Early closures, late starts for 7 busy North-South Line stations in May

SINGAPORE― Seven busy stations on the North-South Line (NSL), from Khatib to Novena, will be affected by shorter operating hours and late openings in May, SMRT said on Thursday (April 19). 

On Fridays and Saturdays in May, the affected stations -  Khatib, Yio Chu Kang, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Braddell, Toa Payoh, and Novena - will close at 11pm.

On Saturdays and Sundays, these stations will open at 8am.  

Seven MRT stations from Khatib to Novena will close earlier at around 11.00pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and open later at around 8.00am on Saturdays and Sundays in May 2018. Photo: SMRT

“The additional hours will more than double the available time for engineering teams to intensify maintenance and accelerate rectification works along the NSL’s MRT tracks,” said SMRT.

“During these planned closures, commuters can still travel on the NSL between Jurong East and Yishun MRT stations, and between Newton and Marina South Pier MRT stations”. 

Shuttle buses will ply between Yishun and Newton MRT stations during the period when train services are not available.

Shuttle buses will ply between Yishun and Newton MRT stations during the period when train services are not available.Photo: SMRT

This will be complemented by an express bus service between Ang Mo Kio and Serangoon MRT stations that will provide commuters with direct connection to the North East Line and Circle Line.

The rail operator and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) had announced last month that the early closures and late opening of MRT stations along the North-South and East-West lines (NSEWL) will continue beyond June.

The move extends the authorities’ decision since last December to shorten the service hours on the two ageing lines for some weekends and select weekdays, in order to free up more time for maintenance and repair work on the tracks, stations and train depots.

This has also helped to speed up the installation and testing of the new signalling system along the East-West Line by six months, SMRT and LTA said, bringing forward the project’s completion date to June this year.