This MRT map 2006 shows Singapore’s rail network as it stood in 2006, a few years after the North East Line opened and a few years before the Circle Line arrived. It is a useful record of a smaller, simpler system: two long MRT lines built by the original operator, one newer automated line, and the first of the light rail feeders. For anyone trying to remember how they got around two decades ago, or comparing old journeys with today’s routes, it is a good place to start.
What the MRT map 2006 shows
The backbone of the 2006 map is the pair of arterial lines planned from the start. The North South Line had been running since 7 November 1987, when the first five stations opened over six kilometres. By 2006 it already included the Woodlands extension, completed on 10 February 1996 at a cost of S$1.2 billion. That project absorbed the old Branch Line and joined Yishun with Choa Chu Kang, giving the line the long loop through the north that riders still use today.
The East West Line crossed the island, with Boon Lay as its western end. Boon Lay had opened on 6 July 1990, marking the completion of the initial system two years ahead of schedule. The airport branch was also in place: Expo opened on 10 January 2001 and Changi Airport followed on 8 February 2002. Dover, the network’s first infill station on an existing line, had been open since 18 October 2001.
The North East Line was still fairly new in 2006. It opened on 20 June 2003 as the first line operated by SBS Transit and one of the first fully automated heavy rail lines in the world. Feeding into the MRT in the west, the Bukit Panjang LRT had carried passengers since 6 November 1999, built on the idea of bringing rail almost to people’s doorsteps.
What the map does not show is just as telling. There is no Circle Line, no Downtown Line and no Thomson East Coast Line. Anyone travelling between two outlying areas in 2006 usually had to go through the city centre to change trains.
Getting around Singapore? Find any station on the interactive MRT map, or save the PDF map to use offline.
What opened around this time
The most notable change in 2006 itself was on the North East Line. Buangkok station opened on 15 January 2006, after two and a half years of determined public lobbying. Residents had watched trains pass through a finished station without stopping, and its opening became a small but memorable moment in the network’s history.
Openings shortly before and after this map:
- 10 January 2001: Expo station opens on the airport branch.
- 18 October 2001: Dover opens as the first infill station.
- 8 February 2002: Changi Airport station opens.
- 20 June 2003: North East Line begins service.
- 15 January 2006: Buangkok opens.
- 28 February 2009: Pioneer and Joo Koon open as the Boon Lay Extension of the East West Line.
- 28 May 2009: Circle Line Stage 3 opens, the first section of the line.
So the 2006 map sits in a quiet stretch between the North East Line’s arrival and the much larger wave of building that began at the end of the decade.
How the network has changed since
Put the 2006 map beside today’s interactive MRT map and the difference is striking. Three full MRT lines have been added, and the original lines have grown at both ends.
| Line | In 2006 | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| North South Line | Open, including Woodlands extension | 27 stations, Jurong East to Marina South Pier |
| East West Line | Open, western end at Boon Lay | 33 stations, Pasir Ris to Tuas Link |
| Changi Airport branch | Expo and Changi Airport | 2 stations, Expo to Changi Airport |
| North East Line | Open since 2003, Buangkok newly added | 17 stations, HarbourFront to Punggol Coast |
| Circle Line | Not open | 31 stations plus 2 on the Marina Bay extension |
| Downtown Line | Not open | 35 stations, Bukit Panjang to Expo |
| Thomson East Coast Line | Not open | 27 stations, Woodlands North to Bayshore |
| Bukit Panjang LRT | Open since 1999 | 13 stations, Choa Chu Kang to Senja |
The East West Line pushed west twice: to Joo Koon in 2009, then to Tuas Link with the Tuas West Extension on 18 June 2017. The North South Line gained Canberra as an infill station on 2 November 2019. On the North East Line, Woodleigh opened on 20 June 2011 and the extension to Punggol Coast followed on 10 December 2024.
The Circle Line opened in stages between 2009 and 2012. It was finally completed when Stage 6, with Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road, opened on 12 July 2026, closing the loop. The Downtown Line opened in three stages on 22 December 2013, 27 December 2015 and 21 October 2017, and Hume was added as its first underground infill station on 28 February 2025. The Thomson East Coast Line arrived in four stages from 31 January 2020, reaching Bayshore on 23 June 2024.
More is still to come. Marina South, Mount Pleasant, Bedok South, Sungei Bedok and Xilin are not yet open, and our future MRT map shows where the network is heading. For a printable version of today’s system, use the MRT map PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Which MRT lines were running in 2006?
The North South Line, the East West Line with its Changi Airport branch, and the North East Line. The Bukit Panjang LRT was also in service. The Circle, Downtown and Thomson East Coast Lines had not yet opened.
Was Buangkok station open in 2006?
Yes. Buangkok opened on 15 January 2006, early in the year, after a long public campaign. Woodleigh, further down the same line, did not open until 20 June 2011.
Could you take the MRT to Changi Airport in 2006?
Yes. Changi Airport station had been open since 8 February 2002, reached via the branch from Expo.
How can I plan a journey on today’s network?
Start with our nearest station finder, then check fares and the fare calculator and the current MRT operating hours. Our guide to line colours will help you read the modern map, which has many more lines than this one.
For the official version, see the LTA rail network map.