Singapore MRT

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)

The entrance of Raffles Place MRT station
Overview
Native name	Sistem Pengangkutan Gerak Cepat Singapura  (Malay) 新加坡地铁系统 (Chinese) சிங்கப்பூர் துரிதக் கடவு ரயில் (Tamil)
Owner	Land Transport Authority
Locale	Singapore
Transit type	Rapid transit
Number of lines	8 (5 in operation, 1 under construction and 2 under planning)
Number of stations	154 (102 in operation, 52 under construction or planning)
Daily ridership	2.879 million (2015), excluding the LRT
Operation
Began operation	7 November 1987; 29 years ago (1987-11-07)
Operator(s)	SMRT Trains (SMRT Corporation) SBS Transit (ComfortDelGro Corporation)
Technical
System length	170.7 km (106.1 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Mass Rapid Transit, or MRT, is a rapid transit system forming the major component of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Toa Payoh and Yio Chu Kang, opened on 7 November 1987, making it the second-oldest metro system in Southeast Asia, after Manila's LRT System. The network has since grown rapidly in accordance with Singapore's aim of developing a comprehensive rail network as the backbone of the public transport system in Singapore, with an average daily ridership of 3.031 million in 2015 (including the Light Rail Transit (LRT)), approximately 78% of the bus network's 3.891 million in the same period.

The MRT network encompasses 170.7 kilometres (106.1 mi) of route, with 102 stations in operation, on standard gauge. The lines are built by the Land Transport Authority, a statutory board of the Government of Singapore, which allocates operating concessions to the profit-based corporations, SMRT Corporation and SBS Transit. These operators also run bus and taxi services, thus facilitating full integration of public transport services. The MRT is complemented by a small number of local LRT networks in Bukit Panjang, Sengkang and Punggol that link MRT stations with HDB public housing estates.