrate and dispatch the rolling stock information with fixed equipment. The IAGO Waveguide communications network has the capability to transmit video and is almost maintenance-free. Base stations are located within the signalling equipment room.
Automatic
platform screen doors supplied by
Westinghouse provide safety for commuters, offering protection from arriving and departing trains.
In popular culture
The line is featured in
HBO series
Westworld, as part of the
third season.
Notes and references
Notes
References
External links
*
Circle lineLTA's commemorative book detailing the construction of the Circle Line
{{DEFAULTSORT:Circle MRT line
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) lines
Railway lines opened in 2009
Railway loop lines
2009 establishments in Singapore