Kembangan MRT station[a] is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East–West Line in Bedok, Singapore. Operated by SMRT Trains, the station serves the eponymous Kembangan subzone of Bedok. Other nearby landmarks include the Kembangan Community Club (Kembangan CC) and the Masjid Kassim.

First announced in May 1982 as Frankel station, it was to be constructed as part of Phase II of the MRT system. The name was later changed in 1983. To construct the station, Kampongs Kembangan and Pachitan were acquired. It commenced operations on 17 December 1988 along with the other stations on the Tanah Merah–Pasir Ris stations stretch. Half-height platform screen doors and high-volume low-speed fans were installed by August 2011 and the first quarter of 2013, respectively. Noise barriers were installed by 2018.

Like other stations of the Tanah Merah-Pasir Ris stretch, the station has a domed roof design. As a part of a heritage-themed art exhibition, there are two murals by students from St. Joseph's Institution displayed in the station, which details the history of landmarks near the station.

History

Exterior view of the station from a distance.

Kembangan station was first included in the early plans of the MRT system as Frankel station in May 1982[4] and was later announced to be part of Phase II of the MRT as Kembangan station in October 1983.[5] There were several joint ventures between companies that prequalified for Contract 303 and 304 by May 1985, in which Contract 303 detailed the construction of viaducts from Eunos station to Kembangan station whilst Contract 304 detailed the construction of Kembangan station itself and Bedok station.[6][7] Contract 303 was awarded to a Japanese-Singaporean joint venture between Okumura Corporation and Oh Teck Thye for S$60 million (1985) (US$27.27 million) in December 1985.[8] As for Contract 304, it was awarded to a partnership between Obayashi Corporation and Resources Development Pte Ltd in January 1986 for S$70 million (1986) (US$32.15 million).[9] Work for Contract 304 began in March 1986.[10] To construct the station, Kampongs Kembangan and Pachitan were acquired.[11] The subcontract for the supply of post-tension cables and pre-cast beams for the viaducts was awarded to Swiss company VSL Systems in July 1986.[12] However, on 30 December 1986, the joint venture for Contract 303 was terminated.[13] It was later found out that Oh Teck Thye was placed under receivership when it failed to repay its debts,[14] with Okumura taking over the project.[15] Kembangan MRT station opened on 4 November 1989 along with all other EWL stations from Bugis to Tanah Merah.[16][17]

On 22 March 1997 at 10:17 am, a man jumped in front of an oncoming west-bound train, resulting in him sustaining head, arm, and foot injuries. It was thought that he died instantly, though he was pronounced dead at 10:55 am. Train services between Eunos and Tanah Merah stations were disrupted for two hours.[18]

Following a rise in track intrusions as well as commuters slipping when rushing for the train, the LTA and SMRT decided to install platform screen doors.[19] Half-height platform screen doors were eventually installed and commenced operations at Simei station by August 2011.[20] The station was installed with high-volume low-speed fans by the first quarter of 2013.[21] Noise barriers were installed on the viaducts from Lorong Mydin to the Siglap Park Connector by CKT Thomas Pte Ltd[22] as part of a S$17 million (US$12.37 million) contract awarded in January 2015 to reduce sounds generated by trains.[23] It was installed by 2018.[24]

Details

Kembangan station is on the EWL with the station code of EW6, situated between Bedok and Eunos station.[25] When it opened, it had the station code of E7[26] before being changed to its current station code in August 2001 as a part of a system-wide campaign to cater to the expanding MRT System.[27][28] Like many stations on the initial MRT network, Kembangan is an elevated station and has an island platform.[29][10] The station operates between 5:43 am and 12:27 am daily, with train frequencies varying from 2 to 5 minutes.[30][31] As part of the EWL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[32] It is also wheelchair-accessible[33] and has bicycle facilities.[34]

Kembangan station is named after the subzone it serves, which means "expansion" in Malay.[35] The station runs alongside Sims Avenue East and has two exits serving amenities in the area such as Kampong Kembangan Community Club (Kembangan CC), Masjid Kassim, and Bethesda Chapel.[36][33]

Similar to other stations on the Tanah Merah-Pasir Ris stretch, Kembangan station has a dome-shaped roof.[b] The design was an attempt by the MRT Corporation (MRTC) to give the stations on the EWL an "attractive look".[37] Additionally, as a part of SMRT's heritage-themed artwork showcase Comic Connect, the station features two murals created by students from St. Joseph's Institution.[39] The first mural depicts the Our Lady of Perpetual Succor (OLPS) Church and Kembangan CC whilst the second mural depicts the Masjid Kassim and the Buddhist Union.[40]

Notes

  1. ^ IPA: /kəmˈbɑːŋɑːn/ kəm-BAHNG-ahn
  2. ^ The Straits Times has compared the roof to a caterpillar in one article[37] and a rib cage in another article[38]

References

  1. ^ "System Map" (PDF). LTA (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  2. ^ "System Map" (PDF). LTA (in Tamil). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Land Transport DataMall". mytransport.sg. Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Proposed MRT stations". The Straits Times. May 23, 1982. p. 1. Retrieved September 23, 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  5. ^ "Phase 2 gets go-ahead to ensure continuity". The Straits Times. 26 October 1983. p. 8. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  6. ^ Yap, Boh Hoon (13 May 1985). "MRTC prequalifies 37 for 11 engineering contracts". The Business Times. p. 1. Retrieved October 7, 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  7. ^ "List of pre-qualified contractors — MRT Phase IIA, IIB". The Business Times. 14 May 1985. p. 3. Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  8. ^ Lim, Soon Neo (17 December 1985). "Japanese-local venture wins $60m MRT deal". The Business Times. p. 3. Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  9. ^ "MRTC awards two jobs on eastern line". The Business Times. 14 January 1986. p. 2. Retrieved 27 June 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  10. ^ a b "MRT will only come to the East in 1990". Weekend East. December 18, 1987. p. 12. Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  11. ^ "No tears as residents say goodbye to their kampung".
  12. ^ "VSL Systems clinches MRT supply deals". The Business Times (Singapore). 8 July 1986. p. 2. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  13. ^ "Page 12 Advertisements Column 1". The Business Times (Notice). 28 January 1987. p. 12. Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  14. ^ Raj, Conrad (13 February 1987). "Oh Teck Thye placed in the hands of receivers". The Straits Times. p. 24. Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  15. ^ Lim, Soon Neo (5 February 1987). "Parting of the ways for two MRT venture partners". The Business Times. p. 1. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  16. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (1 November 1989). "Eager wait for start of MRTs eastern line". The Straits Times. p. 22.
  17. ^ "MRT eastern line to start operating on Nov 18". The Business Times. 4 August 1989. p. 3.
  18. ^ "Man dies after jumping in front of MRT train". The Straits Times: Weekly Overseas Edition. 22 March 1997. p. 7. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  19. ^ Wong, Siew Ying (26 January 2008). "Above-ground MRT stations to have platform screen doors by 2012". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  20. ^ "Completion of Half Height Platform Screen Doors on East West Line". LTA (Press release). August 31, 2011. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  21. ^ "Enhancing Connectivity and Comfort for Commuters". LTA. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  22. ^ "Phase 1 of Railway Noise Barrier Installation Plans" (PDF). LTA. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 5, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  23. ^ "Railway Noise Barrier Installation on Track". LTA. 15 Jan 2015. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  24. ^ "Contract for Phase 3 of Railway Noise Barrier Programme Awarded". LTA. October 18, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  25. ^ "System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  26. ^ "Going to N1, B3, W11, El2, anyone?". The Straits Times. 25 October 1985. p. 21. Retrieved 19 November 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  27. ^ Salim, Shazalina (3 August 2001). "Red, green and grey". Today. p. 9. Retrieved 15 December 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  28. ^ "New Signage System For MRT And LRT Network". LTA. Archived from the original on 1 August 2003. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  29. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (28 April 1987). "Getting to know the network and how it will work". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 19. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  30. ^ "Kembangan – First & Last Train". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  31. ^ "LTA | Transport Tools | MRT/LRT". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  32. ^ "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  33. ^ a b "Kembangan–Map". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 15 October 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  34. ^ "Kembangan – Amenities". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  35. ^ Savage, Victor R.; Yeoh, Brenda S. A. (2003). Toponymics : a study of Singapore street names. Singapore: Eastern Universities Press. ISBN 9812102051. OCLC 51920982.
  36. ^ "Kembangan – Exits". SMRT Journeys. 9 October 2024. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Roof to make heads turn". The Straits Times. 20 April 1986. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  38. ^ "Residents get sneak preview of three new MRT stations". The Straits Times. 15 December 1989. p. 32. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  39. ^ "Commuters & Communities - Comic Connect". SMRT. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  40. ^ "Life in Kembangan" (PDF). SMRT (File). Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.

Media related to Kembangan MRT Station at Wikimedia Commons

Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kembangan_MRT_station
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