Rail transport in Singapore mainly consists of a passenger urban rail transit system spanning the entire city-state: a rapid transit system collectively known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system operated by the two biggest public transport operators SMRT Trains (SMRT Corporation) and SBS Transit, as well as several Light Rail Transit (LRT) rubber-tyred automated guideway transit lines also operated by both companies. In addition, local specialised light rail lines are in operation in places such as the Singapore Changi Airport and Sentosa.
A short remaining section of the railway originally built during the British colonial period is connected to the Malaysian rail network, and is operated by the Malaysian railway company Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM). The Singapore section of the railway now serves only inter-city passenger services; until 2011 the railway also carried freight between Malaysia and the Port of Singapore at Tanjong Pagar.
Two international rail links to Malaysia have been proposed to replace the KTM railway. The Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System is currently under construction and is scheduled to begin operations in January 2027. The Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail was planned but shelved in January 2021 until 2023, which both Malaysia and Singapore decided to revisit the project and the project was then under request for approval as of 2025.
Although Singapore is not a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC) given the nature of Singapore as a city-state and its lack of a national railway proper, SMRT Corporation, SBS Transit and the Land Transport Authority are members of the International Association of Public Transport (UITP). SMRT Corporation is also a member of the Community of Metros (CoMET) benchmarking group. In addition, Keretapi Tanah Melayu, the Malaysian train operator that operate Shuttle Tebrau services in Singapore is a member of UIC.
History Early railways in the 19th century
The first railway in Singapore was a steam railway dating back to 1877 that was used by the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company to "aid the labour of unloading vessels"; this railway ran along the mile-long wharf was served using 0-4-0ST shunters supplied by Dick & Stevenson.
The foundations for the first tramway in Singapore were first laid in 1882 with the formation of the London-based Singapore Tramway Company following an approval under the 1882 Tramways Ordinance to construct five steam tramway lines across Singapore Town. On 8 December 1883, the Singapore Tramway Company launched a prospectus to construct and build tramways for the transport of passengers and goods in Singapore. The first rails were laid on 7 April 1885, and the first regular service from Tanjong Pagar to Johnston's Pier began on 3 May 1886. The tramway was operated using 16 (initially 14) 0-4-0ST steam tram engines from Kitson and Company and double-deck passenger trailer cars. However, the tramway proved to not be competitive against other modes of transport like the rickshaws and was discontinued in 1894.
The first electric railways in Singapore began in 1891 as a 180 feet-long demonstration line built along New Harbour (present-day Keppel Harbour) by Charles Buckley with anticipation that an electric tramway between the Town and Kranji be built eventually. Several distinguished figures, including the Sultan of Johore were invited to witness the experiment and the Sultan rode on a makeshift tramcar up and down the line. This was followed by the Kranji Electric Line built near the residence of the Johore Sultan in 1892. Despite initial positive reception on the opening of the Line, little materialised out of the demonstrations.
Singapore–Kranji Railway, 1900s
Plans to build a railway line through Singapore, primarily to service the New Harbour had been mooted as early as 1869 by Engineer W. J. du Port of the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company but the project to build a railway line was only approved by Governor Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell only in 1899 after then Governor Cecil Clementi Smith raised the need for it in an 1889 Legislative Council meeting. Construction works were then initiated, with the groundbreaking ceremony held on 16 April 1900. Chinese labour was employed principally.
C. E. Spooner, general manager of the Federated Malay States Railway (FMSR), was appointed the supervisor of the project. At a total cost of $1,967,495, the Singapore–Kranji Railway (also known as the Singapore Government Railway), running from Singapore to Kranji, was completed in 1903. The first section was launched on 1 January 1903. It stretched from Singapore station at Tank Road to Bukit Timah and consisted of four stations along the line: Singapore, Newton, Cluny and Bukit Timah. According to a newspaper report the following day, “a total of 557½ passengers were carried” on the opening day. The second section, which extended the line to Woodlands, was completed three months later when the Woodlands station was opened on 10 April 1903. In 1903, there were a total of 426,044 passengers. By 1905, this had increased to 525,553. Soon after, work began on the extension of the railway line from a point near Tank Road where a new through station was built in 1906/7 to the wharves at Pasir Panjang. The extension was completed and opened on 21 January 1907. With the extension, the stations along the line were Woodlands, Bukit Panjang, Bukit Timah, Holland, Cluny, Newton, Tank Road, Borneo Wharf and Pasir Panjang. People's Park and Mandai were later added as infill stations.
Rolling stock-wise, the railway initially used four 4-4-0 steam locomotives from Hunslet Engine Company and in 1907, acquired another two of such engines.
The Singapore–Kranji Railway initially ran nine trains every day: six through-trains between Woodlands and Tank Road and three trains stopping at Bukit Timah. The last train of the day left Tank Road for Bukit Timah at 6.40 pm. By 1904, there were eight runs per day with all trains running between Tank Road and Woodlands. At a speed of 16 to 29 km/h, trains now took 54 to 55 minutes to reach Woodlands from the Town as opposed to two hours on other transport modes like the bullock cart, horse carriage or rickshaw.
Return of the tramway, 1905-1926
Meanwhile, tramways were experiencing a construction boom across many urban areas following improvements for electric tramways by Frank J. Sprague in 1888. With high hopes of exporting the electric tram beyond domestic markets, Singapore Tramways Ltd was established in 1901 to build an electric tramway for Singapore. The Tramways Ordinance of 1902 was subsequently enacted, granting rights to the company to build and run a tramway in Singapore.
Five lines, which both ran along the original steam tram alignment and extended beyond the original steam tram network, were planned but another line running between High Street and Orchard Road and a connecting line to a depot at Mackenzie Road were also built. In 1905, a power station was built to provide electricity supply for the overhead lines of the tramway; the same station also powered the electric street lighting of the municipality.
The electric tramway was to operate both passenger services and freight services. To this extent a variety of rolling stock was acquired from the United Electric Car Company, namely cross-bench tramcars and "Californian" tramcars for passenger services and freight motors, open wagons and vans for freight transport.
On 29 March 1905, the Singapore Tramways was officially acquired by the Singapore Electric Tramways Limited. The electric tramways opened to public on 24 July 1905 to little fanfare. Run-ins with bullock carts and rickshaw drivers as well as vandals troubled the electric tram operations. The growth of the island's commerce provided the impetus for increased hauls, which included passengers, though human traffic on the trams saw slow growth. The competition from rickshaws remained stiff. Nonetheless, the reduction in tram fares increased ridership to 32,000 in 1909; at the end of that year, the company was in the black – albeit with an ultra-modest profit of £134.26.
The tram operators faced the strain of having to replace the tracks and maintain the generators. By 1913, all the tracks required replacement and the generators were worked to full capacity. The outbreak of the First World War restricted the overhauling efforts; by 1921, Singapore Electric Tramways was making losses of £50,000 annually. It sought professional advice from the successful Shanghai Electric Construction Company, and then undertook a complete rehabilitation in a last-ditch effort to keep the system alive. The trams were rebuilt and the fare scales revised. Fares for short-distance travellers (less than approximately 2.4 km) were reduced and the result was dramatic. There was a 235-percent increase in ridership and revenues increased by 95 percent. Singapore Electric Tramways saw a profit of £23,000 in 1923.28.
Just as the system started becoming viable, however, the municipal commissioners refused to extend tramway concessions. They cited incompatibility of the parties’ interests over the state of the roads on which the trams ran and were embarrassed that the reconstructed tracks ran on fine, metalled surface while the outside lanes were battered.
On 1 October 1925, the electric tramways was taken over by the Singapore Traction Company (STC), which was tasked to convert from trams to trolley buses. The last trams ran on the streets in 1927.
Subsequent developments, 1910-1941
In 1904, the Sultan of Johore signed off a 194 km line between Gemas and Johor Bahru which was completed in 1909. There was now an almost continuous rail link between Singapore and Penang excluding the crossing of the Straits of Johor, which was served using two boats named Singapore and Johore. In 1913, the Singapore-Kranji Railway was sold off to FMSR at a price of $4.136 million in anticipation of eventual connections between the two railways. This connection was finally fulfilled in 1923 with the opening of the Causeway.
From 1929 to 1932, the portion of the railway between Bukit Timah and Pasir Panjang was deviated from its original alignment to a new route running through Tanglin and Alexandra to Tanjong Pagar to eliminate the level crossings along the original alignment.
Military railways, 1920s-1930s
The Admiralty Military Railway was a line that branched off the main line near Woodlands and was built in the 1930s to serve the Naval Shipyard at Sembawang. Three of the locomotives were 0-6-0Ts built by Hunslet in 1929 and numbered SL18-20. In November 1941 they were transferred to the FMSR as the second Class A, later becoming 331 class before being sold to the Port Of Singapore in 1946. In addition to the metre gauge line there was a standard gauge system and two of the locomotives which operated this system were returned to the UK in 1955. One of these, Hawthorn Leslie 3865 of 1936, an 0-4-0ST named "Singapore", has been preserved.
The Changi Military Railway was a 4-mile long standard gauge line built by the FMSR for the War Department, for the protection of Singapore's new Naval Base at Sembawang. The fortifications for the Naval Base were laid at the entrance to the Old Strait, at Changi, where one 15-inch gun, one 9-inch battery, one 6-inch battery and search lights were installed. The artillery installations were supplied with underground ammunition depots and loaded with armour piercing shells. On the beach, concrete machine emplacements and wire were installed. Airfields in Sembawang, Seletar and Tengah were to provide air cover for the Base. Bagnalls of Stafford supplied an 0-6-0ST, number 2547 of 6/1936, to the War Office department, Changi, Singapore. It had 16" x 22" cylinders and 3' 4" driving wheels. It was last seen derelict in 1947 but its fate is unknown. The railway ran from Fairy Point pier to the battery with a short branch to a depot.