Abstract : A measurement of the $\KS$ lifetime is presented using data recorded by the NA48 experiment at the CERN-SPS during 1998 and 1999. The $\KS$ lifetime is derived from the ratio of decay time distributions in simultaneous, collinear $\KS$ and $\KL$ beams, giving a result which is approximately independent of the detector acceptance and with reduced systematic errors. The result obtained is $\tauS=(0.89598 \pm 0.00048 \pm 0.00051)\E{-10}$\,s, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic.