Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced new alignment and station locations for the Downtown Line 2 extension (DTL2e), a 4km extension of the Downtown Line (DTL).
DTL2e will connect the DTL from its existing terminus at Bukit Panjang station to a new NS6/DE2 interchange station on the North-South Line (NSL).
Heading northwest, the first station, dubbed DE1, will be built after Bukit Panjang as an underground station along Sungei Kadut Avenue.
DTL’s new terminus (DE2) will be an underground interchange station connected to an aboveground NSL station (NS6), located between Yew Tee and Kranji stations.
The new stations are expected to improve the rail connectivity in the northwestern region.
Also, they will extend access to areas such as Yew Tee Village and the future Sungei Kadut Eco-District, along with amenities such as Rail Corridor and Pang Sua Park Connector.
People living in the north-western region of the city, who currently take the NSL or Thomson-East Coast Line to reach the downtown area, can use DTL2e to reach the city centre.
Land Transport Authority in its statement said: “The DTL2e is expected to reduce the travelling times for commuters between northern and northwestern parts of Singapore.
“For instance, a commuter travelling from Yew Tee Village to Chinatown will enjoy travel time savings of 20 minutes, from an hour by train and bus today, to 40 minutes on the DTL.
“In addition, DTL2e will improve rail network resilience in the north-western region, by providing commuters with alternative travel and transfer options for their journeys.”
The construction works on DTL2e are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025, and the new station locations will be opened by 2035.
An Environmental Study involving engagement and consultation of nature groups has been completed, and an Environmental Monitoring and Management Plan will be implemented.
The plan comprises certain measures to mitigate the environmental impact of the construction works at DTL2e.
The measures include building a wildlife corridor along the Rail Corridor during construction to allow continued movement of fauna and monitoring of sensitive habitats by ecologists.
Once DTL2e is completed, DTL will have a total of 39 stations, including the Hume station which will open in Q2 2025 and the DTL 3 extension (DTL3e) featuring Xilin and Sungei Bedok stations that will open in the second half of 2026.
