<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">MINOR hitches aside, the North-East Line got off to a smooth start yesterday, with more than 140,000 people travelling on the underground trains.

Minutes before it was due to open at 10am, more than 100 people, from a six-year-old and his grandmother to teenagers, had gathered at Dhoby Ghaut Interchange.

They applauded when the shutters were lifted and then surged through the corridor linking the North-South Line to the North-East Line.

Crowds formed at Sengkang, HarbourFront and other stations too, with 14,000 people boarding the trains in the first 30 minutes.

Many were there just to try out the $5-billion line, after waiting an extra seven months for it to open.

Some posed for pictures while others studied the route maps and admired the artwork in the stations. Several commuters made their way to the window at the end of the train to watch it speed through the tunnel.</font>