STAGE 3 of the MRT Downtown Line will be ready by 2017 and will have one more station than originally planned - at Jalan Besar.

Connecting the eastern suburbs of Changi, Tampines, Bedok and MacPherson to the Marina Bay downtown area, it will be 21km long and have 16 stations.

It will offer commuters in parts of the island now unserved by the rail network an alternative transport choice.

"For instance, a person living in Tampines and working in the Kaki Bukit industrial estate will take half the time to get to work," said Transport Minister Raymond Lim.

The third and final stage of the Downtown Line stretches from Singapore Expo in the east to Liang Court in River Valley in the south and will wind through some of the busiest parts of the city, including Sungei Road and Bencoolen Street. Stops will include Tampines East, Bedok Town Park, Kampong Ubi, Kaki Bukit and Kallang Bahru.