 Hey there, and welcome back to RM Transit. Some transit systems like the London Underground are famous for their design, while others like the New York subway are famous for their scale. But today's transit system is probably most famous for being very modern, super functional, and incredibly cutting edge, and that's the Singapore MRT. If you simply looked at the numbers, you might not know that the MRT is such an impressive reputation, because for a world-famous city like Singapore, 127 stations and 6 lines doesn't sound that incredible. Less impressive systems like the Chicago L, make sure you're subscribed for an explained video on that city soon, are actually bigger. This may kind of remind you of the MTR in Hong Kong, and that's no accident. The system certainly served as inspiration. Dive a little deeper though, and you'll realize though that as the national railway of Singapore, the system is actually quite extensive, with over 200 kilometers of track around the city-state. While at the same time, the system, despite its more modest size, moves more people every day than the 12 line Madrid metro system. Now I mentioned that the system is modern, and it is having first opened in 1987, but this is deceptive, as much of the system feels and is much younger. But what makes that system so modern and well used? Well, let's take a look. If you're not already, consider subscribing to the channel, hitting the bell icon to get notifications. It helps, and it's free. Also, don't forget to like and share if you enjoy the video. Now, to understand the MRT, we should try to understand Singapore a little better. If you can't already point out Singapore on a map, that's okay. The country is situated just north of the equator at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula south of Malaysia. The country is an island, but there are two bridges onto the mainland. The city center as well as a lot of the most iconic destinations like the Marina Bay Sands and the Gardens by the Bay front onto Marina Bay. Along the coast to the west are numerous substantial port and industrial areas, as well as the island resort of Sentosa. To the east of the island is the famous Changi Airport, which moved more than 60 million passengers per year pre-COVID and is noted for its incredible amenities such as the massive jewel mall and entertainment complex. Covering most of the rest of Singapore's landmass are a number of massive nature preserves, generally dense housing estates largely built as transit-oriented development around MRT lines and golf courses, a lot of golf courses. Crisscrossing Singapore are six MRT and three LRT lines, which are definitely not the type of LRT you're used to if you regularly watch this channel. For what it's worth, Singapore's suburbs also look like this. The current MRT lines are as follows. The north-south line, the east-west line, the northeast line, the circle line, the downtown line, and the Thompson East Coast line. The LRT lines are the Bukit Panjang, Senkang, and Punggol lines. So now that we have a sense for the whole system, let's take a look at each of the lines in more detail. The first line in the system to open was the north-south line in 1987. The line is 45 kilometers long with a total of 27 stations, and the line runs from Marina South Pier, an up-and-coming new development area, through the downtown of the city, underground, before popping above ground around Bishan. From here, the line runs in an arc, spending most of the rest of its route elevated above ground, turning south after passing through Woodland to state. The next line to open in the system was the east-west line, whose name was not introduced until several years after the opening of the north-south line, but which had tracks on an earlier version of the north-south line that ran east-west. As it turns out, this was all part of the plan. The east-west line was formed by taking over those initial east-west portions of the north-south line and extending from there. This was made possible because both lines used the same rolling stock profile, including some trains which are quite similar to the rolling stock on Taipei's Metro, and very similar in size to the trains on the Toronto subway. At the same time, the north-south and east-west lines have track connections at two points, most notably in the downtown core of Singapore between City Hall and Raffles Place. Here lies one of the most thoughtful and intelligent design elements of the entire MRT system that feels like a natural evolution of cross-platform transfer designs for lines such as London's Victoria Line. Both Raffles Place and City Hall feature cross-platform transfers between the lines, but between the stations, the lines reorient, and that means you can change cross-platform to go in one direction on the other line at one station and in the other direction at the other station, allowing all transfers to happen in a cross-platform manner. The line also connects both in services and in tracks at Jurong East, on the western portion of the line. These days, the east-west line has grown out to become the longest and most heavily used of all the MRT lines, stretching from Changi Airport in the east all the way across the island to the Tuas Industrial Area in the west, near one of the fixed-linked bridges to Malaysia. Notably, the portion of the line to Changi Airport from Tan Amira is operated as a shuttle service, without trains directly to the city center. From here, the MRT changed direction in some senses. The next line to open on the system was the northeast line, which did maintain similar-sized trains to the previous two lines, but the trains were not actually cross-compatible, as the northeast line opted for overhead power at 1500 volts and the lines were not physically connected. At the same time, the new line tried some new and rather unusual things. It was fully underground, as is the case for all subsequent MRT lines, and it was also driverless, the first in the world to do so with such substantial trains. As it would turn out, some of these changes, like fully automated trains on a fully underground alignment, became the norm going forward, while overhead wire power was associated with enough issues that for better or for worse, it hasn't been used on the network since. The operating model used in Singapore is also rather unique, with private companies operating various rail lines. While the first two lines are operated by SMRT trains, the northeast line is operated by SPS Transit, derived from Singapore Bus Service. At the same time, quite unusual for a modern metro system, most of the stations on the northeast line can serve dual purpose as bunkers, with numerous additional elements like backup generators designed to aid in that use, a feature which has carried forward with all lines since and that also has existed on some of the previous underground stations. The northeast line is also quite interesting, and that it's linked with two of Singapore's LRT lines at Pungal and Sungkong, which is instantly noticeable from the figure 8 shapes on the MRT map. These lines are named based on their connecting MRT stations, and serve 14 stations each. Despite their names, they're more accurately described as automated people movers, which serve the dispersed, but yet very high density surrounding areas to the respective northeast line stations, creating a comfortable, air conditioned, high quality local form of rapid transit. The root of the northeast line is quite simple, with it running as a northeastern cord running from the harbor front at the southwestern end, where a transfer to a monorail or gondola to Sentosa Island is available, before continuing northeast to interchanges with the east-west line at Ultram Park and the north-south line at Dobigot, before traveling further out to the larger housing estates connected by the LRT lines. In 2009, the MRT's circle line first opened, though as of 2022 it still isn't actually a circle. The line is 35.5 kilometers long with 30 stations, running from the harbor front stop on the northeast line in the west, with a transfer to the Sentosa gondola, before continuing west to connect with the east-west line at Buena Vista, north to connect with the north-south line at Bishan, east-southeast to connect again with the east-west line at Payole Bar. From here, the line continues west across Marina Bay and serve various adjacent destinations, with two branches, one branch heading north to meet the north-south line at Dobigot, and another crossing Marina Bay again to the west to terminate at Marina Bay Station on the north-south line. The circle line plays double duty, connecting the various MRT lines outside of the city center, helping make inner suburb trips more convenient while reducing congestion in the city center itself. At the same time, the line provides high-quality connections to numerous important and developing areas around Marina Bay, such as the Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Center, and the National Stadium. Interestingly, as with the northeast line, the circle line is entirely underground, including with a very large underground depot for strained storage and maintenance. Following the circle line came the downtown line in 2013, with the purpose of serving downtown, and with a very interesting and unusual shape. The downtown line runs from the Far East, where multiple connections to the east-west line are made, to the downtown, with an intermediate connection to the circle line. In downtown, the line forms a loop, though notably without a connection to itself, meaning you either need to ride around the loop or do an outdoor walk to connect. Fortunately, within the central area, there are connections to the northeast line at Little India and Chinatown, to the circle line with a pre-planned cross-platform transfer at Bayfront and Promenade, and the east-west line at Bugis. That said, the lack of a connection at Dobigot does feel like a missed opportunity to create an even more major hub. Leaving downtown, the line heads northwest, connecting with the north-south line, the circle line, and then continuing to Bukit Panjhan, where it connects with Singapore's third and original LRT, called the Bukit Panjhan line, which also provides connections to the north-south line with a total of 13 stops. The downtown line is a total of 42 kilometers with 34 stations, and is the second line operated by SBS Transit. Something quite fascinating, while the first three MRT lines all used a similar standard six-car train format, the circle and downtown lines both share a smaller three-car train standard, formed by high-capacity cars roughly equivalent to half a train on previous lines. I think this is a really good example for people to note of a major system creating high-capacity automated lines with smaller-than-average trains, something that I don't imagine outsiders frequently associate with Singapore. The latest line in the MRT network is the Thompson East Coast line, which started operating in phases in 2020. The line is currently 17 kilometers long with nine stations, running from the northern end of Singapore at Woodlands North, south to Woodlands Station on the north-south line, and then continuing south to Caldecott on the circle line. The Thompson East Coast line also introduces yet another train standard to the MRT system, which is quite interesting. Trains are longer than on the downtown and circle lines, at four cars long, but each car features five doors, as is common in Hong Kong and mainland China, and quite rare otherwise. This enables as many doors as a five-car traditional MRT train, and is well suited to the automated high-frequency model of the system. As you've probably noticed, the Singapore MRT has grown massively since 2000, with well over half of its length opening since that year, and far more is under construction and coming in the future. The most pressing expansion project on the MRT today is the expansion of the Thompson East Coast line in stages. Later this year, the third and largest phase of the project should open, with 11 new stations opening, as well as two future stations which have been fully constructed but won't be opened because there is a lack of surrounding development at the moment, kind of like those famous farm field stations in China. This will more than double the number of stations on the line and finally connect the line through the central area, with links to the downtown line, east-west line, and north-south line, and a terminus right at Gardens by the Bay. Future phases of the line will take it out across Marina Bay and along the east coast, providing parallel service to the east-west line and opening into the mid-2020s. Eventually in the future, the Thompson East Coast line will be extended to Changi Airport, providing service to the future Terminal 5 and perhaps taking over the existing shuttle service on the east-west line. The northeast line is also being extended one stop to the aptly named Punggol Coast, which should open in the mid-2020s. Also opening in the mid-2020s will be the closing of the Circle on the Circle line, with three new stops allowing service to run direct from Marina Bay to Harbor Front. The downtown line will be extended to Sungye Bedok in the next few years to connect with the Thompson East Coast line's final phase. Extensions have also been proposed to the western end of the line to destinations further north, including an additional direct connection to the north-south line. The MRT is also soon to be home to some additional lines. The new Jurong Region line is under construction and will serve the Jurong Region, with a number of branches and smaller trains, which reminds me of a mix of the DLR in London and Line 18 on Paris' Grand Paris Express project. The first phase of the project is set to open in the late-2020s, with further phases in subsequent years providing connections to the east-west line, north-south line, and potentially the Circle line as well. Quite unusually, the Jurong Region line will feature a circulating service pattern on its primary line segment, where trains run in a circular pattern between the three main Termini, with transfers possible at the junction in the center. Another planned line is the Cross Island line. This line is set to start opening sometime in the 2030s, and would act as a further relief for the east-west line, while also serving northern east-west trips, and connecting directly from the northeast line to Point Southeast, such as a potential link to Changi Airport Terminal 5. Future phases of the Cross Island line could also provide for links directly across the center of the island, helping to relieve the Circle line, and helping fill a major missing link in the existing network. Outside the traditional MRT system, an under-construction people-mover, with trains not unlike those to be used on the Jurong Region line, is set to enable easy and frequent public transportation connections into Johor, Malaysia, from Woodlands North Station on the Thompson East Coast line. Providing for such links in places where urban transit systems run right up to an international border is a really smart idea, especially since borders often follow waterways and other difficult geographic features which can be difficult to traverse outside of a vehicle, and this is a very busy border crossing. Now of course, you come here for fun and interesting facts, and the MRT is just loaded with stuff. One element that I think probably sees the Hong Kong MTR edge out the MRT is the far more numerous cross-platform transfers, which in Singapore are mostly limited to the north-south and east-west lines as well as bayfront on the downtown and circle lines, with stations all being designed in advance to enable such transfers. Still, I appreciate that thought is still given to cross-platform transfers in Singapore, such as at Gull Circle Station towards the western end of the east-west line, where the giant multi-level station is completely ready to provide for future cross-platform transfer connections, perhaps for the cross-island line. Part of the reason you probably see less cross-platform transfers in Singapore is the notable model of highly independent and unique fully underground lines, sometimes even operated by different companies, with only the original two lines on the system featuring track connections and potential for integrated operations. Another amazing element of the Singapore MRT are the incredible stations, which have very impressive architecture, one of my favorites being Expo. One hugely influential element of the MRT was its origination of the use of platform screen doors on a heavy rail system, which enabled air conditioning in underground stations, surely much appreciated in Singapore given its proximity to the equator. All new lines have been built with platform screen doors, and platform-level gates have been retrofitted on the above-ground stations on the east-west and north-south lines. The system has also been a leader in automation, as one of the longest automated rapid transit systems in the world, including retrofits to existing lines. At the same time, the presence of train captains, even on the system's driverless trains, is a reminder that there is no replacement for boots on the ground. The underground depots of the system are quite unique, but things get even more interesting with regard to Singapore's offline infrastructure. For example, the giant enclosed depot for the northeast line near Sungkang features a second operations and maintenance facility for the interconnected LRTs in the area on its roof. Of course, Singapore's LRTs are another very interesting element. The system is not necessarily unique in its integration of people movers into the transit system for last mile transportation, but the tight integration and service to high density transit-oriented development is more unusual. That said, LRTs do have their problems. The original Bukit Panjang line has a number of technical and reliability issues, and generally the lines are stretched for capacity, but I think the fundamental idea here is really strong. The MRT is also getting a new test center near the western end of the network, which will feature a long, straight high speed track and a number of loops for longer distance tests, half belted on elevated guideways over water. This new project should enable the testing and certifying of new rolling stock without using up ever more valuable overnight and in-service slots on the network itself, and could also be used to test new signaling and the like. A really fascinating and quite likely very valuable project that could influence other systems in the future. Singapore is also building a massive multi-level rail operations and maintenance facility near Changi Airport, which will allow for less of the city-state scarce land to be eaten up by rail yards. The giant facility, known as the East Coast Integrated Depot, will open in the mid-2020s, and will serve the East West line, Thompson East Coast line, and the downtown line. The project is a very interesting world first, to combine the maintenance of three separate metro rail lines across three levels, as well as a multi-level integrated bus depot. Indeed, Singapore does love its buses, and bus fans will be happy to know that the city has loads of double-deckers. Bus services are really well integrated with the MRT, including with things like weather-protected bus terminals, and even on-street transfer bays such as at Paya La Barre. The bus system is also fully fair integrated with the MRT, allowing the system to fill in gaps between the rail lines and stations. The system is also notable for its excellent wayfinding, which is truly distinctive and also multilingual, and the system has an iconic logo and uses a station numbering scheme akin to other systems in Asia. Something I personally really appreciate is extensive digital signage, which is present in stations and within trains themselves. As you'd probably expect, the system also has a contactless fare payment system, but somewhat unusually, this is a more open competitive ecosystem with different companies offering services, meaning fare guards are available from either EasyLink, who also offers wearable fare storage, or Nets. Contactless credit and debit cards are also accepted. Speaking of fares, quite unusually, for years after opening, the northeast as well as the circle and downtown lines had a higher fare than the original east-west and north-south reflecting their high total cost of operation. This policy has been changed in recent years. So that's the Singapore MRT, in many ways one of the most innovative rapid transit systems in the world, and in my personal opinion, probably the youngest system in the world that can be called deeply influential globally, from its deployment of platform screen doors, to extensive automation, to less positive influences like extensive tunneling. Singapore has led the world with the MRT. Thanks for watching.