Downtown Line to end earlier on Fridays, start later on Saturdays, from Jul 10 to Sep 5, 2026

Train services on the Downtown Line (DTL) will end earlier on Fridays and start later on Saturdays from Jul 10 to Sep 5, 2026, in preparation for the opening of the DTL stage 3 extension (DTL3e) in the second half of this year.

Before the opening of the DTL3e, LTA and rail operator SBS Transit will be conducting a series of final systems integration tests for the MRT line.

LTA’s joint statement said that these tests involve running trains across the entire line from DTL Bukit Panjang to Xilin stations, as well as launching and withdrawing trains from the new East Coast Integrated Depot (ECID).

“Longer stretches of engineering hours beyond what is available each night will be required to carry out these full test runs,” said LTA and rail operators.

From Jul 10 to Sep 5, 2026, as part of early closures and late openings (ECLO), DTL train services will end earlier at 11:30pm on Friday nights and will start later at 8:30am on Saturday mornings.

This follows a similar ECLO for the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), which took place from May 22 to Jul 4, to conduct systems integration tests for TEL stage 5 opening this year.

Shuttle bus services will run on Saturday mornings for the late opening of the Downtown Line

Image: SGTrains Infographics

Affected commuters can use shuttle bus services S43, S42, and S41 that will be available on Saturday mornings for the DTL late opening, operating from 5:00am to 8:30am. They will use the same fare structure as DTL train journeys.

• Shuttle bus service S43 will ply between DTL Bukit Panjang and DTL Bugis stations every 5–10 minutes.
• Shuttle bus service S42 will ply between DTL Bugis and DTL MacPherson stations every 5–10 minutes.
• Shuttle bus service S41 will ply between DTL MacPherson and DTL Expo stations every 5–10 minutes.

These shuttle bus services will connect at key MRT interchanges to enable commuters to transfer to other alternative rail lines.

Commuters are advised to plan their journeys in advance, and staff members will be stationed at affected MRT stations to assist commuters during the service adjustment periods. Commuters can also refer to station posters at the relevant stations.

“We thank commuters for their patience and understanding during these service adjustments as we work to expand our rail network,” said LTA and rail operators.

DTL3e – 2 new stations under DTL Stage 3 Extension opening in 2H 2026

DT35 CG1 Expo
DT36 Xilin (opening 2H 2026)
DT37 TE31 Sungei Bedok (opening 2H 2026)

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Related Links
Downtown Line – SGTrains
First and Last Train Timings – SGTrains

External Links
Joint News Release by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), SBS Transit & SMRT – Train Service Adjustments along Thomson-East Coast Line and Downtown Line to Facilitate Rail Expansion Works – LTA

Images: SGTrains, SGTrains Graphics.
This article first appeared on SGTrains.