It was a smooth morning peak-hour ride for commuters on the fully completed Circle Line (CCL) on July 13, one day after three new stations opened.
The Straits Times spoke to six commuters who gave the thumbs-up for the new stations – Prince Edward Road, Cantonment and Keppel – saying their journeys are now faster and more convenient.
One of them, 15-year-old School of the Arts (SOTA) student Charlene Ng, was heading to school from Haw Par Villa station to Dhoby Ghaut station.
In the past, she had to change to the North East Line (NEL) at HarbourFront station.
“The NEL gets crowded during the day, so it’s a bit annoying to change because it is a busy link. But for the Circle Line, it’s more empty,” she said.
Although there are more train stops on the CCL route, she said she is likely to go home the same way too because she can get a seat.
Another student who switched to taking the CCL route to school was Tanjong Katong Secondary School’s Yam Jiecheng, 14.
On July 13, he missed his usual bus, service 30, which takes him directly to school. He said he decided to give the CCL a shot, so he boarded the train at HarbourFront station to go to Dakota station, where he planned to take a bus to school.
When asked if he planned on sticking to the new train-bus route, he said: “The train will likely have a higher frequency compared with bus 30, so I will probably take the MRT after school to get home.”
He added that waiting for a train in the air-conditioned MRT station instead of the bus stop was a bonus.
Accounting executive Selina Tan, 53, said she has been waiting for the three new stations to open. For 10 years, her office was at HarbourFront station, but now it is near Labrador Park station.
To get to her office in Labrador Tower on July 13, she got on a Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) train at Marine Parade station, near her home, and switches to a CCL train at Marina Bay for the 20-minute ride to Labrador Park station, which is across the road from her office.
Before the CCL loop was completed, her commute took 45 minutes because she had to take a TEL train from Marina Parade to Outram Park, and switch to the NEL to HarbourFront, which is two stops away from Labrador Park.
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow, in a Facebook post on July 12, said the Circle Line is now a full circle for everyone.
“That means more direct journeys, fewer transfers and more travel options across our rail network,” he added.
Homemaker Ashiqin Kitchin, 37, whose son is nine months old, said she was delighted with the opening of the new stations.
From her home at the Pinnacle＠Duxton, she said she usually takes the NEL at Outram Park to get to HarbourFront, where she does her grocery shopping at FairPrice Extra in VivoCity mall.
She also likes taking her son once a month to the Singapore Oceanarium in Resorts World Sentosa.
With a pram, getting on the train at Outram Park requires a bit of walking and can be a hassle, she said. Now, she just boards the train at Cantonment station, which is an eight-minute walk from her home.
A cycling enthusiast, who wanted to be known only as Ching, said he was eager to check out the Keppel connection to the Rail Corridor.
He added that he usually takes a train from Tiong Bahru to Kallang with his foldable bicycle, then cycles to his office in LKH building in Sims Drive. On July 13, he took the train from Labrador Park and planned to get off at Nicoll Highway station to continue his journey on bike.
He said: “Many of us in the cycling community have been looking forward to the opening of Keppel station. It will be a great starting point on the weekends.
“The Circle Line is also relatively empty, compared with the East-West Line, where it can sometimes be a bit tight when taking a foldable bicycle. We also don’t want to cause too much trouble for other commuters.”
The Straits Times
