If you depend on the Circle Line a lot for your commute, here's some important service changes in the coming months to take note of.
From September 5 through December 28, Circle Line (CCL) trains will be wrapping up earlier a kicking off later on the weekends. Train service will start at 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, resuming only at 9am on Saturdays and Sundays, says the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT.
But it's not a blanket restriction – service will run as usual for the weekends of October 3 to 5, November 28 to 30, and December 5 to 7.
These adjusted hours are part of an engineering push to ready the line for its final expansion: Circle Line Stage 6, slated to open in the first half of 2026. In July 2025, LTA and SMRT completed installation of a crucial upgrade – the Integrated Supervisory Control System – which monitors everything from power supply to station communications along the line. Now, they've entered the next critical phase: systems integration testing, requiring longer engineering hours to carry out works safely and thoroughly.
Shuttle buses to close the gap
Fear not, early risers. On Saturdays and Sundays when services begin at 9am, LTA will deploy two shuttle bus lines from 5am to 9am:
- Shuttle 36: Between Harbourfront and Bishan (every 7 to 10 minutes)
- Shuttle 37: Between Bishan and Promenade (ever 3 to 5 minutes)
Expect a potential 30-minute delay on affected mornings as you navigate these temporary arrangements.
CCL 6: What to expect
Patience now means smoother commutes later. Once Stage 6 opens, the Circle Line will truly become a loop linking Harbourfront to Marina Bay via three new stations: Keppel, Cantonment, and Prince Edward Road. This final segment will unlock more direct routes, cut travel times, and improve connectivity across the network.
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