Dhoby Ghaut MRT station

Dhoby Ghaut MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North South line (NSL), North East line (NEL) and Circle line (CCL) in Singapore. It is located in Dhoby Ghaut, Museum Planning Area, at the eastern end of Orchard Road shopping belt, underneath Orchard Road and The Atrium@Orchard shopping mall. The station is located near prominent landmarks such as The Istana, Istana Park, the MacDonald House, the House of Tan Yeok Nee, Plaza Singapura and Dhoby Ghaut Green.

NS24  NE6  CC1  Dhoby Ghaut 多美歌 டோபி காட் Dhoby Ghaut
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Exit E of Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.
Location	11 Orchard Road Singapore 238826 (NSL)[1] 13 Orchard Road Singapore 238893 (CCL)[2] 60 Orchard Road Singapore 238889 (NEL)[3]
Coordinates	1°17′57″N 103°50′45″E
Operated by	SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation) (North South & Circle lines) SBS Transit Ltd (ComfortDelGro Corporation) (North East line)
Line(s)	North South Line   North East Line   Circle Line
Platforms	6 (3 island platforms)
Tracks	6
Connections	Bus, Taxi
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Depth	28 metres
Platform levels	3
Parking	Yes (Plaza Singapura, The Cathay)
Bicycle facilities	Yes (External)
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	12 December 1987 (1987-12-12) (North South line) 20 June 2003 (2003-06-20) (North East line) 17 April 2010 (2010-04-17) (Circle line)
Electrified	Yes
Services
Preceding station   Mass Rapid Transit   Following station Somerset towards Jurong East North South Line City Hall towards Marina South Pier Clarke Quay towards HarbourFront North East Line Little India towards Punggol Terminus Circle Line Bras Basah towards HarbourFront
Location
Dhoby Ghaut Dhoby Ghaut station in Singapore

The station was opened in 1987 as part of the NSL line extension to Raffles Place station. The North East line station then opened in 2003, and the Circle line station opened in 2010. Currently, on the MRT network, Dhoby Ghaut station is the only MRT station in Singapore to be a triple-line interchange. Dhoby Ghaut is the fourth deepest MRT station in Singapore, after Bras Basah MRT station, Promenade MRT station and Bencoolen MRT station; its deepest point is at 28 metres (92 ft) below ground level.[4]

History

North South line station

NSL platforms of the station.

The MRT-station was built on a former Jewish cemetery which was in operation between 1841 and 1983.[5] The station name, Dhoby Ghaut, reflects the area's heritage as a traditional Indian laundry.[6][7]

On October 1983, the contract 106 for the design and construction of Dhoby Ghaut and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) of tunnels between Somerset and City Hall stations was awarded to a joint venture between French contractor Campenon-Bernard and Singapore Piling and Civil Engineering Company Limited at a sum of S$51.3 million.[8][9][10] Prior to the construction, tenants of Amber Mansions have to move out to make way for the construction of this station, with the land already gazetted for acquisition in 1978.[11]

Excavation works were hampered by the soft marine clay at the station site, and jet grouting was used in an effort to stabilise the soil.[12] The soft soil also caused a tunnel cave-in in January 1985, which formed a 6-metre (20 ft) wide hole at Cathay Cinema.[13][14] A fatal accident happened on 17 June that year that led to the death of an engineer as crane fell into the work shaft and on the engineer.[15][16] Investigations revealed that the three pieces of timber meant to support the crane were not properly connected and hence unable to support the crane. The contractor was fined S$1,000 for failing to provide a stable footing for the outrigger of the crane and not posting and maintaining a capacity chart.[17][18][19] Despite the incidents, the structural works for the station completed in September of that year.[20]

The station had an open house on 6 December 1987,[21] and opened for service on 12 December when the line extension to Outram Park station was completed.[22][23][24] In September 2000, works started for lift access to be added to the station.[25]

Dhoby Ghaut was one of four stations which participated in Exercise Northstar V, a mock terrorist exercise held on 8 January 2006.[26][27][28]

North East line station

NEL platforms in the station

Plans were drawn up in 1986 for a possible north-east line extension from Outram Park station via Dhoby Ghaut to Punggol station,[29] which was eventually finalised as the North East line.[30] The contract C707 for the construction of the NEL station was awarded to Obayashi on 18 March 1996 at a contract sum of S$245 million.[31][32] Construction began in January 1997 and completed in 20 October 2001.[33][34]

The construction of the NEL had posed several challenges. The site of the NEL station was situated only 3 meters (9.8 ft) from the existing NSL station, and the NEL tunnels were constructed just about 5 meters (16 ft) below the NSL tunnels. Detectors had to be set up to monitor the effects of the construction. The construction also involved removing a part of Mount Sophia, the hill above the station, to facilitate the station construction. The rest of the hill was supported by a 8-meter (26 ft) high sheet pile wall, restrained with ground anchors.[35]

Another difficultly was the irregular shapes and varying sizes of the five levels of the station, bound by space constraints. This had made it difficult for the implementation of the temporary retaining walls for the site due to the many voids in between the station levels.[35][36] In addition, the Stamford Canal that bisected the station had to be rerouted to a temporary canal. The old canal box was then rebuilt and replaced by a new, larger canal box. The new box, which currently lies above the second level of the station, was supported temporarily by steel piles while the station box was being constructed.[36][37] The station construction also required liaison with owners of the buildings and businesses in the area, ensuring the stability and smooth operations of the two commercial buildings above ground.[38][36]

Circle line station

The station box of the CCL station had already been constructed during the construction of the NEL station.[39] The Contract 825 for the design and construction of the circle line station and associated tunnels was awarded to Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. (Singapore) Pte Ltd and a joint venture with Woh Hup and NCC at a sum of S$343.94 million on 19 December 2001. The contract also includes the construction of the Bras Basah, Esplanade and Promenade stations.[40][41] To facilitate the construction, part of Orchard Road had to be temporarily realigned.[42] As the CCL station had to be built under the underpass linking the NEL and NSL platforms, support was needed to keep the underpass stable. Seven Caisson piles were installed to enhance the support of the underpass and capping beams were then constructed to form the supporting system.[43] Along with the other stations on Stages 1 and 2, the station started operations on 17 April 2010.[44][45]

Station details

Services

Dhoby Ghaut is the terminus for the Circle line branch to the station.

The station is served by the North South line, the North East line and the Circle line. On the North South line, the station is located between the Somerset and City Hall stations,[46] with headways of 2 to 5 minutes in both directions.[47] On the North East line, the station is located between the Clarke Quay and Little India stations[46] with frequencies of 2.5 to 5 minutes.[47] The station is the terminus of Circle Line, with the next adjacent station being Bras Basah station.[46] The CCL train frequencies range from 5 to 6 minutes depending on peak hours.[47]

Station design

The NSL station features brown and black geometric patterns that runs throughout the station.[48] The tiles at the platform also functions as a guide for the passengers to the platforms and indicate the spots where the train and platform screen doors will open. The three-level station was designed by French architect Spielman and local partner Chok and Associates. The NSL platforms are 180 metres (590 ft) long and 22 metres (72 ft) wide.[49]

The NEL platforms are constructed 28 metres (92 ft) below ground, and at the time were the deepest platforms on the network.[50] With the new NEL platforms, the station expanded to five-levels. The basements and the station linkways integrate with the atrium of the office complex above the station with natural lighting filtering through into the station via light wells.[4] The basements also doubles as Civil Defence Shelters, with the basement levels designated for vehicular parking in the case of emergency. The use of the basements as shelters was unusual but allows the freeing of space to allow natural light into the station.[51] In 2003, the interchange station garnered an "honourable mention" at the 7th Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) Design Awards.[52]

The CCL station, like all stations on the line, is designed with considerations for safety, comfort and convenience, in addition to giving them a stylish modern outlook. The CCL station also has features such as lifts to make them accessible for wheelchair users.[53]

Public art

"Man and the environment" by Baet Yeok Kuan displayed on the pillars at the CCL concourse of the station.

The station showcases three artworks as part of the Art-in-Transit program for the station. The artwork Interchange by Milenko and Delia Prvacki is displayed on the walls of the linkway between the North South and North East lines. The artwork is a combination of ceramic and mosaic works that spreads across walls, columns and the station floor and spreads out at the foot of the escalators and four sets of column rings. A vibrant, tactile wall mural sees Delia's refined work ceramics fusing seamlessly with Milenko's earthy mosaics. representing the interchange between the stations lines that run through Dhoby Ghaut. The artwork showcases the cultural richness and artistic heritage of Singapore and the region, as well as ideas of permanent movement.[54][55]

Another artwork for the NEL, “Universal Language” by Sun Yu-Li, is intended to guide commuters through a complex interchange station. The floor tiles makes use of a universal language of symbols such as the hunter and the fish line, representing the six routes leading towards the trains. The symbols come together in a large floor mural and stunning wall panel in the heart of the station.[54]

At the CCL concourse, Singaporean artist Baet Yeok Kuan created a three-dimensional relief work "Man and the environment", with 36 white gypsum sculptures spread across on the large columns that support the Circle line section of the station. The sculptures depict patterns that seemingly resembles lotus pods, lily pads, and footprints on the shore or shifting sands. The artwork is meant to urge commuters to be more aware of the little details in their surroundings.[55][56]

The station also features Art Seats, station seats with a creative design to enhance the commuters' experience on the line.[57] Two entries were selected through the International Art Seats Design Competition in 2006. The first entry, Matrix, which clinched the top prize in the international competition, consists of a series of benches engraved with the name of the station in a dot-matrix style on the seat surface. Another entry, Rain, features seats made of steel in the shape of water puddles. These seats are also featured in the other CCL interchange stations.[58]

References

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External links

• SBS Transit's Dhoby Ghaut MRT station official website
• SMRT's Dhoby Ghaut MRT station official website
• Media related to Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station (category) at Wikimedia Commons