Updated 16 October 2026 with LTA DataMall figures for July to September 2026.
On an average weekday, Singapore's MRT and LRT stations record about 3.1 million tap-ins. Where those commuters walk, and when, decides how many people see your roadshow booth or walk past your shop.
This report uses LTA's own passenger-volume data for July to September 2026. It shows the daily footfall at every MRT station and bus interchange where Ideal Connection offers space, the busiest hours of the day, and how weekends differ from weekdays. It is an update of our 2023 commuter-trends snapshot, now with bus interchanges added.
Key takeaways
- 1.23 million tap-ins a day pass through the 37 MRT stations where Ideal Connection offers roadshow space. That is 42% of all MRT and LRT station entries in Singapore.
- 7 of Singapore's 10 busiest MRT stations are in our portfolio: Jurong East, Orchard, Woodlands, Bugis, Tampines, HarbourFront and Yishun.
- 6pm to 7pm on weekdays is the single busiest hour, with about 12% of the day's gate traffic.
- Weekends spread the crowd out. 79% of weekend traffic passes between 10am and 10pm, against 67% on weekdays.
- Orchard is the busiest station at weekends, with about 70,600 tap-ins on an average weekend day. Office stations such as one-north and Tai Seng empty out instead.
- Boon Lay Bus Interchange records about 60,000 boardings a day, more than every MRT station in our portfolio except Jurong East and Orchard.
How busy are Singapore's MRT stations in 2026?
Across the whole network, train stations averaged 2.94 million tap-ins a day from July to September 2026: 3.13 million on weekdays and 2.49 million on weekends and public holidays. Entries in April 2026 were 3.7% higher than in April 2024, so the crowds are still growing.
A tap-in is one person entering through the fare gates. Everyone who taps in also taps out somewhere, so the number of people crossing a station's gates is roughly double its tap-ins. Our 37 stations see about 2.45 million gate movements a day.
The 10 busiest MRT stations in Singapore
Average daily tap-ins, all days, July–September 2026:
| Rank | Station | Tap-ins a day | Ideal Connection space |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jurong East | 68,700 | Yes |
| 2 | Orchard | 62,500 | Yes |
| 3 | Serangoon | 56,500 | — |
| 4 | Woodlands | 54,500 | Yes |
| 5 | Bugis | 54,000 | Yes |
| 6 | Newton | 53,800 | — |
| 7 | Tampines | 53,100 | Yes |
| 8 | Raffles Place | 52,700 | — |
| 9 | HarbourFront | 50,400 | Yes |
| 10 | Yishun | 49,800 | Yes |
Interchange stations such as Jurong East (East-West and North-South lines) count as one station in LTA's data. The busiest stations are mostly interchanges or the gateway to a regional centre, where commuters change lines and shoppers arrive for the malls above.
See all our MRT station roadshow spaces.
Weekday or weekend? Pick the right days
Network-wide, stations are about 21% quieter at weekends. The averages hide big differences between stations, though, and that matters when you book a roadshow week.
Stations that get busier at weekends
| Station | Weekday tap-ins | Weekend & PH tap-ins | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | 6,600 | 16,900 | +155% |
| Esplanade | 7,500 | 9,900 | +32% |
| Orchard | 59,100 | 70,600 | +19% |
| HarbourFront | 48,800 | 54,400 | +12% |
| Paya Lebar | 47,200 | 50,000 | +6% |
| Bugis | 53,600 | 54,700 | +2% |
These are shopping, leisure and event stations. Orchard overtakes Jurong East as the busiest station in Singapore at weekends. Stadium depends on what is on at the Sports Hub: its weekend average was 21,700 tap-ins in July but 11,200 in September, so check the event calendar before you book there.
Stations that empty out at weekends
| Station | Weekday tap-ins | Weekend & PH tap-ins | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| one-north | 17,400 | 3,700 | −79% |
| Tai Seng | 22,400 | 11,900 | −47% |
| Buona Vista | 32,900 | 18,700 | −43% |
| Novena | 42,600 | 26,300 | −38% |
These stations serve offices, business parks and hospitals. They are strong on weekdays, especially at lunchtime and after work, and much weaker on Saturdays and Sundays.
Heartland stations hold steady
Residential town centres keep most of their crowd at weekends. Kovan (−10%), Punggol (−11%), Jurong East (−12%) and Lavender (−12%) lose far less than the network average. If you are selling to families and residents, a full seven-day booking at these stations makes sense.
The best time for a roadshow: hour by hour
The chart of a typical weekday has two peaks:
- 7am to 9am: 18% of the day's gate traffic. Commuters are rushing to work, so few will stop.
- 10am to 5pm: only 30% of the day's traffic, spread over seven hours.
- 5pm to 8pm: 28% of the day's traffic. 6pm to 7pm alone carries about 12%, the same share we measured in 2023.
The evening peak is the one to staff for. People are heading home, are less rushed, and often stop at the shops and food outlets near the station.
At residential stations in the north and west, the busiest weekday hour is actually the morning one (7am to 8am), when residents leave for work. This is the case at Admiralty, Sembawang, Bukit Panjang, Lakeside, Khatib, Yew Tee and Marsiling. Their evening hour, when the same residents come home, is the better selling window.
Weekends: a long, even day
On weekends no single hour carries more than 8% of the day's traffic. The flow builds from mid-morning and stays high until about 9pm. A roadshow open from 10am to 10pm catches almost four in five weekend visitors.
Each station still has its own best window. These are the busiest three-hour blocks on an average weekend day:
| Best weekend window | Stations |
|---|---|
| 11am – 2pm | Novena, Kovan, Toa Payoh Bus Interchange, Hougang Central Bus Interchange |
| 3pm – 6pm | Orchard, Bugis, Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah |
| 4pm – 7pm | HarbourFront, Paya Lebar, Esplanade, Tampines, Sengkang, Toa Payoh, Pasir Ris |
| 5pm – 8pm | Jurong East, Woodlands, Yishun, Boon Lay, Punggol, Choa Chu Kang, Sembawang |
| 7pm – 10pm | Stadium (event nights) |
Practical tips for your roadshow schedule
- Put your strongest staff on from 5pm to 8pm on weekdays.
- Use the quieter 10am to 5pm weekday hours for set-up, restocking and appointment-based follow-ups.
- At Novena, Kovan and Toa Payoh, plan weekend activities around lunchtime.
- In Orchard, Bugis and HarbourFront, book the weekend. It is busier than the week.
- In one-north, Tai Seng and Buona Vista, book weekdays only.
Bus interchange footfall: the overlooked heavyweights
Bus interchanges are often left off roadshow plans, but the biggest ones are as busy as major MRT stations. LTA records about 4 million bus boardings a day across Singapore.
| Bus interchange | Boardings a day | Weekday | Weekend & PH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boon Lay | 60,000 | 64,100 | 50,200 |
| Yishun | 36,000 | 37,100 | 33,200 |
| Toa Payoh | 28,800 | 30,000 | 25,700 |
| Bedok | 27,500 | 28,100 | 26,100 |
| Choa Chu Kang | 21,300 | 22,200 | 19,200 |
| Hougang Central | 13,900 | 14,500 | 12,400 |
What the bus data shows:
- Boon Lay is one of Singapore's two busiest bus interchanges, alongside Woodlands. Four of the six busiest interchanges in Singapore are in our portfolio: Boon Lay, Yishun, Toa Payoh and Bedok.
- Bus interchanges are steadier at weekends. Bus boardings fall about 20% at weekends across Singapore, but only 7% at Bedok, 8% at Jurong East and 10% at Yishun.
- Town-centre trips peak at lunchtime on weekends. At Toa Payoh, Bedok and Hougang Central, the busiest weekend hour is 1pm to 2pm.
- Almost every interchange peaks at 6pm to 7pm on weekdays, as people head home. The exception is Tengah, which peaks at 7am to 8am.
MRT and bus together: the integrated hubs
Several of our locations combine an MRT station and a bus interchange in the same town centre. Added together, they are among the busiest spots in Singapore:
| Town centre | MRT tap-ins | Bus boardings | Combined entries a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boon Lay | 44,300 | 60,000 | about 104,300 |
| Yishun | 49,800 | 36,000 | about 85,800 |
| Jurong East | 68,700 | 8,000 | about 76,700 |
| Toa Payoh | 34,900 | 28,800 | about 63,700 |
| Choa Chu Kang | 36,500 | 21,300 | about 57,800 |
Some people are counted twice when they change from bus to train, so treat the combined figure as the number of entries, not unique visitors.
New towns: early footholds
Buangkok (about 4,500 boardings a day) and Tengah (about 1,300) are among Singapore's newest bus interchanges, serving newer estates. Tengah's busiest weekday hour is 7am to 8am, a commuter-town pattern. For long-term shop units, they are a chance to get in early as these towns grow.
See our shops for lease in bus interchanges.
Footfall at every Ideal Connection MRT station
Average daily tap-ins, July–September 2026, sorted by daily footfall. Busiest hours are based on gate movements (tap-ins plus tap-outs).
| Station | Region | Tap-ins a day | Weekday | Weekend & PH | Busiest weekday hour | Best weekend window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jurong East | West | 68,700 | 71,000 | 62,800 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Orchard | Central | 62,500 | 59,100 | 70,600 | 6pm–7pm | 3pm–6pm |
| Woodlands | North | 54,500 | 57,000 | 48,300 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Bugis | Central | 54,000 | 53,600 | 54,700 | 6pm–7pm | 3pm–6pm |
| Tampines (Downtown Line · East-West Line) | East | 53,100 | 55,900 | 46,200 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| HarbourFront | Central | 50,400 | 48,800 | 54,400 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Yishun | North | 49,800 | 52,700 | 42,800 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Paya Lebar | East | 48,000 | 47,200 | 50,000 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Sengkang | North-East | 45,000 | 48,100 | 37,400 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Punggol | North-East | 44,500 | 45,900 | 41,000 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Boon Lay | West | 44,300 | 46,300 | 39,600 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Admiralty | North | 41,000 | 44,800 | 32,000 | 7am–8am | 5pm–8pm |
| Sembawang | North | 39,600 | 42,200 | 33,300 | 7am–8am | 5pm–8pm |
| Bukit Panjang (Downtown Line) | West | 38,200 | 41,900 | 29,100 | 7am–8am | 5pm–8pm |
| Novena | Central | 37,800 | 42,600 | 26,300 | 8am–9am | 11am–2pm |
| Choa Chu Kang | West | 36,500 | 39,200 | 30,200 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Lakeside | West | 34,900 | 37,700 | 28,100 | 7am–8am | 5pm–8pm |
| Toa Payoh | Central | 34,900 | 37,300 | 29,400 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Khatib | North | 34,700 | 37,600 | 27,900 | 7am–8am | 4pm–7pm |
| Bishan | Central | 33,300 | 36,800 | 24,900 | 8am–9am | 10am–1pm |
| Dhoby Ghaut | Central | 32,900 | 33,200 | 32,000 | 6pm–7pm | 3pm–6pm |
| Pasir Ris | East | 30,000 | 32,100 | 25,000 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Yew Tee | West | 29,000 | 31,500 | 23,000 | 7am–8am | 5pm–8pm |
| Buona Vista | West | 28,700 | 32,900 | 18,700 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Boon Keng | Central | 24,400 | 26,400 | 19,700 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Kovan | North-East | 23,200 | 24,000 | 21,500 | 6pm–7pm | 11am–2pm |
| Marsiling | North | 21,000 | 22,900 | 16,400 | 7am–8am | 5pm–8pm |
| Tai Seng | North-East | 19,300 | 22,400 | 11,900 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| MacPherson | Central | 18,500 | 20,100 | 14,800 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Lavender | Central | 18,100 | 18,800 | 16,500 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Woodleigh | Central | 15,300 | 16,300 | 12,900 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Clarke Quay | Central | 14,100 | 15,100 | 11,400 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| one-north | West | 13,400 | 17,400 | 3,700 | 6pm–7pm | 12pm–3pm |
| Holland Village | Central | 10,100 | 10,500 | 9,100 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Stadium | Central | 9,600 | 6,600 | 16,900 | 6pm–7pm | 7pm–10pm |
| Esplanade | Central | 8,200 | 7,500 | 9,900 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Bras Basah | Central | 4,600 | 5,000 | 3,700 | 6pm–7pm | 3pm–6pm |
Footfall at every Ideal Connection bus interchange
Average daily bus boardings at each interchange, July–September 2026.
| Bus interchange | Region | Boardings a day | Weekday | Weekend & PH | Busiest weekday hour | Best weekend window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boon Lay | West | 60,000 | 64,100 | 50,200 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Yishun | North | 36,000 | 37,100 | 33,200 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Toa Payoh | Central | 28,800 | 30,000 | 25,700 | 6pm–7pm | 11am–2pm |
| Bedok | East | 27,500 | 28,100 | 26,100 | 6pm–7pm | 12pm–3pm |
| Choa Chu Kang | West | 21,300 | 22,200 | 19,200 | 6pm–7pm | 4pm–7pm |
| Hougang Central | North-East | 13,900 | 14,500 | 12,400 | 6pm–7pm | 11am–2pm |
| Jurong East | West | 8,000 | 8,200 | 7,600 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Buangkok | North-East | 4,500 | 4,600 | 4,100 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Sembawang | North | 3,800 | 4,000 | 3,300 | 6pm–7pm | 5pm–8pm |
| Tengah | West | 1,300 | 1,400 | 1,300 | 7am–8am | 2pm–5pm |
| Jurong Town Hall | West | 1,100 | 1,200 | 1,000 | 6pm–7pm | 6pm–9pm |
| Woodleigh | Central | 800 | 900 | 800 | 6pm–7pm | 11am–2pm |
Hougang Central and Jurong Town Hall also have kerbside bus stops just outside the interchange, adding about 4,100 and 1,700 boardings a day. These are not counted above.
About the data
- Source: LTA DataMall, Passenger Volume by Train Stations and Passenger Volume by Bus Stops, for July, August and September 2026. The files give the total tap-ins and tap-outs for every station and bus stop, by hour, for weekdays and for weekends and public holidays.
- Method: we divided each month's totals by the number of weekdays or weekend and holiday days in that month, then averaged the three months. All figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
- MRT footfall is the number of tap-ins (entries through the fare gates). It leaves out people who walk through a station without tapping, such as passengers changing lines or shoppers using a station underpass, so the real crowd on the concourse is larger.
- Bus interchange footfall is the number of boardings at the interchange's own stop code. Boardings at roadside stops outside an interchange are not included.
- Interchange stations count as one station in LTA's data. For example, Tampines (East-West and Downtown lines) shares one total.
- Weekend figures include public holidays, such as the National Day holiday on 10 August 2026.
Contains information from Passenger Volume by Train Stations and Passenger Volume by Bus Stops accessed on 16 October 2026 from LTA DataMall, which is made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0.
FAQ
Which is the busiest MRT station in Singapore?
Jurong East, with about 68,700 tap-ins on an average day from July to September 2026, followed by Orchard (62,500) and Serangoon (56,500). At weekends Orchard is the busiest, with about 70,600 tap-ins a day.
What is the best time to run a roadshow at an MRT station?
On weekdays, 5pm to 8pm. That window carries about 28% of the day's traffic, and commuters heading home are more likely to stop than in the morning rush. On weekends the crowd is spread across the day, so keep the booth open from 10am to 10pm and staff up for the station's own busiest window.
Are MRT stations busier on weekdays or weekends?
Most stations are busier on weekdays: network-wide, weekend entries are about 21% lower. Shopping and leisure stations are the exception. Orchard, HarbourFront, Paya Lebar, Bugis, Esplanade and Stadium all see more people at weekends.
How is MRT station footfall measured?
LTA counts every tap-in and tap-out at the fare gates, hour by hour, and publishes monthly totals on its DataMall open-data service. The footfall figures on our website are average daily tap-ins from these files. The real number of people passing a roadshow spot is higher, because it also includes passengers changing lines and passers-by who never tap.
Which bus interchange has the highest footfall?
Woodlands and Boon Lay are Singapore's two busiest bus interchanges. Boon Lay records about 60,000 boardings a day, more than most MRT stations, and Ideal Connection has space there. Yishun (36,000), Toa Payoh (28,800) and Bedok (27,500) follow.
Plan your next roadshow around the crowd
Footfall is only useful if your booth is where the crowd is, at the hours it is there. Ideal Connection offers roadshow spaces at 37 MRT stations and shop units at 12 bus interchanges across Singapore, from Orchard and Jurong East to the new towns of Tengah and Buangkok.
Tell us who you want to reach, and when, and we will send a shortlist of stations that match, with dates and rates.
Get a shortlist · Browse MRT station spaces · Browse bus interchange units