There has been a significant increase in the number of people using the MRTA's Purple Line since the opening of the "missing link" with the Blue Line, the Transport Ministry said on Friday.
The number of riders had smoothly risen from a daily average of 33,130 trips to 48,760 trips, up by 47.18%. since the new 1.2 kilometre section opened on Aug 12, ministry spokesman Jirut Wisanjit said.
This had peaked at 59,431 trips on Wednesday, 13 months after the Purple Line was officially put into service on Aug 6, 2016.
Before the connection of the two lines passengers had to use a free shuttle bus service to transfer between trains, which added an inconvenient extra half-hour to the commute.
Mr Jirut said the Mass Rapid Transit Authority has been instructed to plan for rush-hour demands and ensure all 19 trains were operating, to serve commuters, and adjust the maintenance timetable accordingly.
Another 35 trains have been ordered, to go into service in 2019.