Orchard Boulevard MRT station explained

Type:Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Address:20 Orchard Boulevard
Singapore 248654
Structure:Underground
Platform:2 (1 island platform)
Levels:1
Tracks:2
Passengers:3,406 per day[1]
Pass Year:June 2024
Accessible:Yes
Operator:SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Owned:Land Transport Authority
Former:Tanglin, Grange Road[2] [3]
Map Type:Singapore Rail central area
Map Dot Label:Orchard Boulevard
Map Alt:Singapore MRT/LRT system map
Map Size:300px
Map Label Position:left

Orchard Boulevard MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL). Situated in Orchard, Singapore, the station is at the end of Orchard Boulevard with Grange Road. Surrounding developments include Camden Medical Centre, Tanglin Mall, JEN by Shangri-La Hotel and various embassies.

First announced in August 2012 as part of the Thomson Line (TSL), the station was constructed as part of TEL Phase 3 (TEL 3) with the merger of the TSL and the Eastern Region Line. The station opened on 13 November 2022. An Art-in-Transit artwork by Twardzik Ching Chor Leng, PULSE, is displayed at this station.

History

The station was first announced on 29 August 2012 as part of the Thomson Line (TSL).[4] [5] Contract T218 for the design and construction of Orchard Boulevard Station was awarded to KTC Civil Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd at S$143 million (US$ million) in May 2014. Construction started in 2014, with an initial expected completion date of 2021.[6]

On 15 August 2014, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that the TSL would merge with the Eastern Region Line to form the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL). Orchard Boulevard station, part of the proposed line, would be constructed as part of TEL 3, consisting of 13 stations between Mount Pleasant and Gardens by the Bay.[7] [8] With restrictions imposed on construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TEL3 completion date was pushed by one year to 2022.[9]

On 9 March 2022, Transport Minister S Iswaran announced in Parliament that TEL 3 would open in the second half of that year.[10] As confirmed during a visit by Iswaran at the and stations on 7 October 2022,[11] [12] [13] the station began operations on 13 November.[14]

Description

Orchard Boulevard station serves the TEL and is between the Napier and Orchard stations. The official station code is TE13.[15] [16] Being part of the TEL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[17] Train frequencies on the TEL range from 3 to 6 minutes.[18]

The station is located along Orchard Boulevard at the junction with Grange Road and Rochalie Drive.[19] Surrounding landmarks of the station include: Camden Medical Centre, the Chinese embassy, the US embassy, Jen Singapore Tanglin by Shangri-La, Orchard Rendezvous Hotel, Tanglin Shopping Centre and Tudor Court Shopping Gallery.[20]

Orchard Boulevard station was designed by SAA Architects, who had to resolve the contradicting requirements of providing adequate ventilation and natural daylight, while being situated in a confined site also reserved for future development near the station. Hence, the main entrance was integrated with ventilation shafts, cooling towers, and skylights built right above the station box. This allowed for a three-tiered mezzanine and a wall created by the shafts where the station artwork would be placed, with sunlight streaming into the interior. Throughout the day, the changing position of the sun results in varying interactions between sunlight, the installation artwork, and the walls of the shafts, intended to bring vibrancy and animation to different sections of the station. The station entrances' materials, such as aluminium, granite, and glass, complement the surrounding architectural landscape.[21]

Pulse (stylised in all caps) by Twardzik Ching Chor Leng is a network of industrial-scale pipes that hang over the station concourse. The work is intended to depict the constant circulation of people on the MRT system and its importance in keeping the city alive, paralleling the functions of the human circulatory system that maintains the flow of nutrients.[22] [23]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Land Transport DataMall . Datamall . . 14 August 2024 . 14 August 2024 . https://archive.ph/YCbCx . live. registration.
  2. Web site: LTA News Room News Releases Public Poll for Thomson Line Station Names. Land Transport Authority. 25 April 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200425010122/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/newsroom/2013/5/2/public-poll-for-thomson-line-station-names.html. 25 April 2020. dead.
  3. Web site: LTA News Room News Releases Thomson Line Station Names Finalised. Land Transport Authority. 25 April 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200106112333/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/newsroom/2014/6/2/thomson-line-station-names-finalised.html. 6 January 2020. dead.
  4. Web site: Sim . Royston . 29 August 2012 . New Thomson MRT line to open from 2019, and have 22 stations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120829233715/http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/new-thomson-mrt-line-open-2019-and-have-22-stations-20120829 . 29 August 2012 . 30 June 2021 . The Straits Times.
  5. Web site: 30 August 2012 . Thomson Line to open from 2019 with 22 stations . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120830140407/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1222777/1/.html . 30 August 2012 . 30 June 2021 . Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
  6. Web site: LTA Awards Four Contracts for Thomson Line’s Orchard Boulevard, Great World, Outram Park and Shenton Way Stations . . 27 May 2014 . 16 December 2022 . 13 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200213072258/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/newsroom/2014/5/2/lta-awards-four-contracts-for-thomson-lines-orchard-boulevard-great-world-outram-park-and-shenton-way-stations.html . dead .
  7. Web site: 19 August 2014 . Joint News Release by the Land Transport Authority & Singapore Land Authority – Thomson-East Coast Line: New MRT Links in the East . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084445/http://app.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=3cc2e460-06ea-4245-a37f-df11b602ec7d . 19 August 2014 . 13 February 2020. Land Transport Authority.
  8. Web site: 13 February 2020 . Thomson–East Coast Line . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200213075700/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/upcoming_projects/rail_expansion/thomson_east_coast_line.html . 13 February 2020 . 13 February 2020 . Land Transport Authority.
  9. Web site: Written Reply by Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung to Parliamentary Question on Updates on Thomson East Coast Line, Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line . mot.gov.sg . 17 May 2021 . 17 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210517000023/https://www.mot.gov.sg/news-centre/news/Detail/written-reply-by-minister-for-transport-ong-ye-kung-to-parliamentary-question-on-updates-on-thomson-east-coast-line-jurong-region-line-and-cross-island-line . live .
  10. Web site: 11 more Thomson-East Coast stations to open in the second half of 2022; more 'inclusive' changes for vulnerable commuters . CNA . 9 March 2022 . 26 April 2022 . 26 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220426115857/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/thomson-east-coast-line-stations-maxwell-great-world-shenton-way-2550266 . live .
  11. Web site: Yong . Clement . 11 new TEL stations, from Stevens to Gardens by the Bay, to open on Nov 13; free rides on Nov 11 . . . 7 October 2022 . 7 October 2022 . 7 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221007081735/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/11-tel3-stations-from-stevens-to-gardens-by-the-bay-to-open-on-nov-13-free-rides-on-nov-11 . live .
  12. Web site: Factsheet: Thomson – East Coast Line Stage 3 to Open for Passenger Service from 13 November 2022 . . 7 October 2022 . 7 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221007081754/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/newsroom/2022/10/news-releases/thomson---east-coast-line-stage-3-to-open-for-passenger-service-.html . live .
  13. Web site: Yeoh . Grace . 11 Thomson-East Coast Line stations to open on Nov 13; free rides available on Nov 11 . . . 7 October 2022 . 7 October 2022 . 30 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221130020139/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/thomson-east-coast-line-open-november-mrt-free-rides-11-stations-2994101 . live .
  14. Web site: Lim . Jessie . Stations buzzing on first day of operations for third stage of Thomson-East Coast Line . . . 13 November 2022 . 13 November 2022 . 13 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221113043434/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/stations-buzzing-on-first-day-of-operations-for-third-stage-of-thomson-east-coast-line . live .
  15. Web site: MRT System Map . . 10 January 2023 . 15 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221115113715/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/dam/ltagov/getting_around/public_transport/rail_network/pdf/tel3_sm-en.pdf . live .
  16. Web site: System Map . TransitLink . 11 November 2022 . 10 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221110094219/https://www.transitlink.com.sg/eservice/eguide/mrt_sys_map.htm . live .
  17. Web site: Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191101093543/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/getting_around/public_transport/rail_network.html . 1 November 2019 . 27 April 2021 . Land Transport Authority.
  18. Web site: LTA MRT/LRT . 2024-06-25 . www.lta.gov.sg.
  19. Web site: Orchard Boulevard – Map . SMRT Journeys . 16 December 2022 . https://archive.today/20221111092046/http://journey.smrt.com.sg/journey/station_info/orchard-boulevard/map/. 11 November 2022. live.
  20. Web site: Orchard Boulevard – Exits . SMRT Journeys . 16 December 2022 . https://archive.today/20221111092102/http://journey.smrt.com.sg/journey/station_info/orchard-boulevard/exits/ . 11 November 2022. live.
  21. Web site: Orchard Boulevard Station . SAA Architects . 20 June 2023 . 3 July 2023 . 3 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230703125229/https://saaarchitects.com.sg/projects/orchard-boulevard-station/ . live .
  22. Web site: Clement . Yong . Charcoal drawings, quirky book titles: 7 art works in Thomson-East Coast Line stations you should not miss . The Straits Times . 29 October 2022 . 12 November 2022 . 10 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221110093421/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/charcoal-drawings-quirky-book-titles-7-art-works-in-thomson-east-coast-line-stations-you-should-not-miss . live .
  23. Web site: LTA Art in Transit . 16 November 2022 . . 13 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221113102534/https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/getting_around/public_transport/a_better_public_transport_experience/art_in_public_transport/art_in_transit.html . live .

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