Bencoolen MRT station

Mass Rapid Transit station in Singapore

DT21
Bencoolen
明古连
பென்கூலன்

Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station

Exit B of Bencoolen station along Bencoolen Street

General informationLocation31 Bencoolen Street
Singapore 189658Coordinates

Preceding station	Mass Rapid Transit			Following station
Fort Canning towards Bukit Panjang		Downtown Line		Jalan Besar towards Expo

Location
Bencoolen Bencoolen station in Singapore

Bencoolen MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Downtown Line (DTL) in Singapore. Located under Bencoolen Street, the station serves primarily the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Singapore Management University and surrounding developments. At 43 metres (141 ft) below street level, Bencoolen is the deepest station in Singapore.

The station was first announced in August 2010 when the DTL Stage 3 (DTL 3) stations were revealed. Constructing the station and the connecting tunnels was one of the most difficult projects on the DTL due to its location in a narrow site and the need to construct the DTL tunnels near the existing operational tunnels. The station was completed on 21 October 2017, along with the revamping of Bencoolen Street above. The station features Tracing Memories by NAFA students as part of the Art-in-Transit programme.

History

On 20 August 2010, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that Bencoolen station would be part of the 21-kilometre (13 mi) Downtown Line Stage 3 (DTL 3), consisting of 16 stations between River Valley (now Fort Canning) and Expo. The line was expected to be completed in 2017.^[3]^[4]^[5] The contract for the design and construction of Bencoolen station and associated tunnels — Contract 936 — was awarded to Sato Kogyo at a sum of S$177.58 million (US$93.5 million) in April 2011. Construction of the station and the tunnels started in the second quarter of that year and was targeted to be completed in 2017.^[6]

The station and associated tunnels were constructed close to the operational tunnels of the Circle (CCL) and North South (NSL) lines and underneath various commercial developments, which explains the need to construct the station at a depth of 43 metres (141 ft).^[7]^[8]^[9] Various instruments were used to monitor the CCL and NSL tunnels to ensure the construction of the DTL tunnels did not impact the train operations.^[7]^[10] To maximise efficiency and reduce the risks of the construction, the geology along the tunnels from Fort Canning to Bencoolen was analysed and the cutter heads of the tunnel boring machines were changed at places where it was most convenient to do so.^[10]

The geology of the station site was composed of soft soil overlaying a thick boulder bed.^[11] Due to the very tough ground conditions, mechanical and chemical means were used to break down the boulders.^[7] To minimise inconvenience to the residents of the surrounding buildings, working hours were restricted. The LTA and contractors cooperated with the hotels and surrounding developments to deal with noise and environmental problems.^[11]

As there was limited space, a section of Bencoolen Street was closed to traffic from Prinsep Link to Bras Basah Road from 16 October 2011 to 10 December 2016.^[12] The road was reinstated as a one-way street after the construction, with pedestrian walkways and bike lanes.^[8]^[13] During the construction, on 3 March 2017, a burst pipe caused a flood at the station. The valve was turned off within 15 minutes and the faulty pipe was reinforced.^[14]

On 31 May 2017, the LTA announced that the station, together with the rest of DTL 3, would be opened on 21 October that year.^[8]^[15]^[16] Passengers were offered a preview of the station along with the other DTL 3 stations at the DTL 3 Open House on 15 October.^[17]

Station details

Services

Bencoolen station serves the Downtown line (DTL) and is situated between the Fort Canning and Jalan Besar stations. The official station code is DT21.^[18] The station operates between 6:06 am and 12:12 am daily,^[19] with headways of 2 to 5 minutes.^[20] The station also has an unpaid link to the nearby Bras Basah station on the CCL.^[8]

Location

Situated underneath Bencoolen Street near the junction with Bras Basah Road, the station serves the educational institutions of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Manulife Centre.^[8]^[19] The station also serves the Parklane Shopping Centre, Peace Centre and Sunshine Plaza retail developments.^[19] In addition, Bencoolen station is near several religious institutions: Kwan Im Temple, Sri Krishnan Temple, Maghain Aboth Synagogue and Masjid Bencoolen.^[8]^[19]

Station design

The six-level underground station reaches 43 metres (141 ft) below ground and is currently the deepest station on the MRT network, being 1 metre (3.3 ft) deeper than Promenade station.^[7] This title will eventually be replaced when the Cross Island Line (CRL) platforms at Pasir Ris station are completed, at 47 metres (154 ft) below ground.^[21]

The station and the tunnels are placed at that depth to avoid intersecting the existing infrastructure at the surface, as well as the other rail tunnels in the way of the alignment.^[7]^[10] The station, designed by Aedas, is only 22 metres (72 ft) wide and 140 metres (460 ft) long, as the distance between the buildings along the street is 25 metres (82 ft) wide.^[7]

The station has three entrances.^[8] Exit A of the station is inside of the NAFA Tower Block above the station and the underpass link to the SMU.^[7]^[8] The station was constructed alongside NAFA's fourth campus. This integration allows students to access the campus easily, regardless of the weather conditions.^[22] The glass and frame structure of Exit B is designed in a vintage style to "harmonise" with the colonial-style exterior of Hotel Rendezvous near the station.^[7]

The curving interior walls symbolise canyon walls and earth-tone colours represent the many layers of the soil,^[23] emphasising the depth of space.^[7] The glass walls of the passenger lifts were tinted in maroon so that the journey to the platforms looks like a descent to the Earth's core.^[7]^[23]

Bencoolen Street redesign

At the surface, Bencoolen Street was transformed into an enhanced pedestrian walkway.^[13]^[24] Two of the four lanes are permanently closed to make way for a communal space, which includes a wide footpath for pedestrians and a bicycle lane. The transformation was part of Singapore's government Walk-Cycle-Ride initiative, which was aimed to make the country "car-lite" and allow more opportunities to walk and cycle.^[25] One of the remaining lanes on the street was converted into a dedicated bus lane.^[13]^[26]

The area is designed to be pedestrian-friendly, with sheltered linkways from the station to the surrounding developments.^[13] The surface structures of the station, comprising the entrances and vent shafts, were placed to preserve the buildings' facades while establishing a "vibrant, comfortable" walking environment above ground.^[7] The street also features seven "funky" benches designed by students and alumni through a competition held by NAFA.^[22] The bench designs include a dog-shaped double-level bench, another shaped like a cat on its back, and animal-shaped branches made of fibreglass.^[22] These benches were intended to add some innovation to the streetscape.^[13] A total of 125 bicycle parking lots were installed at various places along the street.^[13]^[26]^[27]

Station artwork

Bencoolen station features Tracing Memories by NAFA students as part of the MRT system's Art-in-Transit programme, a public art showcase which integrates artworks into the MRT network.^[28] The artwork consists of two murals at two ends of a station linkway, each featuring six figures linked together by a thread.^[29] Each depicts a student activity broken into these figures reflecting a "stop motion" effect intended to convey movement in transit. The line connecting these figures is to show the connections of commuters through the station and the DTL.^[30] The figures also served as inconspicuous navigation aids, directing commuters to the two different colleges near the station,^[28] Those with laptops point towards SMU, while those with art materials indicate the way to NAFA.^[23]^[31]

Through NAFA's call for students to propose concepts for the station art, two teams were shortlisted: fine arts students Sheryl Law, Reena Ng, Tay Yuling, Tsai Chingwen and Ooi Qiyang, as well as design students Poornima Bargotra and Sheetal Muralidhara.^[32] Both proposed to depict landmarks around Bencoolen but in different styles; NAFA and LTA decided to combine these concepts.^[30] Taking inspiration from the local community, the students gathered 800 original photographs of buildings, objects and people submitted through various online and physical campaigns.^[28]^[33] They were subsequently sorted by colour and filled into the silhouettes.^[33]

References

^ "Downtown Line 3 Station Names Shortlisted for Public Polling". www.lta.gov.sg. 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
^ "Downtown Line 3 Station Names Finalised". www.lta.gov.sg. 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013.
^ "Downtown Line 3 Station Locations Unveiled Faster Access for Residents in the East to the City and Marina Bay Area". www.lta.gov.sg. 20 August 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
^ "Alignment of DTL3" (PDF). www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
^ "DTL Station Locations" (PDF). www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
^ "LTA Awards Contracts for MacPherson and Bencoolen stations | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. 29 April 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "C936 Bencoolen Station". Construction Plus Asia. 1 October 2018. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "LTA | News Room | News Releases | Factsheet: Downtown Line 3 to Open on 21 October 2017". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
^ "The longest underground and driverless MRT line open its tracks". Arup. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Feng 2017, p. 48.
^ ^a ^b Feng 2017, p. 68.
^ "Temporary closure of Bencoolen Street between Prinsep Link and Bras Basah Road". www.lta.gov.sg. Land Transport Authority. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "News Room – News Releases – Bencoolen Street Gets a Car-lite Makeover". www.lta.gov.sg. 10 November 2016. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
^ "Burst pipe causes flooding at Bencoolen MRT station". The Straits Times. 6 March 2017. Archived from the original on 15 July 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
^ Alkhatib, Shaffiq Idris (21 October 2017). "Downtown Line 3 opens to public". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
^ "Opening of Downtown Line Stage 3". The Straits Times. The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
^ "News Room – News Releases – It's Rail Fun at the Downtown Line 3 Open House on 15 October!". www.lta.gov.sg. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
^ "MRT System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority (LTA). Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Train Service Information". SBSTransit. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
^ "Transport Tools – MRT/LRT". www.lta.gov.sg. 6 May 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
^ Tjoe, Lee Nian (18 January 2023). "Cross Island Line work begins, 12 MRT stations ready by 2030 including Ang Mo Kio and Pasir Ris". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Feng 2017, p. 133.
^ ^a ^b ^c Feng 2017, p. 156.
^ "Better Connectivity for All". Urban Redevelopment Authority. 12 December 2020. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
^ Feng 2017, p. 132.
^ ^a ^b "Pedestrian-friendly facilities for redesigned Bencoolen Street". TODAYonline. 10 November 2016. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
^ Abdullah, Zhaki (22 March 2017). "New Bencoolen Street unveiled". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Art in Transit". Land Transport Authority. 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
^ Sajan, Chantal (29 February 2020). "Bencoolen station: Bonding through good design". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b Zhuang & Soh 2022, p. 116.
^ "Art-in-Transit". SBSTransit. 18 January 2021. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^ "Art Strings Attached" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
^ ^a ^b Zhuang & Soh 2022, p. 118.

Bibliography

Feng, Zengkun (2017). Downtown Line: Soaring to new heights (PDF). Singapore: Straits Times Press Pte Ltd. ISBN 978-981-4747-66-0. OCLC 1003852882.
Zhuang, Justin; Soh, Darren (2022). Art in Transit: Downtown Line Singapore. Singapore: Land Transport Authority. ISBN 978-981-18-3967-2. OCLC 1342054525.