SINGAPORE: Members of the public will be able to take free rides between three MRT stations on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) when it opens next month.

The three stations make up the first stretch of the new MRT line, which will open in stages from next year.





The first part of Singapore's sixth MRT line will be open to visitors on Jan 11 next year for a special open house event, ahead of its official opening on Jan 31.

Visitors will be able to take free rides between Woodlands North, Woodlands and Woodlands South from 9am to 6pm, according to a press release from the Land Transport Authority on Wednesday (Dec 11).



Free travel will also be made available in the three days after the line officially opens, from Jan 31 to Feb 2.



The stations will also feature a new MRT system map launched on Wednesday, which is meant to make it easier for commuters to plan their journeys.



The new MRT system map has the Circle Line as a focal point​​​​​​​. (Image: LTA)

Transit signs will also be improved, starting with the new Thomson-East Coast Line stations, with larger font, new icons, sharper colour contrast and a new signbox design.

After the Woodlands North MRT station opens, the route for bus service 856 - which operates between Woodlands and Yishun - will be changed to connect commuters to the new station, said LTA.

The whole line will be fully operational by 2025.

It will add 32 new stations to the rail network and is expected to serve about 500,000 commuters daily in the initial years of operation, with this figure expected to rise to about 1 million commuters in the longer term.

