The number of commuters who use the Downtown Line (DTL) has more than tripled since the line’s second stage (DTL2) opened in December last year.
In a statement on Wednesday (July 27), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that average daily ridership on the DTL on weekdays more than tripled from 83,000 in October 2015 to more than 250,000 in mid-July 2016.
Since the DTL2 opened, there has also been an increase of about 60 per cent in the average number of journeys on public transport (comprising DTL2 and public buses) to and from towns along the DTL corridor.
“It is likely that more commuters have shifted from driving to taking the DTL,” LTA noted, adding that more commuters along the North-South Line and North East Line are also transferring to the DTL to reach the city.
Berita Harian, The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao
The DTL is Singapore’s fifth MRT line. At present, it connects Bukit Panjang in the West to Bugis in central Singapore. The third and final stretch of the Downtown Line will open next year, and connect commuters to areas in the East such as Kallang Bahru, Bedok and Tampines.
At the same time, the DTL has reduced passenger loads on other MRT lines. Ridership on the North-South Line from Bukit Batok to Jurong East, and along the East-West Line between Jurong East and Clementi, has decreased by up to 10 per cent during the morning peak hours, LTA revealed.
According to the authority, more commuters living along the DTL corridor have switched from using buses to trains for their daily commute, resulting in up to 6 per cent improvements in the speeds of bus services plying those areas.
Conversely, feeder bus services bringing commuters to DTL stations, such as Services 920 and 922 in Bukit Panjang, have experienced increased riderships.
To meet the increased demand, LTA said that it has introduced new or extended but services to connect commuters to the MRT stations.
seanyap@sph.com.sg
