SMRT Bus Service 856

SMRT Bus Service 856 is a trunk route linking Yishun Bus Interchange and Woodlands Temporary Interchange, passing through Sembawang, Senoko Industrial Estate, Woodlands North MRT, Woodlands Train Checkpoint and Marsiling MRT.

Notes:

• Service 856 towards both Yishun Int & Woodlands Temp Int duplicates at Woodlands North Coast Road. Check the bus destination before boarding.
• – Wheelchair Inaccessible Bus Stop

Technical Information
Route	Yishun Bus Interchange ↔ Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange
Passes Through	Sembawang, Senoko Industrial Estate, Woodlands Centre, Marsiling MRT
Route Length	16.3 km (D1) | 17.2 km (D2)
Travelling Time	60 mins
Operator Information
BCM Route Package	Sembawang – Yishun Bus Package
Current Operator	SMRT Buses Ltd
Current Depot	Ang Mo Kio Bus Depot (AMDEP) Buses park at: Seletar Bus Depot (SEDEP)
Current Fleet	12-metre Double Deck Bus: – Alexander Dennis Enviro500 – MAN A95
Departure Times from Yishun	0530hrs – 2345hrs (Daily)
Departure Times from Woodlands	0530hrs – 2350hrs (Daily)
Frequency	Direction 1	Direction 2
	0630 – 0830: 05 – 06 mins 0831 – 1659: 05 – 10 mins 1700 – 1900: 05 – 07 mins After 1900: 05 – 11 mins	0630 – 0830: 04 – 06 mins 0831 – 1659: 05 – 11 mins 1700 – 1900: 03 – 07 mins After 1900: 02 – 11 mins

Service 856 is both a residential and industrial route, linking the industrial areas of Admiralty Road West and Senoko with Yishun, Sembawang, Marsiling and Woodlands estates. The route also provides residential connections between Woodlands Bus Interchange and Woodlands Town Centre, as well as between Sembawang and Yishun. As such, it benefits from moderate to high demand throughout the day, with high demand during the peak hours, and thus high-capacity buses are deployed on a daily basis.

During peak hours, Service 981 compliments the service by strengthening bus connections between Sembawang MRT/Int and industrial areas around Admiralty Road West and Senoko.

By duplicating Service 950 from Woodlands Bus Interchange to Woodlands Centre Road, the route also encounters exceptionally high demand from cross-border commuters heading from Woodlands/Marsiling to Woodlands Checkpoint, where passengers are often unable to board Service 950 along en-route bus stops as Service 950 is often filled to capacity at Woodlands Bus Interchange.

With the opening of Thomson-East Coast Line 1 on 31 January 2020, Service 856 was amended to serve Woodlands North MRT Station along Woodlands North Coast Road both towards Yishun and Woodlands. Commuters are to check the Bus Electronic Destination Sign before boarding from there.

Special Departures

• Woodlands Ave 3 (Opp Marsiling Stn) → Yishun Int
  Weekdays: 0525hrs & 0535hrs
• Woodlands Ctr Rd (W’lands Train Checkpt) → Yishun Int
  Weekdays: 0525hrs
  Saturdays: 0528hrs

MRT Stations Served

• NS13 Yishun
• NS11 Sembawang
• TE1 Woodlands North
• NS8 Marsiling
• NS9TE2 Woodlands

Short-Trip Service

• Service 856A: Woodlands Temp Int → Woodlands Ctr Rd (W’lands Train Checkpt)
  Weekdays except Public Holidays:
  – Mondays – Thursdays: 1801hrs – 2050hrs
  – Fridays: 1745hrs – 2050hrs
  Caters to evening peak cross-border commuters heading to Woodlands Checkpoint

Fare: Charges basic distance fares. See Bus Fares.

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Gallery

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Operator History:

• 1988 – 2004: Trans-Island Bus Services Ltd
• 2004 – Present: SMRT Buses Ltd
• (~September 2021) onwards: Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd

Operations for this route would be transferred to Tower Transit in 2021 as part of the Sembawang – Yishun Bus Package.

The Bus Service Operating License (BSOL) for this route will be renewed in 2026 under the Sembawang – Yishun Bus Package.

History:

• 1988 (18 Dec): Introduced between Yishun Int and Woodlands Int
• 1996 (04 Feb): Extended to Woodlands Regional interchange
• 1996 (10 Mar): Amended to ply Canberra Rd instead of Sembawang Rd, Admiralty Rd East and West.
• 2013: Service improvement under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP)
• 2015 (14 Mar): Amended to Yishun Temp Int
• 2015 (18 May): Start of Alexander Dennis Enviro500 Double Decker bus deployment
• 2016 (12 Mar): Amended to Woodlands Temp Int
• 2017 (08 Sep): Short-Trip Service 856A introduced
• 2017 (17 Sep): Designated wheelchair-accessible bus route (WAB)
• 2018 (19 Oct): Revision of Short-Trip Service 856A operating hours from 1750hrs – 1930hrs on Fridays to 1740hrs – 1900hrs
• 2019 (21 Jan): Short Trip Service 856A enhanced to operate from Mondays to Fridays, with an increased number of trips on Fridays
• 2019 (08 Sep): Amended to Yishun Integrated Transport Hub
• 2020 (31 Jan): Amended to serve Woodlands North Coast Road

Past Routings:

• Refer to this article
• 2020: Amended to present routing. No significant route changes since 2020.

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