Bencoolen MRT station

Bencoolen MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the Downtown Line located at the boundary of Rochor and Museum planning areas, Singapore. Located under Bencoolen Street, the station serves primarily the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, which is directly next to and above the station. It is located in between 2 campuses of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. The station is connected indirectly to Bras Basah MRT station on the Circle Line via Exit C and walking through Singapore Art Museum, where the shops are primarily located. The station also has small eateries such as Crossings Cafe at the Catholic Centre and Le Bistrot de l'Olive at the V Hotel.[3]

DT21  Bencoolen 明古连 பென்கூலன் Bencoolen
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Exit B of Bencoolen station along Bencoolen Street
Location	31 Bencoolen Street Singapore 189658
Coordinates	1°17′56″N 103°51′1″E
Operated by	SBS Transit DTL (ComfortDelGro Corporation)
Line(s)	Downtown Line
Platforms	2 (1 island platform)
Tracks	2
Connections	CC2  Bras Basah, Bus, Taxi
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Depth	43 metres
Platform levels	1
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	21 October 2017 (2017-10-21)
Electrified	Yes
Previous names	Waterloo[1][2]
Services
Preceding station   Mass Rapid Transit   Following station Fort Canning towards Bukit Panjang Downtown Line Jalan Besar towards Expo
Location
Bencoolen Bencoolen station in Singapore

At 43 metres (141 ft) below street level, it is currently also the deepest MRT station in Singapore, surpassing Promenade station at 42 metres (138 ft).[4]

History

Platform level of the station.

The Contract 936 for the design and construction of Bencoolen station and associated tunnels was awarded to Sato Kogyo (S) Pte Ltd at a sum of S$177.58 million in April 2011. Construction of the station and the tunnels commenced in the second quarter of that year and completed in 2017.[5]

As the station is located under Bencoolen Street, a portion of the Bencoolen Street was closed from Prinsep Link to Bras Basah Road from 16 October 2011 to 10 December 2016.[6] On 3 March 2017, a burst pipe caused flooding at Bencoolen MRT station. It was partially submerged by water that came from within.[7]

The station opened on 21 October 2017 along with the rest of Stage 3 of the Downtown Line, as announced by the Land Transport Authority on 31 May that year.[8]

References

1. "Downtown Line 3 Station Names Shortlisted for Public Polling". www.lta.gov.sg. 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
2. "Downtown Line 3 Station Names Finalised". www.lta.gov.sg. 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013.
3. "Opening of Downtown Line Stage 3". The Straits Times. The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
4. "Factsheet: Downtown Line 3 to Open on 21 October 2017 | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
5. "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.
6. "Temporary closure of Bencoolen Street between Prinsep Link and Bras Basah Road". Land Transport Authority. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
7. "Bencoolen MRT station" (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.
8. "Factsheet: Downtown Line 3 to Open on 21 October 2017 | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.

External links

• Media related to Bencoolen MRT Station at Wikimedia Commons