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Chinese Garden MRT station

Coordinates: 1°20′33″N 103°43′57″E / 1.34250°N 103.73250°E / 1.34250; 103.73250
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 EW25 
Chinese Garden
裕华园
சீனத் தோட்டம்
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
A bird-eye view of Chinese Garden MRT station
General information
Location151 Boon Lay Way
Singapore 609959
Coordinates1°20′33″N 103°43′57″E / 1.34250°N 103.73250°E / 1.34250; 103.73250
Owned byLand Transport Authority
Operated bySMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Line(s)
  East–West Line
Platforms2 (1 island platform)
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus, Taxi
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Platform levels1
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
ArchitectAoki Corporation and Lim Kim Ngah Construction, Parson Brinckerhoff and Maunsell Contracts (roof)
Architectural styleChinese (roof)
History
Opened5 November 1988; 36 years ago (1988-11-05)
ElectrifiedYes
Previous namesJurong Lake
Passengers
June 20249982 per day[1]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station
Jurong East
towards Pasir Ris
 East–West Line Lakeside
towards Tuas Link
Location
Singapore MRT/LRT system map
Singapore MRT/LRT system map
Chinese Garden
Chinese Garden station in Singapore

Chinese Garden MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East–West line (EWL) in Jurong East, Singapore. Operated by SMRT Trains, the station serves the eponymous Chinese Garden and the Yuhua residential estate. Other nearby landmarks include Jurong Primary School and Fuhua Secondary School.

First announced in May 1982 as Jurong Lake station, it was to be constructed as part of Phase II of the MRT system. The name was later changed in 1984 to better reflect its location. It commenced operations on 5 November 1988 along with the other stations of Phase II. When it opened, the station lacked direct access to Chinese Garden despite being next to it, as well as to the opposite side of the road where most of its commuters lived. Both issues were fixed within a few years. Accessibility enhancements were completed in July 2011 as well as additional bicycle parking facilities in October 2012. Half-height platform screen doors and high-volume low-speed fans were installed by August 2011 and the first quarter of 2013, respectively.

As a feature of the station, the curved roof supported by decorative red and green beams took inspiration from traditional Chinese architecture. Additionally, there are four paintings created by students from the Yuan Ching Secondary School that feature traditional Chinese cultural icons, which are displayed at the ticketing concourse as part of SMRT's Community Outreach Programme.

History

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Chinese Garden station was first included in the early plans of the MRT system as Jurong Lake station in May 1982.[2] It was later announced to be part of Phase II of the MRT in October 1983.[3] In September 1984, the station's name was changed to Chinese Garden station to better reflect its location.[4]

Several joint ventures between companies were prequalified for Contract 404 by May 1985, which detailed the construction of a viaduct from Jurong to Lakeside stations, including Chinese Garden.[5][6] Ultimately, Contract 404 was awarded to a joint venture between the Aoki Corporation and Lim Kah Ngam Construction for S$64.8 million (US$29.45 million) in November 1985.[7] The subcontract for the supply of post-tension cables and pre-cast beams for the viaducts was awarded to Swiss-Singaporean company VSL Systems in July 1986[8] while the design of the station's Chinese-style roof was awarded to Parson Brinckerhoff Asia Ltd and Maunsell Consultants in September 1985 as a part of a S$3.6 million (US$1.64 million) contract to give the Phase II MRT stations an "ethnic touch".[9]

External Image
image icon Artist's impression of Chinese Garden station

A week before its opening, there was an open house event for the Jurong stretch of the East-West Line (EWL), which included Chinese Garden station.[10] As announced by MRT Corporation chairman Michael Fam on 10 March 1988,[11] Chinese garden station opened on 5 November that year as part of the first portion of Phase II of the MRT system.[12][13] A primary school band performed inside the station as a part of the opening ceremony.[14]

Upon its opening, the station had a number of issues. Despite its name, the station had no actual direct access to Chinese Garden, forcing commuters to alight at Lakeside station and make their way to Chinese Garden.[15] To solve the problem, the owners of the garden, the Jurong Town Corporation, devised a plan divided into two phases. The first phase is the construction of a 250 metres (270 yd) concrete footpath as well as a temporary timber footbridge and garden entrance. The second phase is the construction of a permanent bridge based on the Sui Dynasty An-Chi Bridge as well as an entrance plaza with an area of 1,200 square metres (1,400 sq yd).[15] The first plan was effectuated in February 1989 whilst the second plan was to be implemented by 1991–92.[16] Additionally, there was no actual path to get to the station from the opposite side despite most commuters living there. This caused them to quickly and unsafely cross the road. Even though a S$200,000 (US$99,382.59) overhead bridge was to be built by April of the next year, the lack of thought for pedestrian safety was criticised by some residents and commuters.[17]

In 2008, the LTA announced an accessibility enhancement programme for ten stations,[a] including Chinese Garden. The programme included adding ramps, covered linkways, and taxi stands with wheelchair access. It was completed by July 2011 at a cost of S$116 million (US$92.23 million).[18] Chinese Garden station was the first batch of ten stations announced in 2010 to have additional bicycle parking facilities[b] as a response to the growing demand of bicycle parking spots.[19] The installation was completed in October 2012.[20] As with most of the elevated stations along the EWL, the station was initially built without platform screen doors. 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.[21] After several successful tests at Jurong East, Yishun and Pasir Ris stations, half-height platform screen doors were eventually installed and commenced operations at Chinese Garden station by August 2011.[22] The station was installed with high-volume low-speed fans by the first quarter of 2013.[23] A 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) cycling path to the station and Lakeside station was opened in October 2021 as a part of a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) cycling route in Taman Jurong.[24]

Station details

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The roof of Chinese Garden station is based on traditional Chinese architectural design.

Chinese Garden station is on the EWL with the station code of EW25, situated between Jurong East and Lakeside station.[25] When it opened, it had the station code of W10[26] before being changed to its current station code. As a part of the EWL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[27] The station operates between 5:16 am and 12:27 am daily.[28] Train frequencies vary from 2.5 to 5.0 minutes.[29]

The station runs alongside Boon Lay Way and is next to Jurong Lake,[30] serving the eponymous Chinese Garden along with the Japanese Garden. The station also serves the Yuhua residential estate, and other surrounding amenities such as Jurong Primary School, Fuhua Secondary School, Jurong East Sports Centre, and Jurong East neighbourhood police centre.[31]

A feature of the station, the curved roof is based on traditional Chinese architecture. The roof was a part of SMRT's idea to give the stations an "ethnic touch".[9] Specifically, the designer of the station Scott Danielson of Parson Brinckerhoff said that "the more [he traveled], the more disturbed [he became by] architects failing to reflect their own culture" and therefore incorporated a Chinese roof design due to the station's proximity to the Chinese Garden.[32] The decorative beams of the roof have been described as "chili-green and hongbao-red".[10]

As part of SMRT's community outreach programme, four paintings created by three Secondary school students from Yuan Ching Secondary School are displayed at the ticketing concourse of the station. These paintings feature a pigeon, goldfish, Chinese porcelain sculpture, and Chinese masks respectively.[33]

Notes

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  1. ^ The other stations are: Marsiling, Admiralty, Sembawang, Khatib, Yio Chu Kang, Lavender, Kembangan, Tanah Merah, and Simei.
  2. ^ The other stations are: Admiralty, Aljunied, Boon Lay, Khatib, Lakeside, Sembawang, Sengkang, Simei, and Yishun

References

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  1. ^ "Land Transport DataMall". mytransport.sg. Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Proposed MRT stations". The Straits Times. 23 May 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 23 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  3. ^ "Project to go on line in three stages". The Straits Times. Singapore. 8 July 1986. p. 8. Retrieved 25 July 2021 – via NewspaperSG.
  4. ^ "Names for 42 MRT stations". Singapore Monitor. 20 September 1984 – via NewspaperSG.
  5. ^ "List of pre-qualified contractors — MRT Phase IIA, IIB". The Business Times (List). 14 May 1985. p. 3. Retrieved 5 October 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  6. ^ Yap, Boh Hoon (13 May 1985). "MRTC prequalifies 37 for 11 engineering contracts". The Business Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  7. ^ "MRTC gives $64m job to contractor who cared for residents". The Straits Times. 8 November 1985. p. 11. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  8. ^ "VSL Systems clinches MRT supply deals". The Business Times (Singapore). 8 July 1986. p. 2. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  9. ^ a b Dhaliwal, Rav (16 September 1985). "Ethnic touch for MRT stations". The Straits Times. p. 24. Retrieved 15 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  10. ^ a b Tang, K. F. (31 October 1988). "10,000 take in Jurong stations". The Straits Times. p. 18. Retrieved 15 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  11. ^ "Jurong Line Ready By End of This Year". The Straits Times. 12 March 1988. p. 14. Retrieved 2 June 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  12. ^ Brason, Olivia (5 November 1988). "Destination: Jurong". The Straits Times. p. 10. Retrieved 9 May 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  13. ^ "Three more stations for MRT system". The Business Times. 5 November 1988. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017 – via NewspaperSG.
  14. ^ "11 to cut ribbon at MRT ceremony". The Straits Times. 4 November 1988. p. 44. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  15. ^ a b "Chinese Garden, MRT station link-up soon". The Straits Times. 12 November 1988. p. 3. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  16. ^ "New station shortens walk to Chinese Garden". The New Paper. 17 February 1989. p. 4. Retrieved 15 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  17. ^ "MRT commuters take risk crossing this road". The Straits Times. 29 November 1988. p. 22. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  18. ^ "LTA Completes Barrier Free Accessibility Enhancement". LTA. 23 October 2011. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Look out for better bike facilities close to MRT stations | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013.
  20. ^ "More Bicycle Parking Facilities with Enhanced Security Features at MRT Stations Islandwide | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. 29 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ "Completion of Half Height Platform Screen Doors on East West Line". LTA (Press release). 31 August 2011. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Enhancing Connectivity and Comfort for Commuters". LTA. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  24. ^ "9.6km of New Cycling Paths in Taman Jurong and Tampines". LTA. 30 October 2021. Archived from the original on 15 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  25. ^ "System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  26. ^ "A guide to industrial areas in Singapore". The Business Times. 24 October 1989. p. 45. Retrieved 19 November 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  27. ^ "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  28. ^ "Chinese Garden – First & Last Train". SMRT. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  29. ^ "Chinese Garden–Train Service information". LTA. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  30. ^ "Chinese Garden – Map". SMRT. 13 September 2024. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  31. ^ "Chinese Garden – Exits". SMRT Journeys. 13 September 2024. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  32. ^ "MRT station roofs to show Singapore's cultural mix". The Straits Times. 13 April 1987. Retrieved 20 October 2017 – via NewspaperSG.
  33. ^ Tung, Cathleen (9 November 2001). "Gallery for Passengers". TODAY. Retrieved 15 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
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External Image
image icon Photo of Dr. Yeo Ning Hong visiting Chinese Garden MRT with the old station code W10
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