Expo MRT station

Expo MRT station is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the Changi Airport branch line of the East West line (EWL) and the current terminus of the Downtown line (DTL) in the Tampines planning area, Singapore. This station is located along Changi South Avenue 1 at the junction of Expo Drive, in between Changi City Point and the Singapore Expo, which this station is named after.


 CG1  DT35 
Expo
博览
எக்ஸ்போ
Expo
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Exit D of Expo station
Location21 Changi South Avenue 1
Singapore 486065 (EWL)
2 Expo Drive
Singapore 485985 (DTL)
Coordinates1°20′7.69″N 103°57′42.36″E
Operated by SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation) (East West and Thomson–East Coast lines)
SBS Transit DTL (ComfortDelGro Corporation) (Downtown line)
Line(s)
  East West Line
  Downtown Line
Platforms4 (2 island platforms)
Tracks4
ConnectionsBus, Taxi
Construction
Structure typeElevated (East West line)
Underground (Downtown line)
Depth25m (Downtown line)
Platform levels2
ParkingYes (Changi City Point, Singapore Expo)
Bicycle facilitiesYes (External)
Disabled accessYes
History
Opened10 January 2001 (2001-01-10) (East West line)
21 October 2017 (2017-10-21) (Downtown line)
Opening2040 (2040) (Thomson-East Coast line)
ElectrifiedYes
Services
Preceding station   Mass Rapid Transit   Following station
Terminus
East West Line
Changi Airport Branch Line
Terminus
towards Bukit Panjang
Downtown LineTerminus
Downtown Line
Future service
towards Sungei Bedok
Location
Expo
Expo station in Singapore

Plans of a new rail link to Changi Airport via Expo has been drawn up since the construction of Terminal 3 in 1994. The current two-station branch line was finalised in 1996 and construction began in 1999. The station opened on 10 January 2001, a year earlier than the Changi Airport station. It later became the terminus for the DTL upon the completion of Stage 3 of the line in 2017. On 25 May 2019, it was announced that the station will be incorporated as part of the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL) as it extends to the airport's Terminal 5 by 2040.[1][2]

History

Changi Airport Branch
EWL platforms of Expo station.
Exit A of Expo station leading to the two different lines.

Plans for this station were first announced by then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 15 November 1996 as part of an extension to Changi Airport MRT station.[3] The contract 502 for the constriction of Expo station was awarded to Penta-Ocean Construction Limited, which completed the station in 2000.[4] As part of the President's Challenge 2001, a part of a charity walk goes through the tunnel between Expo and Changi Airport stations.[5][6][7]

The station opened on 10 January 2001 on the request by Singapore Expo, a year before the opening of the Changi Airport station.[8][9][10][11] Train services to Expo station were initially operated as a 2-station shuttle service from Tanah Merah when the station first opened and it was first denoted by code E13 for a short while until the MRT map was revamped in 2001 by former cabinet minister Yeo Cheow Tong (who was then Transport Minister).[12] It was then converted to a through service from Boon Lay station when the other station on the Changi Extension, Changi Airport, opened. However, to cut costs due to ridership falling below expectations, the service was reverted into shuttle mode on 22 July 2003.[13]

As with most of the above-ground stations built in the past along the East West line, it was built without platform screen doors that prevent commuters from falling onto the train tracks. Installation of the half-height screen doors started on 20 June 2011 as the last station of the East West line. On 31 August that year, all of the screen doors have been installed and began operating, marking the completion of the installation of all the Platform Screen Doors along the East West line.[14][15]

Downtown line
Downtown line platforms of Expo station.

On 20 August 2010, it was announced that the Stage 3 of the DTL will terminate and interchange with the EWL at Expo station.[16][17] The Contract 922 for the design and construction of Expo station and the overrun tunnels was awarded to Samsung C&T Corporation at a sum of S$211.35 million in May 2011.

On 28 November 2011, LTA marked the start of construction of Stage 3 of the DTL with a groundbreaking ceremony at this station.[18] On 31 May 2017, LTA announced that the station, together with the rest of DTL3, will be opened on 21 October that year.[19]

To facilitate the construction for the Downtown line 3 Expo station and its tunnels, part of Changi South Avenue 1 towards Somapah Road and Changi South Avenue 2, together with a short section of Expo Drive were temporarily closed to traffic from 2 October 2011 to May 2017.[20]

Incorporation into the TEL

On 25 May 2019, the LTA announced an extension of the (TEL) to Changi Airport. Set to be completed by 2040, The TEL will be extended from its current terminus at Sungei Bedok MRT station to serve the future Changi Airport Terminal 5, and the stretch between Tanah Merah and Changi Airport, which is currently part of the East-West line, will be transferred over to the Thomson-East Coast line.[21]

Station details

Design
Exterior view of Expo's (East West line) elevated platforms before the construction of the Downtown line

It sports a space-age architecture designed by Sir Norman Foster. The roof is clad in titanium, steel, and glass. Its design enabled the platform to be columns-free, invoking a sense of spaciousness. The station is built to handle fluctuating passenger volumes due to events at the adjacent Singapore Expo and has the large spaces needed to facilitate smooth traffic flow.

Art in transit

An artwork titled "A Banquet" by Yeo Chee Kiong is featured at the DTL station as part of the Art-in-Transit. The massive 3D artwork depicts two reflective isometric chairs and a bulbous speech balloon to signify not only the importance of organic communication in an era of technological advancement and digital media but also the spirit of free trade. According to the sculptor, "Expo is where business is done, the speech balloons show the kind of conversations and dialogues which people have, and the chairs show where business takes place." With the surrounding colours of the station reflected in the artwork’s shiny surfaces, it transformed them into two sets of magnificent kaleidoscopes which also symbolises cultural exchange.[22][23]

gollark: Can't.
gollark: I'm limited to whatever I can do with online editor tools and imagemagick.
gollark: No.
gollark: How about I add a white background to the transistor picture?
gollark: Are you sure white is a good idea? Electronic symbols are typically done as black.

References
  1. "New MRT stations, line extensions and a possible new rail line: LTA's 2040 blueprint". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  2. "Land Transport Master Plan 2040: Bringing Singapore Together | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  3. "Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Employees' Union (SMRTEU)'s annual Dinner and Dance" (PDF). NAS. 15 November 1996. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  4. Facilities, Construction. "MRT 502 Expo Station [Projects]". PENTA-OCEAN. Archived from the original on 29 November 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  5. Seng Kim, Lim (12 August 2001). "Chairty walk to talk place underground". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019.
  6. "Perfectly legal, and for a good cause!". The New Paper. 9 September 2001.
  7. Tan, Terence (9 September 2001). "Tunnel walk a hit". The Straits Times.
  8. "Earlier Start?". The New Paper. 20 July 1999.
  9. "Speech by Mr Yeo Cheow Tong,Minister for Communications and Information Technology,at the Opening of the Expo MRT Station". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008.
  10. "Expo MRT station opens today". The Business Times. 10 January 2001.
  11. "Expo station". The New Paper. 11 January 2011.
  12. "Speech by Mr Yeo Cheow Tong at the Opening of the Expo MRT Station on 10 January 2001". www.mot.gov.sg. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  13. "Board MRT to airport from Tanah Merah". The Straits Times. 18 July 2003.
  14. "Elevated MRT stations on East-West line fitted with screen doors". Channel NewsAsia. 31 August 2011. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  15. 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.
  16. "MOT Singapore – Gain new perspectives on land, sea & air transport". www.mot.gov.sg. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  17. Downtown Line 3 station Locations Unveiled Archived 21 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Land Transport Authority, 20 August 2010
  18. "Construction Work on Downtown Line 3 Starts". Land Transport Authority. 28 November 2011. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  19. "Factsheet: Downtown Line 3 to Open on 21 October 2017". Land Transport Authority. 31 May 2017. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  20. "Partial Closure of Changi South Avenue 1 & Realignment of Foothpath". Land Transport Authority. 29 August 2012. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  21. "Land Transport Master Plan 2040: Bringing Singapore Together | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  22. "LTA | Getting Around | Public Transport | A Better Public Transport Experience | Art in Transit". www.lta.gov.sg. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  23. "Art in transit on DTL3". The Straits Times. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
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