S'pore PR, 20, Walks The Entire Downtown Line — All 50km Of It — In 16 Hours

Think there's nothing to do in Singapore? Competitive walker Trevor Kam wants to prove you wrong... by walking the entire course of MRT lines. 

The 20-year-old has already conquered two MRT lines on foot: he completed the 25.1km North East Line (NEL) in five hours, and the 47.2km Circle Line in 10 hours. 

His latest attempt is his longest walk yet: the 50km Downtown Line, which he completed in 16 hours, and clocked a whopping 68,188 steps. 

To up the ante, Trevor, who is currently waiting to enlist for National Service, had put out an open invitation online but wasn't expecting much of a turnout.

"In my mind, I was thought maybe 10 people [would show up]," he tells 8days.sg.

In the end, 52 people, mostly strangers, joined him at various points in the route, which made things slightly more stressful for him. 

“I was kind of speechless, and not sure whether I could handle this. I wasn't sure how I was going to make sure no one does anything reckless,” he recalls.

The hardest part during this trek might have just been the Downtown Line loop. According to some participants, even though they could practically see Jalan Besar station from Rochor station, they just couldn't walk straight there.

Instead, they had to complete the loop, according to the MRT line map. 

"Wah lao, I [am] walking same place twice eh!" one participant complained.

The section took the group 3hr 36min, partly because Trevor had to accommodate everyone's walking pace.

Still, not one person dropped out during that stretch.

"Just the vibes, you know. It was surprising how people got so close in just 16 hours,” he says of what kept everyone going.

As the hours passed, people eventually began leaving. Some had other commitments, while younger participants had curfews.

And after walking almost 50km along an MRT line for 16 hours, how did he get home?

By MRT, of course.

Why organise these walks, we ask.  "I want to make Singapore more exciting again," he says. 

He previously tackled the North East and Circle lines with a friend but says bringing a larger community together had always been part of his plan.

But why walk MRT lines? Trevor tells 8days.sg it is something practically every Singaporean understands.

His hope is that participants will one day look back and say: "Remember that time when everyone walked the East West Line? To me, that's pretty crazy," he says.

Perhaps the more interesting question is why 51 other people thought walking almost 50km sounded like a good way to spend their day.

Trevor says many wanted to make friends, get out of their comfort zones and simply create a memory. Others turned up alone, despite being introverts. And apparently, a few skipped school, before he quickly adds, "I don't encourage skipping school.” Trevor tells us he heard some even took leave to join his walk.

As for people who insist Singapore is boring? "I think you're right. But sometimes you just need to think out of the box and do something,” he says.

His next "something" is walking the Thomson-East Coast Line, and eventually, the East West Line, which is the longest MRT line and a fitting finale to his challenge.