The history of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system of Singapore commenced with its planning in the 1960s, which finally led to its opening in 1987 with the launch of the 6 km section of the North South Line from Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh. At the time, it was the largest infrastructure project undertaken by the country during its early days of independence. The only choices of public transport available in Singapore in the early 60s were buses, taxis and trishaws and the lack of seamless connectivity of the public transport system resulted in long and inconvenient journeys.