Travel guides / MRT & LRT
How to ride Singapore MRT: payments, gates and transfers
Choose your destination and payment method, then follow the journey from finding your line to leaving the station. The payment and tap-in, tap-out basics also apply to LRT rides.
Find your line and direction
Locate your starting station and destination on the network map, then trace the lines and interchanges between them. EW, NS, NE, CC, DT and TE are MRT line codes. Use the codes together with the line colours to follow your route.
At the station, check the platform’s destination and intermediate stops. A line can run in different directions or have a branch, so confirm that your destination is on the train’s route before boarding.
View the network mapChoose how to pay
Bring a travel card or an accepted contactless bank card. American Express, Mastercard, Visa and supported mobile wallets are accepted. Check the balance on stored-value cards such as EZ-Link or NETS Prepaid. Single-trip MRT tickets are no longer sold.
Foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard cards incur a S$0.60 administration fee per day of use. Your bank may charge separate fees. Check transit eligibility and overseas-use settings with your card issuer.
Where can you buy a travel card?
EZ-Link and SimplyGo EZ-Link deduct each fare from a balance you top up. If you already have an accepted contactless bank card, you do not need to buy a separate travel card.
At the airport
Terminal 2 · Daily 08:00–21:00
Follow MRT / Train signs to the SimplyGo Ticket Office on the Terminal 2 side of the airport MRT station. It sells EZ-Link and SimplyGo EZ-Link cards.
In the city
Buy at SimplyGo Ticket Offices or selected 7-Eleven and Cheers stores. Not every station has a sales office; check the locations and opening hours below.
Card cost is separate from travel credit
Regular EZ-Link at convenience stores: S$10 = S$5 card cost + S$5 credit
Only S$5 of that purchase is available for fares. The S$5 card cost is non-refundable. For SimplyGo EZ-Link and other designs, check the price and included travel credit before buying.
Check your balance and top up
Use an MRT station Top-Up Kiosk or SimplyGo Ticket Office. For cash top-ups, choose a machine with a banknote slot: not every machine takes cash.
- Place your card on the reader.
- Choose the top-up function and amount.
- Pay using a supported method. Cash machines do not give change, so bring banknotes for the exact amount.
- Wait for confirmation and check the balance before taking your card.
Check SimplyGo EZ-Link balances at a kiosk
Fare gates do not show the fare or remaining balance. You can check at station kiosks without an app. The operator recommends keeping at least S$5 before travelling.
Topping up at convenience stores
Regular EZ-Link can be topped up at selected 7-Eleven stores for a fee. SimplyGo EZ-Link top-ups are not available at convenience stores. Cheers currently does not offer top-ups.
Compare a tourist pass if you plan many rides
Singapore Tourist Pass covers unlimited MRT, LRT and basic bus rides during its validity. Compare the pass price with the fare examples above and your planned journeys.
Standard card-format pass prices
1 day S$17 · 2 days S$24 · 3 days S$29 · 4 days S$37 · 5 days S$45
A day runs from first use until public transport service ends that day, rather than 24 hours from your first tap. Multi-day passes cover consecutive days. Sentosa Express, express buses and other premium services are excluded.
Where to buy at the airport
Dedicated kiosks at Terminal 2 and 3 MRT station entrances · Daily 05:00–00:00
The Tourist Pass kiosk is beside the Ticket Office in Terminal 2 and beside the Ticketing Service Centre in Terminal 3. These are different from ordinary top-up machines. Selected SimplyGo sales offices also sell the pass.
Go through the gates and board
Take one card out before reaching the gate. Tapping your whole wallet can cause multiple cards to be detected.
- Tap your card or phone on the gate reader and enter when the gates open.
- Check the destination and go to the platform. Let passengers get off before boarding.
- At your destination, check the exit numbers and local area map.
- Tap out with the same card, or the same phone and mobile wallet, that you used to enter.
Follow the interchange signs
Follow signs for the colour and code of your next line. Check the train’s direction again whenever you change lines.
Transfers at Bukit Panjang, Newton and Tampines require you to tap out and back in at the connecting line. Complete the transfer within 15 minutes for it to count as the same journey. Keep the same payment method and check the official distance-fare rules for other transfer conditions.
Use the same payment method for distance-based bus and rail transfers. Allow no more than two hours from first to last boarding, with at most five transfers. Transfer within 45 minutes between buses or between bus and rail, and within 15 minutes between different rail stations. Reusing the same bus service or re-entering the same rail station generally does not qualify.
How much does a ride cost?
MRT and LRT fares depend on distance. Standard adult card fares are S$1.28–2.57 one way. These real journey examples were checked with the official fare calculator.
What a real journey costs
One adult · one way · before discounts and card fees
- A short city tripS$1.28
City HallBugis
- Between sightseeing stopsS$1.49
OrchardMarina Bay
- Airport to the cityS$2.20
Changi AirportBugis
Choose your stations in the official LTA calculator for the exact fare. Include any bus transfers when checking your full journey.
See the complete distance fare table (39 bands)
Valid: –
| Distance | Fare (S$) |
|---|---|
| Up to 3.2km | 1.28 |
| 3.3–4.2km | 1.38 |
| 4.3–5.2km | 1.49 |
| 5.3–6.2km | 1.59 |
| 6.3–7.2km | 1.68 |
| 7.3–8.2km | 1.75 |
| 8.3–9.2km | 1.82 |
| 9.3–10.2km | 1.86 |
| 10.3–11.2km | 1.90 |
| 11.3–12.2km | 1.94 |
| 12.3–13.2km | 1.98 |
| 13.3–14.2km | 2.02 |
| 14.3–15.2km | 2.07 |
| 15.3–16.2km | 2.11 |
| 16.3–17.2km | 2.15 |
| 17.3–18.2km | 2.20 |
| 18.3–19.2km | 2.24 |
| 19.3–20.2km | 2.27 |
| 20.3–21.2km | 2.30 |
| 21.3–22.2km | 2.33 |
| 22.3–23.2km | 2.36 |
| 23.3–24.2km | 2.38 |
| 24.3–25.2km | 2.40 |
| 25.3–26.2km | 2.42 |
| 26.3–27.2km | 2.43 |
| 27.3–28.2km | 2.44 |
| 28.3–29.2km | 2.45 |
| 29.3–30.2km | 2.46 |
| 30.3–31.2km | 2.47 |
| 31.3–32.2km | 2.48 |
| 32.3–33.2km | 2.49 |
| 33.3–34.2km | 2.50 |
| 34.3–35.2km | 2.51 |
| 35.3–36.2km | 2.52 |
| 36.3–37.2km | 2.53 |
| 37.3–38.2km | 2.54 |
| 38.3–39.2km | 2.55 |
| 39.3–40.2km | 2.56 |
| Over 40.2km | 2.57 |
Travelling with children
Children under seven and up to 0.9m tall ride free with a fare-paying adult. Children under seven who are taller than 0.9m need a valid Child Concession Card to travel free.
Morning discounts and free rides in the north-east
Tap in to MRT or LRT before 7.45am on weekdays, excluding public holidays, for up to S$0.50 off the rail fare. The time you enter the gates determines eligibility, rather than the train’s departure time.
Tap in at any of the six North East Line stations from Punggol Coast to Kovan, or any Sengkang or Punggol LRT station, before 7.30am or between 9am and 9.45am on weekdays excluding public holidays. The first rail leg of that journey is free; other lines and bus rides are not automatically free.
Check first and last trains
MRT services generally operate from around 5.30am to around midnight, but first and last trains vary by station, direction and day. Check the operator’s station timetable rather than relying on that general window. If you need to change lines, check that you can still catch the connecting train.
If the gate does not open
Remove the card you want to use from your wallet and try tapping it again. If it is rejected or your entry or exit is not recorded, ask station staff for help rather than forcing your way through.
You can register your bank card in the SimplyGo app to check trip records and fares. A SimplyGo account is not required just to travel with an accepted bank card.