User:ZKang123/Improving Singapore MRT station articles

This is a general guide on improving Singapore MRT station articles. Plenty of our MRT station articles could see further improvement from a mere stub to a Good Article (GA) or even Featured Article (FA), as long as you can recover the relevant details from relevant sources.

Please note that this is just a guide, and it does not have to be adhered to strictly. This also includes a compilation of feedback given by GA (and FA) reviewers, who may have varying opinions and standards. There is also no guarantee that an improved article may attain GA status. As always, check the criteria for GA.

What content should there be in the article?

The following is taken from a past discussion in 2012, with a few changes. (by Sandstorm6299)

As a guide, let's streamline the station articles to contain the following info: Information in the Template:Infobox station (cited if necessary, especially station depth) History (if significant enough), heritage (if any), etymology Significant events during construction (e.g. Nicoll Highway collapse) and operation (e.g. 2012 shutdown of NSL which resulted in the CEO leaving SMRT, Excerise Northstar V, oil leak near Clementi, significant train collisions resulting in large loss of life) Art in Transit (although I'm hesitant because every new station being built now has a new work commissioned for it. A new wiki page for the program might be in order) Significant architectural components Simple station layout as noted above I'm hesitant to include connecting bus services as previous iterations of it have resulted in tables occupying half the page! Timothyhouse, if you are adding them back in, please make them as simplified as possible. Condense them into one section, and enable hiding. (No need for bus routes connections) References (obviously) I take it that we can be agreeable on this? Sandstormtalk 17:11, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

What we should avoid Minor train stoppages causing inconvenience lasting less than a few hours. Small accidents causing minor injury. Separate headings for platform screen doors, which can be assimilated into a history section, of which a couple of lines is sufficient (construction and operation dates). The main purpose of the doors can even be linked to here. The speeding up of installation (like in the case of the Thai girl losing her legs at AMK) would be considered significant, and lends to the argument on why these gates should have been built. Connecting bus routes List of nearby landmarks (on the contrary, personally, I would have them added in under "station location" to give a sense of what the station serves and its location.) I notice a few enthusiastic Wikipedians have been reversing many of Planenut's edits, please read this discussion to understand where we are coming from. Sandstormtalk 13:03, 7 February 2012 (UTC)

Infobox

I am not too fussy with what's in the infobox (since they appeared more or less that way when I started editing). However, there are certain parameters that you need to be mindful about:

• Image: Usually what will be used is one of the station's exits or the platforms. For interchange stations, the image of the entrance is recommended to illustrate the article. For elevated stations, I will recommend having images of the exterior. Otherwise, platform shots will do if exterior shots are unattainable.
• Don't mess with the station codes. Some idiots like to play with those, I don't know why. Unless there is an official change, the station codes are as they are. See the official current and future maps for reference. (note that, as of October 2021, the future system map has been taken down pending an LTA update, but archived versions of it on the web archive are available)
• Address (Location): I suggest quoting OneMap (see Chinatown MRT station and Admiralty MRT station for details). Search the MRT station on OneMap and copy the link.
• Former (previous name(s)): Some of our stations have former working names or alternative names offered through public polls. Please add relevant citations for former names (e.g. Tan Kah Kee: Duchess, Hwa Chong, Kah Kee, Watten or Marine Parade: Marine Parade Central).
• Passenger numbers: To get daily ridership for the station, filter to get the data for the station using the station code. Copy the data to another sheet and sum up the numbers, divided by 31 or the number of days in the duration between the 15th and the next 15th of the month.

Lead

See also: Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section

The lead section should "identify the topic" and "summarize the body of the article" with appropriate weight. I.e. to say, whatever is in the article body (and the infobox), it should be mentioned in the lead. There is no standardised format for writing station leads, though I recommend two or three paragraphs. The first paragraph could mention the station and its location, while the second would be on the history (when it was first announced and when was it completed) and the third could be on other station details (architecture and artwork).

Examples (from Canberra MRT station and Chinatown MRT station:

Canberra MRT station (NS12) is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North South line, located along Canberra Link at the junction with Canberra Way in Sembawang, Singapore. It is the second infill station on the MRT network (after Dover MRT station), and the first in Singapore with a platform linked directly to an overhead bridge at the same level. With several green features included in the station during construction, it was also the first MRT station to be awarded Platinum for the Building and Construction Authority's Green Mark for Transit Stations, as a result of the construction team's efforts to integrate landscaping and using eco-friendly materials in the construction of the station.

The station was announced following a successful feasibility study conducted by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) after the idea of a new MRT station between the Sembawang and Yishun MRT stations was raised in the 2013 Land Transport Master Plan. Construction started in April 2015, and it opened on 2 November 2019. The mall opposite the station, Canberra Plaza, opened on 18 December 2020.

Chinatown MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North East (NEL) and Downtown (DTL) lines in Outram, Singapore. Serving the ethnic enclave of Chinatown, the station is situated at the junction of Eu Tong Sen Street, New Bridge Road and Upper Cross Street.

First announced as People's Park MRT station in March 1996, the construction of the NEL station was one of the most challenging projects on the line. It involved multiple diversions of the main roads and the Eu Tong Sen Canal, in addition to the preservation of the Garden Bridge. The NEL station was completed on 20 June 2003. In March 2007, it was announced that the station will interchange with the DTL Stage 1, which opened in 2013. The station features two artworks as part of the Art-in-Transit programme.

Please note:

• It isn't necessary to have citations in the lead (why there are some in the Canberra station article, I have actually no idea actually). Cite the relevant info in the body please.
• Add necessary and appropriate links.
• Use abbreviations if you must.

History

Now we have come to the body, the essential meat of the article. Usually, we start off the history section first.

• Try to state when the station was first announced (also mention its holding name, if it is different from its present finalised name), as part of what line project. (e.g. NSEWL stations, Woodlands Extension or NEL stations.)

An example could be:

On 15 August 2014, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that Marine Parade station would be part of the proposed Thomson East-Coast line (TEL). The station will be constructed as part of Phase 4, consisting of 8 stations between Founders' Memorial and Bayshore, and is expected to be completed in 2023.

Or

The station was first announced as Bedok Town Park station on 20 August 2010 when the 16 stations of the 21-kilometre (13-mile) Downtown Line Stage 3 (DTL3) from the River Valley (now Fort Canning) to Expo stations were unveiled. The line was expected to be completed in 2017.

• Contract details: Use Web Archive Singapore (WAS) to track down contact details of the station and associated tunnels. The WAS has archives of the old LTA website which detailed the construction of the CCL and the DTL. For the stations of the original phases on the EWL and NSL, it may be possible to look through NewspaperSG for articles on the awarded contracts. For more recent stations like those on the TEL and JRL, you can find the official news release in the LTA Press Room. It is advisable to avoid independent sources like the contractor's website details on the contracts. Avoid excessive citations (three at most for a certain text).
  • One way to write about the contracts could be described as follows, as suggested by @Dayton12345::

Contract <Number> for the design and construction of <station name> and <length (optional)> associated tunnels/bridges/viaducts was awarded to <company name> at a sum of S$xxx million (convert this value also to USD) in <month-year>. Construction will start in <year>, with (expected) completion in <year>.

However, this format isn't foolproof and may vary. You can also see Dhoby Ghaut and Bencoolen for examples of such deviations.

• There are some resources out there that aptly describes the construction challenges of some of the stations, especially for NEL, CCL and DTL stations. The relevant books could be seen at the bottom of this essay. The CCL and DTL books are available online, while the NEL book by Leong is only available in hardcopy at the National Library. I will be coming up with a scanned copy soon.
• State the official opening date of the station backed by official sources (for some future stations, this could be a bit problematic with wild speculations. WP:CRYSTAL). You can also include that the station opened for an open house (see Fort Canning MRT station or Rochor MRT station for an example), or any prior station visits by the transport minister.
• Add in any notable incidences in the aftermath, including train breakdowns or the occasional tunnel flooding or collision. However, not all the time should such incidences be included.
• If possible, detail any further developments of the station, including upgrades (additional lifts, bicycle facilities etc) backed by reliable sources (especially for elevated stations with the installation of PSDs and ventilation fans).

Station details

This is the second crucial part of the article. Sometimes, if there are sufficient details, this section could be further split into subsections (see Marina Bay MRT station or Stadium MRT station). Otherwise, you can lump them into one section like Canberra.

• Mention the position of the station (e.g. The station is on the XX line between the Y and Z stations). Cite the MRT system map on this. Operational hours and train intervals are optional (as it may sound like a guide, it is better to avoid them), though has been mentioned on some London Underground stations, such as this and this.
• In addition, also add the station code for the station, citing the LTA map (e.g. The official station code is SE23.). As it is mentioned in the infobox, the station code should also be mentioned in the body, as one reviewer had said.
• Reiterating that Wikipedia is not a guide, please do not add station layouts and platforms. The stations on the NYC Subway and HK MTR do include such, but usually, it is due to their complex track layouts. Since in general, our stations don't have any completed platform layouts, such diagrams are not necessary.
  • Occasionally route diagrams are helpful, but this is optional unless it helps the article (usually I advise against it since it may clutter up the article unnecessarily). Tests have been done on the Changi Airport, City Hall and Raffles Place station. So far, there are already templates here and here to cover most stations.
• Also do not add bus services and stops that serve the station.
• Station location: This is also not totally necessary, but it is a welcome addition. You can check the operators' websites for the relevant details (e.g. here for an SMRT station or for an SBS station)
• Sometimes LTA and other sources may also talk about the station designs and the architecture. You can also research a bit more on the various station designs as well, if possible. Examples include Canberra, Marina Bay and Changi Airport.
  • Citing appropriate books and sources, also mention barrier-free access and the station's role as a Civil Defence shelter.
• The newer stations, from the NEL onwards, will have artworks displayed in them commissioned as part of the Art-in-Transit (AiT) Programme. There is an LTA website dedicated to the descriptions of each artwork here, and also one on the SBS transit website here. The books cited below will have more details behind the development of the artworks (for NEL and CCL only). You can also try searching up the studio's or the artist's website whether they have more details about it.

Images

• Try not to clutter up the article with too many images. Usually, in the history section, I recommend inserting pictures of the construction site or using platform pictures instead. Place the images in the appropriate sections (e.g. an image containing the artwork in the history section, or an image of the exit with the other surrounding structures visible for the station's location)
• All photos used must be in public domain or have the necessary creative commons licenses. Don't take images or diagrams from LTA or official sources, as these are under copyright. I strongly suggest using those available on Wikimedia commons or your own images (taken from a good phone camera will be sufficient) if there are no photos available to illustrate.
  • Additional point: Don't directly take a photo of a 2D artwork and post it here, as 2D artworks are not under Freedom of Panorama (FoP) in Singapore.
• Under the section 'external links', add * {{commonscat-inline|XX MRT Station}} ('station' must be capitalised) to link to other images.

Other notes

• Always, as much as possible, quote reliable resources by LTA, the operators (SMRT and SBS) and the Ministry of Transport. It is also encouraged to follow LTA on Instagram or other social media platforms to catch up on any MRT updates. Do not use Land Transport Guru or SGTrains as sources, as they self-published and user-based blogs. (see WP:SPS). While they have a substantive amount of information, they are not considered official reliable sources in Wikipedia. I rather use them as a reference, and try to verify the information elsewhere. You can also try to contact them where they get their information from if you like.

• Please, no original research and speculative information, unless backed by reliable sources. Even if the information may be true (like infills, provisions for future lines etc), the information may instead sound speculative on Wikipedia if there are no sources to back it up. Also please do not speculate on commencement dates until official sources released the information, from the Straits Times or LTA press.
• On the Woodlands line extension, NEL, LRT lines, CCL and DTL 1 and 2, the sources from NewspaperSG may not be available from home; suggest popping by your nearby library to access the necessary news sources from multimedia stations.
  • At the same time I am compiling sources to look up on this list.

• You can look at past GA reviews on the Canberra, Marina Bay and Changi Airport stations to see how they were assessed as meeting the criteria to be promoted to GAs. You can also check other system's stations that are GA-quality as well for examples to improve the articles.

Documenting the history of the Singapore rail network may be a rather tough job, as the LTA remains unwilling to release all details about our beloved rail system. Our job here is to document our rail network history, reflecting the evolution of our system to the MRT system we know today. We must preserve the reliability and accuracy of our documentation, remove all speculative and OR sections, and verify uncited sections. The purpose is not to create more GAs, but coherent articles that are reliable and worthy of reference.

Bringing a GA article to FA status

See also: Wikipedia:Compare criteria Good v. Featured article

This is a huge leap, partly because there is a much closer scrutiny when an article is to be reviewed for FA.

A couple of MRT articles have been promoted from GA to FA and were successfully featured on the main page (Dhoby Ghaut and Chinatown). It will take some grueling weeks of review, so better be prepared.

General tips

• Have your article copyedited by the Guild of Copy Editors. (You can skip this if you believe your article is decent, though never be too overconfident about this.)
• For first time nominators, it is better for a potential FAC to be put through a peer review. A couple of editors might provide more tips to improve the article. Close the peer review once you have received enough feedback. (You are also free to ping me so I can look through and give feedback).
• When nominating your article, contact a few users around (those who are not involved in editing your article) to check your nomination. An FAC may be closed if it's just sitting around unreviewed for more than three weeks.
• Generally, it requires at least three supports, and passes for image and source reviews.
• Observe past feedback for other FACs.
• At FAC stage, besides prose, there will also be closer scrutiny for the manual of style. For example, they would look out if the measurements have imperial units or that local currency has been converted to USD (or in some cases, inflated USD values) per MOS:NUM.

Image review

• Image licensing: This should not really be an issue if you are taking images from Wikimedia commons and that these images are self-taken. Do NOT use images from LTA, LTG or SGTrains, as they are copyrighted.
• ALT text: For accessibility, alt text is to be added for all images. They should be at most two sentences to describe the image (see examples in the featured articles).

Source review

Further information: Wikipedia:Guidance on source reviewing at FAC

• Source formatting has to be consistent. For independent sources (like those by LTA, MOT and SMRT), it is generally recommended to use the publisher parameter, although some might be fine with it being in the website parameter.
• News articles should have the author listed. Surnames of authors are their last names (e.g. for Christopher Tan, Tan is their last name). News articles should also have their page numbers if not from the website directly.
• If linking from NewspaperSG, add via parameter NewspaperSG.
• Ensure for news articles and press releases, the dates are also included.
• Recently the FAC coords want source titles to be in title case per MOS:CONFORM. I recommend use my script User:ZKang123/TitleCaseConverter. It isn't perfect at this point yet, but it would do for most cases.
• There is generally no consensus whether you should wikilink publisher/work etc. But generally either you wikilink all or none. None saves more hassle in my personal opinion.
• More details..

Notes and references

Bibliography

• Leong, Chan Teik (2003). Getting there : The story of the North East Line. Singapore: Land Transport Authority (LTA). ISBN 981-04-5886-X. OCLC 53383062.
• Tan, Su (2003). Art in transit : North East Line MRT - Singapore. Singapore: Land Transport Authority. ISBN 981-04-7384-2. OCLC 52771106.
• Feng, Zengkun (2017). Downtown Line: Soaring to new heights. Singapore: Straits Times Press Pte Ltd. ISBN 978-981-4747-66-0. OCLC 1003852882.
• Cheong, Colin (2012). The Circle Line, Linking All Lines. ISBN 978-981-4342-02-5.