Marking the start of a new year, let’s check out what 2026 has in store for public transport!
Expanded Rail Network — Circle Line Stage 6, TEL5 and DTL3e
The 4 km Circle Line Stage 6 will open in the first half of 2026, connecting HarbourFront to Marina Bay, via three new stations—Keppel, Cantonment, and Prince Edward Road.
Kim Chuan Depot Extension is also expected to open in 2026, increasing capacity for the CCL’s only depot.
The Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 5 and Downtown Line Stage 3 Extension will open in the second half of 2026, connecting these two lines, via three new stations—Xilin, Bedok South, and Sungei Bedok, with Sungei Bedok serving as an interchange between the two lines. With this connection, both MRT lines will be able to access the East Coast Integrated Depot, which will also fully open in 2026.
Finally, the Singapore–Johor Bahru RTS Link is due for completion by the end of 2026, with a targeted opening on 1 January 2027. [Link]
New Trains
All 106 Alstom MOVIA R151 trains are expected to be delivered by 2026. The seventh-generation trains for the North South Line and East West Line first entered service in June 2023.
Alstom Metropolis C851E (CCL) trains will also enter service in 2026. These third-generation Circle Line trains will increase the CCL’s capacity in tandem with the opening of the CCL6.
Delivery of Mitsubishi Crystal Mover (C810D) for the Sengkang/Punggol LRT, and Hyundai Rotem J151 trains for the Jurong Region Line (JRL), will continue into 2026.
Rail Upgrading and Renewal
The Bukit Panjang LRT Overhaul is due for completion in 2026. With most of the project milestones completed, minor work remaining includes power rail replacement works and decommissioning of old track circuit systems. BPLRT lift upgrading works, which started in August 2025, are expected to be completed by March 2027.
Mid-life refurbishment of all first-generation North East Line trains (Alstom Metropolis C751A) is due by the first quarter of 2026. [Link]
SMRT’s Proof-of-Concept train is also projected to start service in June 2026. The trial aims to test the latest reliability-centred capabilities on a fifth-generation C151B train.
As Singapore’s rail network ages, authorities have indicated that longer, scheduled closures for major upgrades are needed, as current maintenance windows are insufficient [Link].
Already announced for next year are the Reduced Circle Line Services from January to April 2026, to facilitate essential tunnel strengthening works, and a Full-Day Closure of the Bukit Panjang LRT on 25 January 2026, to facilitate the migration of the BPLRT’s Operations Control Centre (OCC).
Another round of EWL closures is also needed to decommission Changi Depot in 1H 2026, like the earlier 10-Day EWL Closure in Nov-Dec 2025. Further details are expected to be announced in 2026.
Rail miscellaneous
- Hitachi Rail will complete the multi-year replacement of 1,350 fare gates across all NSEWL and CCL stations by July 2026. [Link]
- Restoration of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is slated for completion by 2026. [Link]
Bus
New 3-door Electric Buses
In December 2025, LTA awarded procurement contracts for 660 new electric buses—comprising 360 single-deck and 300 double-deck buses—to tenderers representing bus manufacturers BYD, CRRC, Yutong, and Zhongtong. These buses will progressively enter service starting from end-2026.
Electric bus deliveries under Contract PT601, comprising 420 electric single-deck buses, will continue into 2026.
Catering for an expanding electric bus network, LTA will also award tenders for more electric bus chargers at Mandai Depot and various ITHs. It is also installing e-bus charging at Pasir Ris.
Autonomous buses
By mid-2026, residents in Punggol will be able to ride autonomous shuttle services as part of their daily commute, with the launch of 3Â Punggol Autonomous Shuttle Service routes.
Under the LTA Autonomous Bus Pilot, autonomous buses will also be launched on public bus services 400 and 191 for an initial period of three years, starting from the second half of 2026.
New Bus Services / Interchanges
New bus routes and service amendments are to be expected under the Bus Connectivity Enhancement Programme (BCEP). Some new services/amendments that have been mentioned are:
- A peak period limited-stop service to Jurong East MRT Station
- A City Direct service to Brickland
- A new bus route/amendment to serve Punggol North Avenue
Compassvale Bus Interchange will reopen in January 2026 to support upgrading works at Sengkang ITH. The facility, which ceased operations in December 2024, will be temporarily reactivated from 31 January 2026 till end-October 2026.
Bus Contracting / New Bus Depots
Go-Ahead Singapore will take over the Tampines Bus Package progressively from 5 July 2026. This is the first Tendered Contract term for the route package, and will see GAS take over 27 bus routes in the Tampines area, all currently operated by SBS Transit.
Go-Ahead will also operate around 400 buses from the new East Coast Bus Depot, including over 250 electric buses. The depot will also open in 2026.
Other bus packages that were last known to be extended till 2026 are Loyang Bus Package, Choa Chu Kang – Bukit Panjang Bus Package, Woodlands Bus Package, and Bishan – Toa Payoh Bus Package. With no tenders ongoing, these packages are assumed to have been extended by unknown durations.
Retiring Buses
Ongoing retirement of Scania K230UB (Euro IV) buses and Mercedes-Benz OC500LE buses will continue into 2026, as buses reach their 17-year statutory lifespan. Some of these buses have received a lifespan extension [Links: KUB extension/OC500LE extension].
Retirement of Scania K230UB (Euro V) buses will commence in 2026.
Bus miscellaneous
- Tower Transit will take over the Sentosa Beach shuttle, completing the full transition of bus services in Sentosa (see: Tower Transit Awarded Contract to Operate & Maintain Sentosa Bus Services)
- LTA refurbishment of 629 buses under Contract PT805 will be completed (see: LTA Mid-Life Refurbishment of Buses)
- Little India Bus Terminal will open for recreational pickleball (see: Little India Bus Terminal to be retrofitted for Pickleball Activities)
- SBS Transit is developing a Responsive and Adaptive Braking System (RABS) in a Memorandum of Understanding signed with Streamax and TNT Surveillance. Scheduled for a pilot launch in the first half of 2026. [Link]
To maintain operational parity among Singapore’s bus operators, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) should consider awarding the Serangoon-Eunos Bus Package and the management of Kim Chuan Bus Depot to Tower Transit Singapore. This move would align with existing precedents where SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, and Go-Ahead Singapore manage the Sengkang West Bus Depot (Sengkang-Hougang Bus Package), Gali Batu Bus Depot (Choa Chu Kang-Bukit Panjang Bus Package), and East Coast Bus Depot (Tampines Bus Package), respectively.
Yes I concur that… But Mandai pls award to Go-Ahead and Loyang to TTS… Clementi can award to GAS.
This year most anticipated new openings are probably the Circle Line becoming full circle in the first half of the year, and the RTS Link beginning operations in rhe second half of the year.
These two projects are realised after many years of effort, and they represent many generations of hopes and dreams, especially the RTS Link; finally can take MRT to Johor Bahru.
Agree. Look forward to the opening of RTS on schedule, hope this be a real solution to the current travel woes.
Most probably only ease 25% of the congestion…. Unless its a 6 or 8 car trains
Hope that all of the 397 Scania KUB Euro V Batch 1 Buses Will Recieve a 2 Year Lifespan Extension Because They Are in Good Condition and They are also Refurbishbished and The Remaining Buses Also Need to Get Refuribishment to all the 397 Scania KUB Euro 5 Batch 1 Buses as well.
I don’t really trust SMRT rails nowadays… SBST are much better.
Packages that will stay with SBST with guarantee are Bukit Merah, Bishan-Toa Payoh, Seletar, Sengkang-Hougang and Bedok.
Serangoon-Eunos and Clementi is up for grabs any operator can handle.
Gali Batu and Woodlands I think will stay with SMRT for longer term.
With GAS winning Tampines, I got a feeling they will lose Loyang but will win either Serangoon-Eunos, Sembawang-Yishun or Clementi in future.
I think if TTS bag Serangoon-Eunos then they will lose Sembawang-Yishun but retain Bulim. If LTA chose other European operator in 2028 then TTS will cease to exist in Singapore.
As for 2nd major EV orders I think European brands has a chance.
go eat ur medicine
I would say LTA would want foreign operators to hold on to 2 packages max at one point while the rest of the packages would still be held by either SBST/SMRT. We shall see if Serangoon-Eunos is won either by GAS or TTS or a new foreign operator, this theory would then be wrong. Tampines package was an outlier, giving GAS, with the highest bid, the package to make it look like it’s a fair game now that GAS and TTS are on par in terms of how many package they are operating. Serangoon-Eunos should be a usual battle of which local operator is able to give the cheapest bid.
Hope that all the 397 Scania KUB Euro V Batch 1 Buses Will Recieve a 2 Year Lifespan Extension