12 December 1987; 36 years ago (1987-12-12) (East West line) 20 June 2003; 21 years ago (2003-06-20) (North East line) 13 November 2022; 2 years ago (2022-11-13) (Thomson–East Coast line)
Before the line was planned to be extended to the World Trade Center, the station was originally the terminus of the North-East line. When the Thomson–East Coast Line opened on 13 November 2022, Outram Park station became a triple-line interchange.
History
Construction and East–West Line
EWL platforms
Outram Park station was included in early plans of the MRT network in May 1982.[2] It was to be constructed as part of the Phase I MRT segment from Novena station, due to be completed by December 1987;[3][4] The segment was given priority because it transits areas with a higher demand for public transport, such as the densely populated housing estates of Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio, and the Central Area. The line was intended to relieve traffic congestion on the Thomson–Sembawang Road corridor.[5][6]
The contract for the construction of Outram Park station and 4 km (2.5 miles) of tunnels between the Tiong Bahru and Maxwell (now Tanjong Pagar) stations was awarded to a Japanese joint venture Ohbayashi-Gumi/Okumura Corporation in November 1983 at a cost of S$73.85 million (US$95 million in 2020).[7][8]
During the station's construction, Outram Primary School was relocated.[9] The tunnel from Outram Park to Tiong Bahru was expected to be completed in September 1984.[10]
Train services commenced on 12 December 1987, when the line extension to the station was officially completed. The station was part of a line service that continuously ran from Yishun station in the north to Lakeside station in the west.[11][12] From 28 October 1989, Outram Park station began to serve the East–West Line (EWL) with the operational split of the MRT system.[13][a]
North East line
NEL platforms
Preliminary studies for the North East Line (NEL) in 1986 included plans to terminate that line at Outram Park station rather than HarbourFront station.[15] By 1995 the planned line had been extended to include an additional new stop, the World Trade Centre MRT station (now called HarbourFront).[16][17] In March 1996, communications minister Mah Bow Tan confirmed the station would interchange with the NEL.[18][19]
The site of the NEL station was the site of a prison complex demolished to make way for Housing and Development Board (HDB) developments.[20] To construct the station, the contractor had to design and execute a major traffic diversion at the cross-junction of Eu Tong Sen Street, Outram Road, Cantonment Road and New Bridge Road, with construction taking place as close as 10 metres away from EWL tunnels.[21] Contract 710 for the construction of Outram Park NEL platform and associated tunnels was awarded to Shimizu-Dillingham-Koh Brothers Joint Venture[22]
In order to link both the NEL and EWL stations, a passageway opening up under the EWL platform was built. Construction of the passageway lasted from March 2001 to December 2001. Shimizu-Dillingham-Koh Brothers Joint Venture had to "hack away the platforms to create openings in the [linkway] structure". A steel structure was also used to construct the linkway. To facilitate the construction of the NEL station, nine stages of traffic diversion was carried out. To handle the varying soil conditions along the route of the NEL tunnels, a dual-mode tunnel-boring machine was used to construct them, a first in Singapore.[23] Hoardings were built near the site of the NEL station to minimise construction noise. The NEL station has four underground levels, with the second one being out-of-bounds and the first one intended for a public underpass.[24]
In September 2000, construction of lift access in the station began. EWL station upgrades were completed on 12 October 2002.[25] On 14 August 2017, two meeting points designated for assistance from commuters called Heart Zones were designated near the EWL and NEL exits as part of a trial to better assist the elderly, frail and disabled commuters.[26]
Thomson–East Coast Line
TEL platforms
On 29 August 2012, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced Outram Park station would interchange with the proposed Thomson Line.[27] At the same time, the Singapore Land Authority announced the acquisition of Pearls Centre, a residential-commercial building, giving residents three years to vacate the premises to facilitate tunneling works under the complex.[28]
On 15 August 2014, the LTA announced the Thomson Line would be integrated into the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL). The TEL platform at Outram Park would be constructed as part of Phase 3, a section of the TEL consisting of 13 stations between Mount Pleasant and Gardens by the Bay.[29] On 9 March 2022, Transport Minister S Iswaran announced in Parliament Phase 3 (Caldecott to Gardens by the Bay via Napier) would open in the second half of 2022. Following the opening of the Thomson–East Coast Line on 13 November 2022, Outram Park station became a triple-line interchange, joining Marina Bay and Dhoby Ghaut stations.[30]
Contract T222 for the construction of Outram Park TEL platform and associated tunnels was awarded to Daelim Industrial Co. Ltd (now DL E&C) at a cost of S$301 million in May 2014. Construction was expected to start in 2014 with completion expected in 2021.[31] To facilitate the construction of the TEL station, a temporary pedestrian overhead bridge had to be removed and a road had to be diverted. The TEL train tunnels were built near existing EWL tunnels; they were tested and monitored for structural integrity during construction. In tandem with the TEL station's opening, a new underpass was opened to allow commuters to cross Outram Road.[32]
On 7 October 2022, during a visit by Transport Minister S. Iswaran to Outram Park and Maxwell stations, it was announced the TEL platform would begin operations on 13 November that year.[33][34]
Incidents
On 6 March 2008 in the NEL section of the station, a police officer shot a man who had threatened him with a knife. The man had already stabbed a person to death at a coffee shop in Jalan Kukoh.[35] A coroner's inquiry into the man's death ruled the shooting as a case of justifiable homicide and a district judge ruled the shooting as with no criminal intent.[36]
Outram Park station is an interchange station on the EWL, the NEL and the TEL. Its code is EW16/NE3/TE17.[41][42] On the EWL, the station is located between Tanjong Pagar and Tiong Bahru stations.[43] As of June 2023[update], EWL trains operate in both directions every 2–5 minutes from approximately 6:00 a.m. (6:25 a.m. on Sundays and public holidays) to 12:00 a.m.[44] On the NEL, the station is located between HarbourFront and Chinatown stations.[43] As of June 2023[update], NEL trains operate in both directions every 2–5 minutes from approximately 6:10 a.m. for services to HarbourFront, 6:00 am for services towards Punggol (6:30 am on Sundays and public holidays for both directions) to 12:00a.m.[44] On the TEL, the station is located between Havelock and Maxwell stations,[43] with headways of 3–6 minutes[45] from approximately 6:00 a.m. (6:25 a.m. on Sundays and public holidays) to 12:00 a.m. towards Gardens by the Bay. Services towards Woodlands North start and end approximately 10 minutes later while services towards Caldecott and Orchard end at 12:10 and 12:20 a.m., respectively.[44]
Artworks
Memories, one of the three artworks found in this station
Public artworks at Outram Park station includes Memories by Wang Lu Sheng, which uses bold colours inspired by the area's cultural heritage, especially Chinese culture. One of the pieces depicts Chinese opera and law or medicine, and represents visual memories of the surrounding area.[46][47]Commuters by Teo Eng Seng consists of 69 engravings[47] of surreal human forms that represent commuters' states of mind.[46][48]
Notes and references
Notes
^The MRT system was split into East West line running from Tanah Merah station to Lakeside, and the NSL running from Yishun station to Marina Bay.[14]
^Annual report. Singapore: Provisional Mass Rapid Transit Authority. 1983. p. 5.
^Dhaliwal, Rav (29 August 1982). "North-south line off first". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^Miswardi, Jalil (5 November 1983). "Sixth MRT contract to Japanese firms". Singapore Monitor. p. 5. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2022 – via NewspaperSG.
^Dhaliwal, Rav (4 November 1983). "Work on Outram MRT station begins in 2 months". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 40. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022 – via NewspaperSG.
^"20 stations by next year". The Straits Times. 6 November 1987. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
^Dhaliwal, Rav (12 December 1987). "Shopping for Xmas the MRT way..."The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2017 – via NewspaperSG.
^Leong, Chan Teik (5 March 1996). "16 MRT stations for 20-km North-East line". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1.
^Leong, Chan Teik (20 January 1996). "Immediate Start for north-east line". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
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