North East MRT line

The North East MRT Line (NEL) is the third Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is 20 km long with 16 stations and operated by SBS Transit. Travelling from one end of this line to the other end takes about half an hour. This line is coloured purple in the rail map.

North East Line
An C851E train at HarbourFront MRT station, eastern terminus of the line
Overview
Native name	Laluan MRT Timur Laut 东北地铁线 வடக்கு கிழக்கு எம்ஆர்டி வழி
Status	Operational Under planning (Punggol Coast)
Owner	Land Transport Authority
Termini	HarbourFront Punggol Punggol Coast (2024)
Stations	16 (excluding reserved station for NE2) 1 (Under planning)
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
Services	1
Operator(s)	SBS Transit (ComfortDelGro)
Depot(s)	Sengkang
Rolling stock	C751A C751C
Daily ridership	579,000 (Q1 2017)
History
Opened	20 June 2003 (2003-06-20) 15 January 2006 (2006-01-15) (Buangkok) 20 June 2011 (2011-06-20) (Woodleigh) 2024 (2024) (Punggol Coast)
Technical
Line length	20 km (12 mi) (Operational) 1.6 km (0.99 mi) (Under planning)
Character	Fully underground
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	1500V DC Overhead catenary
Operating speed	limit of 90 km/h (56 mph)
Route map

The line joins central Singapore to the north-eastern part of the island. Transfer to the North South Line is done at Dhoby Ghaut station, East West Line at Outram Park station, Circle Line at Serangoon and Dhoby Ghaut and Downtown MRT Line at Chinatown and Little India stations.

This line is the first MRT line in Singapore to be completely underground (running in a tunnel all the way between HarbourFront and Punggol). It is also the first (and so far, the only) line where trains get their power from overhead wires above the track, instead of a third rail beside the track.

All the trains on the North East Line are automated (computer-controlled) and do not have an operator driving the train at the front. It is one of the world's first rapid transit lines that does not need drivers and is one of three such lines in the MRT network today. The others are the Circle Line and the Downtown Line.

Stations

North East MRT Line
■ Dhoby Ghaut  NE1  CC29  HarbourFront ■ Marina Bay    NE3  EW16  TE17  Outram Park ■ Pasir Ris  ■ Tuas Link Woodlands North   Sungei Bedok  NE4  DT19  Chinatown ■ Expo    NE5  Clarke Quay Singapore River  NE6  NS24  CC1  Dhoby Ghaut ■ Marina South Pier  ■ Jurong East ■ HarbourFront      ■ Bukit Panjang  NE7  DT12  Little India  NE8  Farrer Park  NE9  Boon Keng  NE10  Potong Pasir  NE11  Woodleigh  NE12  CC13  Serangoon ■ Dhoby Ghaut  ■ HarbourFront  NE13  Kovan  NE14  Hougang  NE15  Buangkok Sengkang Depot ■ West Loop: Fernvale via Renjong  ■ East Loop:  Bakau via Ranggung  NE16  STC  Sengkang ■ West Loop: Fernvale via Cheng Lim  ■ East Loop:  Bakau via Compassvale ■ West Loop: Samudera via Soo Teck  ■ East Loop  Riviera via Cove  NE17  PTC  Punggol ■ West Loop: Samudera via Sam Kee  ■ East Loop:  Riviera via Damai

Station number	Station name	Image	Interchange/notes
NE1  CC29	HarbourFront		Interchange with the Circle line
NE2	reserved; under planning		Reserve station to be open at a later date
NE3  EW16  TE17	Outram Park		Interchange with the East West line and the Thomson-East Coast line (2021)
NE4  DT19	Chinatown		Interchange with the Downtown line
NE5	Clarke Quay
NE6  NS24  CC1	Dhoby Ghaut		Interchange with the North South line and the Circle line
NE7  DT12	Little India		Interchange with the Downtown line
NE8	Farrer Park
NE9	Boon Keng
NE10	Potong Pasir
NE11	Woodleigh
NE12  CC13	Serangoon		Interchange with the Circle line
NE13	Kovan
NE14  CR8	Hougang		Interchange with the Cross Island line (2029)
NE15	Buangkok
NE16  STC	Sengkang		Interchange with the Sengkang LRT
NE17  PTC	Punggol		Interchange with the Punggol LRT
North East line extension (under construction, to be ready by 2024)
NE18	Punggol Coast

The Land Transport Authority has announced that it will extend the North East Line from its current northern terminal at Punggol to a new station called Punggol Coast. Construction will begin in 2018, and it is expected to open in 2023.

Other websites

• North East Line (SBS Transit)
• North East Line (Land Transport Authority) Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
• Railway Technology on the NEL