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Industry | Public transport |
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Founded | 6 August 1987 [1] |
Headquarters | 2 Tanjong Katong Road, #08-01, Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ 3), Singapore 437161 |
Key people | Seah Moon Ming (Chairman) Ngien Hoon Ping (from 1 August 2022) [2] (Group CEO) |
Services | Bus & rail services |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Owner | Temasek Holdings |
Number of employees | 9,500 (March 2016) |
Subsidiaries | SMRT Buses SMRT Trains Strides |
Website | www |
SMRT Corporation is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. A subsidiary of the Government of Singapore's Temasek Holdings, it was established on 6 August 1987 and listed on the Singapore Exchange from 26 July 2000 until 31 October 2016. It is one of the two major operators of Singapore's rail services along with SBS Transit.
Besides public transport, SMRT Corporation is involved in leasing advertising and commercial spaces within the transport network it operates, as well as in engaging operations and maintenance services, project management and engineering consultancy in Singapore and overseas. It also operates other transport services under its subsidiary Strides.
In 1967, city planners forecast a need for a rail-based urban transport system in Singapore by 1992. [3] [4] [5] Initial opposition by prominent ministers, among them Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee and Trades and Industry Minister Tony Tan, nearly shuttered the program due to financial grounds and concerns of jobs saturation in the construction industry. [6] Goh instead endorsed the idea of an all-bus system recommended by Harvard University specialists, who argued would reduce the cost by 50% compared to the proposed MRT system. Public opinion was split on the matter, with several expressing concerns on the high cost and others being more focused on increasing the standard of living. Following a debate on whether a bus-only system would be more cost-effective, Communications Minister Ong Teng Cheong came to the conclusion that an all-bus system would be inadequate, as it would have to compete for road space in a land-scarce country. Ong was an architect and town planner by training and through his perseverance and dedication became the main figure behind the initial construction of the system. [7] [8]
Singapore's MRT infrastructure is built, operated, and managed in accordance with a hybridised quasi-nationalised regulatory framework called the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF), in which the lines are constructed and the assets owned by the Land Transport Authority, a statutory board of the Government of Singapore. [9]
The Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC) was established on 14 October 1983 and took over the roles and responsibilities of the former provisional Mass Rapid Transit Authority. [7] [10]
On 7 November 1987, the MRTC commenced operating services on Singapore's first Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) section, consisting of five stations from Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh. [11] On 1 September 1995, MRTC, along with Roads & Transportation Division of the Public Works Department and Land Transportation Division of the Ministry of Communications, merged to form the Land Transport Authority. [12] [13] The operations of the MRT system were regrouped under SMRT Limited, as a private state-owned company owned by the government's investment arm Temasek Holdings. [14]
In 1998, ownership of the rail assets encompassing the operation of the MRT system network were transferred to SMRT Limited. The process was executed under a License and Operating Agreement, which stated the maintenance obligation of SMRT Limited covering the infrastructures and assets of the transit system. On 26 July 2000, SMRT Limited was listed on the Singapore Exchange as SMRT Corporation, with Temasek Holdings selling 33% of its shares. [15] [16] [17]
In July 2001, SMRT launched a takeover bid for Trans-Island Bus Services (TIBS) that was accepted. [18] [19] The transaction was completed in December 2001, with TIBS being operated as a wholly owned subsidiary. [20] [21] As part of a corporate rebranding programme, TIBS was rebranded as SMRT Buses in May 2004.
In September 2016, Temasek Holdings completed a successful takeover bid for the 46% of SMRT that it did not own which resulted in SMRT being delisted from the Singapore Exchange and returning to government control. [22] All its train operating assets were sold to the government under the Land Transport Authority's new Rail Financing Framework. [23] The bus operating assets were also sold to the government under Land Transport Authority's Bus Contracting Model.
Being asset light will allow SMRT to focus on the operational reliability of the public transport system and its business ventures overseas. [24]
The buy-out was approved by the High Court of Singapore and the last day of trading of SMRT shares was 18 October 2016. [25]
From 1 October 2016, the Land Transport Authority assumed all the rail operating assets from SMRT under a New Rail Financing Framework that allows the company to focus on its operational reliability.
In 2023, SMRT Corporation merged its taxi operations under Strides Taxi with Premier Taxis to form Strides Premier. [26]
SMRT's primary business is providing public-transport services in Singapore, with operations in the following (as of 2015):
Transportation in Singapore is predominantly land-based, with a comprehensive network of roads making many parts of the city-state, including islands such as Sentosa and Jurong Island, accessible. The road network is complemented by a robust rail system consisting of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT), which cover the length and width of Singapore and serve a few neighbourhoods respectively. The main island of Singapore is also connected to other islands via ferryboat services. Furthermore, the city-state maintains strong international connections through two bridges linking it to Malaysia – the Causeway and the Second Link – and the Singapore Changi Airport, a major aviation hub in Asia.
The Mass Rapid Transit system, locally known by the initialism MRT, is a rapid transit system in Singapore and the island country's principal mode of railway transportation. The system commenced operations in November 1987 after two decades of planning with an initial 6 km (3.7 mi) stretch consisting of five stations. The network has since grown to span the length and breadth of the country's main island – with the exception of the forested core and the rural northwestern region – in accordance with Singapore's aim of developing a comprehensive rail network as the backbone of the country's public transportation system, averaging a daily ridership of 3.45 million in 2023.
The North East Line (NEL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore. Operated by SBS Transit, the 20-kilometre (12 mi) line is the MRT's shortest. It runs from HarbourFront station in southern Singapore to Punggol station in the northeast, serving 16 stations via Chinatown, Little India, Serangoon and Hougang. Coloured purple on official maps, it is Singapore's third MRT line and the world's first fully-automated underground driverless heavy rail line.
SBS Transit Ltd is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporation at 75%, it was formerly known as Singapore Bus Services before rebranding to SBS Transit on 1 November 2001.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore.
The North–South Line (NSL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore, operated by SMRT Corporation. Coloured red on the Singapore rail map, the line is 45 kilometres (28 mi) long and serves 27 stations, 11 of which, between the Bishan and Marina South Pier stations, are underground. It runs from Jurong East station, located in Western Singapore, to Marina South Pier station in the Central Area, via Woodlands station in northern Singapore. The line operates for almost 20 hours a day, with headways of up to 1 to 2 minutes during peak hours and 5 to 8 minutes during off-peak hours. All the trains on the North–South Line run with a six-car formation.
City Hall MRT station is an underground Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North–South line (NSL) and East–West line (EWL). Situated in the Downtown Core district, it is underneath Stamford Road near the road junctions with North Bridge Road and St Andrew's Road. The station is near landmarks such as the former City Hall, Raffles City, the Padang, St Andrew's Cathedral and the Cenotaph.
Changi Airport MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station in Changi, Singapore. The station is the terminus of the Changi Airport branch of the East–West Line (EWL); it is operated by SMRT Trains and is built in an east–west direction. The station directly connects to Terminals 2 and 3 of Changi Airport and serves other airport amenities including Jewel.
Public buses form a significant part of public transport in Singapore, with over 3.6 million rides taken per day on average as of December 2021. There are 352 scheduled bus services, operated by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore. The newest bus operator, Go-Ahead Singapore started operation on 4 September 2016. There are also around 5,800 buses currently in operation as of 2020.
The Light Rail Transit system, locally known by the initialism LRT, are a series of localised automated guideway transit (AGT) systems in Singapore which acts as feeder services to the heavy rail Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), and together forms the core of the country's rail transport services. The first LRT line was opened in 1999 and the system has since expanded to three lines, each serving three new towns, namely Bukit Panjang, Sengkang and Punggol, with a total system length of approximately 30 km (19 mi). Trains on these lines have at least one station interchange link to the MRT.
Woodlands Bus Interchange is a bus interchange in Singapore. Located in Woodlands, the interchange is linked to Woodlands MRT station and adjacent to Causeway Point shopping mall. It is the largest and among the busiest bus interchange in Singapore. The interchange is also known as Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub.
SMRT Buses is the second largest bus operator in Singapore. A subsidiary of SMRT Corporation, it traded as Trans Island Bus Services until 10 May 2004.
Orchard MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station in Singapore, on the North South (NSL) and Thomson–East Coast (TEL) lines. Situated along Orchard Boulevard and underneath ION Orchard, the station serves various commercial and retail developments of the Orchard Road shopping district, including Liat Towers, Ngee Ann City, Wheelock Place, Wisma Atria and Shaw House, among others.
Tanah Merah MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East West line (EWL). Located in Bedok, Singapore, the station is along New Upper Changi Road and serves various residential developments, including Casa Merah. It is the terminus of the EWL branch to Changi Airport station.
The history of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system of Singapore commenced with its planning in the 1960s, which finally led to its opening in 1987 with the launch of a 6 km section of the North–South Line (NSL) from Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh. Since its inception, the rapid transit system has played a crucial role in the public transportation network and the wider development of the country as a whole, providing a fast and efficient means of transportation for millions of Singaporeans daily.
Kranji MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North–South Line (NSL). Situated in Sungei Kadut, Singapore along Woodlands Road, it serves the Singapore Turf Club and the Woodlands Wafer Fabrication Park. The station is operated by SMRT Trains.
Rail transport in Singapore mainly consists of a passenger urban rail transit system spanning the entire city-state: a rapid transit system collectively known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system operated by the two biggest public transport operators SMRT Trains and SBS Transit, as well as several Light Rail Transit (LRT) rubber-tyred automated guideway transit lines also operated by both companies. In addition, local specialised light rail lines are in operation in places such as the Singapore Changi Airport and Sentosa.
SMRT Trains Limited is a rail operator in Singapore and a wholly owned subsidiary of SMRT Corporation. After the privatisation of the MRT operations in 1995, it was originally named Singapore MRT Limited. On 31 December 2001, it was renamed SMRT Trains Limited, so as to avoid confusion with the then upcoming North East MRT line which would be under SBS Transit. SMRT Trains currently manages most of the MRT services in Singapore except the North East Line and Downtown Line.
The Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is an international cross-border rapid transit system that will connect Malaysia's second largest city, Johor Bahru and Woodlands, Singapore, crossing the Strait of Johor. It will consist of two stations, with the Malaysian terminus at Bukit Chagar station and the Singaporean terminus at Woodlands North station, which also interchanges with Singapore's Thomson–East Coast MRT line.
Media related to SMRT Corporation at Wikimedia Commons