Wednesday, April 3, 2013

MRT – The most popular mode of transport in Singapore!

MRT ,stands for Mass Rapid Transit, is Singapore’s railway system that spans across the entire Singapore. It is a network of 102 stations, and about 150km of railway lines, both above and underground. Waiting time for the train is always under 10 mins.

mrt_map

In some MRT stations, bus interchanges are situated right next to them. And together with the bus network, you can almost reach anywhere in Singapore! In fact the longest traveling time to anywhere in Singapore is less than 3 hours! The MRT network consists of several lines, marked by different colors, they serve different areas of Singapore. Currently there are four main lines, North-South Line (Red), East-West Line (Green), North-East Line (Purple) and the Circle Line (Orange). They are supported by bus networks and also light rail system (LRT) marked by grey loops you can see in the map.

The stations are situated conveniently at major shopping centers or places of attractions. Sentosa Island is just a short walk away from North East Line’s Harbourfront Station, Marina Bay Sands has a station right under it, Circle Line’s Bayfront Station. Transiting line to line can be done at interchange stations and you don’t have to worry about alighting at one and looking for a nearby station of another line. MRT networks are all closely integrated together, only one ticket is needed to any MRT station.

        

Tickets can be bought off automated General Ticketing Machines (GTM) in any station. A standard one-trip ticket will be issued and all you need is to select the destination and pay the correct fares. Entering the station is easy, just tap your card at the gantries and then tap again when you reach your destination. The used cards can then be returned at the GTMs to get your deposit back, which you have paid when buying.

Traveling by MRT is way cheaper and convenient than other transports like taxi or bus. You don’t have to worry about traffic jams or road conditions and MRT will bring you close enough to walk to your final destination. The MRTs can get pretty crowded at peak hours or holiday seasons, but not to worry, you can always hop on the next which is less than 3 mins during peak hours!

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