In the first four months of the year, the 4.3km six-station Downtown Line 1 (DTL1) has an average ridership of 58,000 on weekdays. 

Transport Minister, Mr. Lui Tuck Yew, was responding to a question posed by Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Gan Thiam Poh, who also asked how much the DTL has helped ease the load on other MRT lines.

Mr. Lui added that around 40 percent of passengers travelled during peak hours. He also highlighted that the primary aim of DTL is to improve connectivity in and out of the city area, rather than to ease load on the North-East and Circle Line. 

It was expected that DTL1 will have an average daily ridership of 75,000. The second stage which connects Bukit Panjang to Bugis will open in 2016, with the third stage from Expo to Chinatown due in 2017.

When fully completed, ridership on the DTL is expected to reach 500,000 per day.