The Circle Line is the orange line on the rail map. It traces a ring around the city centre, about 39 km long with 33 stations, and its codes start with CC. SMRT runs it. LTA describes it as the second driverless MRT line and Singapore's first medium-capacity line, with shorter trains than the older lines. It links the other lines to each other, so riders can move between suburbs without passing through City Hall or Raffles Place. In July 2026 the ring was finally closed. Our MRT and LRT guide puts the line in context.
The shape of the line
Picture a ring with Dhoby Ghaut at the top of the city. Heading east, the line passes Bras Basah and Esplanade, then Promenade and Nicoll Highway, before crossing to Stadium and the sports hub. It turns north through Mountbatten, Dakota and Paya Lebar, then Macpherson, Tai Seng and Bartley, and swings west through Serangoon, Lorong Chuan and Bishan to Marymount and Caldecott.
From Caldecott the ring heads south-west through Botanic Gardens, Farrer Road and Holland Village to Buona Vista and one-north, then south through Kent Ridge, Haw Par Villa and Pasir Panjang to the coast at Labrador Park and Telok Blangah. HarbourFront follows, and since 2026 the line carries on east through Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road to Marina Bay and Bayfront, which link back to Promenade.
Stations in order
The table shows the 33 stations from CC1 to CC34. CC18 does not appear on today's map. The codes of Marina Bay and Bayfront changed in July 2026 to CC33 and CC34, when the three new stations were added between them and HarbourFront.
Stations in service, in order (33)
| Code | Station | Other lines here | eGuide area |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC1 | Dhoby Ghaut | NS24NE6 | Museum |
| CC2 | Bras Basah | – | Museum |
| CC3 | Esplanade | – | Downtown Core |
| CC4 | Promenade | DT15 | Downtown Core |
| CC5 | Nicoll Highway | – | Downtown Core |
| CC6 | Stadium | – | Kallang |
| CC7 | Mountbatten | – | Geylang |
| CC8 | Dakota | – | Geylang |
| CC9 | Paya Lebar | EW8 | Geylang |
| CC10 | Macpherson | DT26 | Geylang |
| CC11 | Tai Seng | – | Hougang, Toa Payoh |
| CC12 | Bartley | – | Serangoon, Toa Payoh |
| CC13 | Serangoon | NE12 | Serangoon |
| CC14 | Lorong Chuan | – | Serangoon |
| CC15 | Bishan | NS17 | Bishan |
| CC16 | Marymount | – | Bishan |
| CC17 | Caldecott | TE9 | Toa Payoh |
| CC19 | Botanic Gardens | DT9 | Tanglin |
| CC20 | Farrer Road | – | Bukit Timah, Tanglin |
| CC21 | Holland Village | – | Bukit Timah, Queenstown |
| CC22 | Buona Vista | EW21 | Queenstown |
| CC23 | one-north | – | Queenstown |
| CC24 | Kent Ridge | – | Queenstown |
| CC25 | Haw Par Villa | – | Queenstown |
| CC26 | Pasir Panjang | – | Queenstown |
| CC27 | Labrador Park | – | Bukit Merah |
| CC28 | Telok Blangah | – | Bukit Merah |
| CC29 | HarbourFront | NE1 | Bukit Merah |
| CC30 | Keppel | – | Bukit Merah |
| CC31 | Cantonment | – | Bukit Merah |
| CC32 | Prince Edward Road | – | Downtown Core |
| CC33 | Marina Bay | NS27TE20 | Downtown Core, Straits View |
| CC34 | Bayfront | DT16 | Downtown Core |
Interchanges
The Circle Line connects with every other MRT line, which is the whole point of it:
- Dhoby Ghaut (CC1) for the North-South and North East lines.
- Promenade (CC4) and Bayfront (CC34) for the Downtown Line.
- Paya Lebar (CC9) for the East-West Line.
- Macpherson (CC10) for the Downtown Line.
- Serangoon (CC13) for the North East Line.
- Bishan (CC15) for the North-South Line.
- Caldecott (CC17) for the Thomson-East Coast Line.
- Botanic Gardens (CC19) for the Downtown Line.
- Buona Vista (CC22) for the East-West Line.
- HarbourFront (CC29) for the North East Line.
- Marina Bay (CC33) for the North-South and Thomson-East Coast lines.
Opening history, stage by stage
The line opened in pieces over seventeen years:
| Stage | Stations | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 3 | Bartley to Marymount | 28 May 2009 |
| Stages 1 and 2 | Dhoby Ghaut to Tai Seng | 17 April 2010 |
| Stages 4 and 5 | Caldecott to HarbourFront | 8 October 2011 |
| Circle Line Extension | Bayfront and Marina Bay | 14 January 2012 |
| Stage 6 | Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road | 12 July 2026 |
Stage 3 in the north came first. The city end and the western arc followed in 2010 and 2011, and the short extension to Marina Bay and Bayfront in January 2012 linked the line to the Marina Bay area. For fourteen years after that the line was shaped like a letter C, open between HarbourFront and Marina Bay.
Stage 6 closed that gap. Its three stations opened on 12 July 2026, and trains now run the whole circle. Keppel and Cantonment are in Bukit Merah and Prince Edward Road is in the Downtown Core. Our Circle Line Stage 6 explainer covers the new stations and the renumbering in detail.
Driverless, medium-capacity trains
Medium capacity means the Circle Line runs shorter trains than the North-South and East-West lines, with shorter platforms to match. Its trains have no driver in the cab, as on the North East, Downtown and Thomson-East Coast lines. The North East Line came first in 2003, which is why LTA counts the Circle Line as the second driverless line.
Areas on the Circle Line
The Circle Line's stations have exits in the Museum planning area, the Downtown Core, Kallang, Geylang, Hougang, Toa Payoh, Serangoon, Bishan, Tanglin, Bukit Timah, Queenstown, Bukit Merah and Straits View.
eGuide area pages on this route: Museum, Downtown Core, Kallang, Geylang, Hougang, Toa Payoh, Serangoon, Bishan, Tanglin, Bukit Timah, Queenstown, Bukit Merah, Straits View.
| Planning area | URA region | Stations open | Stations announced | Residents (June 2026) | eGuide page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museum | Central | 2 | 0 | 860 | Area page |
| Downtown Core | Central | 6 | 0 | 6,230 | Full guide |
| Kallang | Central | 1 | 0 | 102,550 | Area profile |
| Geylang | Central | 4 | 0 | 121,350 | Area profile |
| Hougang | North-East | 1 | 0 | 226,100 | Full guide |
| Toa Payoh | Central | 3 | 0 | 148,940 | Area profile |
| Serangoon | North-East | 3 | 0 | 115,860 | Area profile |
| Bishan | Central | 2 | 0 | 87,810 | Area profile |
| Tanglin | Central | 2 | 0 | 25,190 | Area profile |
| Bukit Timah | Central | 2 | 0 | 86,720 | Full guide |
| Queenstown | Central | 6 | 0 | 101,970 | Full guide |
| Bukit Merah | Central | 5 | 0 | 144,690 | Full guide |
| Straits View | Central | 1 | 0 | none recorded | Area page |
A station on a boundary counts in each area it touches. Residents: SingStat, June 2026; the 13 areas together had 1,168,270 residents.
Queenstown and the Downtown Core lead with six Circle Line stations each: Queenstown on the western arc from Holland Village to Pasir Panjang, the Downtown Core around Marina Bay. Bukit Merah follows with five, three opened in 2011 along the coast and the two Stage 6 stations. For the guides to Bukit Timah, Queenstown and Bukit Merah, it is the line that ties the area to the rest of the network.
Living along the ring
Because it circles the city at a distance of a few kilometres, the Circle Line passes through a belt of mature estates and private neighbourhoods rather than new towns. Geylang, Toa Payoh, Serangoon and Bishan sit on its northern and eastern arcs; Tanglin, Bukit Timah and Queenstown on its western arc; and Bukit Merah along the southern coast. In June 2026 SingStat counted 148,940 residents in Toa Payoh, 144,690 in Bukit Merah, 121,350 in Geylang, 115,860 in Serangoon, 101,970 in Queenstown and 87,810 in Bishan.
For these areas, the line works as a link to everything else. A resident of Serangoon can reach the East-West Line at Paya Lebar, the North-South Line at Bishan or the Downtown Line at Botanic Gardens without going through the centre. In the west, the stations between Buona Vista and Pasir Panjang serve the research and business parks at one-north and Kent Ridge as well as homes.
How Stage 6 changed journeys
Before July 2026, trains from the western arc ended at HarbourFront, and anyone heading to Marina Bay had to change or take a long way round. With Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road in place, the ring is continuous. Bukit Merah gained Keppel and Cantonment, and Prince Edward Road added a stop at the southern end of the financial district in the Downtown Core.
The renumbering of Marina Bay and Bayfront to CC33 and CC34 is worth knowing if you use older maps or notes: the stations are the same, but their codes now follow on from CC32.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Circle Line a full loop now?
Yes. Since Stage 6 opened on 12 July 2026, trains run the whole ring through Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road.
Why is there no CC18?
CC18 is a code that does not appear on the current system map; the line runs from CC17 Caldecott to CC19 Botanic Gardens.
Which stations changed codes in 2026?
Marina Bay became CC33 and Bayfront became CC34 when Stage 6 opened.
Who operates the Circle Line?
SMRT.
Which planning areas have the most Circle Line stations?
Queenstown and the Downtown Core, with six each, followed by Bukit Merah with five.
Can I ride the whole circle without changing?
Yes, since July 2026 the line runs as a continuous ring.
Sources
- Land Transport Authority, Circle Line page: length, station count, driverless and medium-capacity design, and the completion of the circle in 2026.
- Land Transport Authority, Circle Line opening dates by stage, and the news releases of 14 May and 24 June 2026 on Stage 6.
- SMRT, opening of the Circle Line Extension (Bayfront and Marina Bay), 14 January 2012.
- Land Transport Authority, rail system map Ver210726 and MRT station exits (data.gov.sg, 18 October 2026).