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Queenstown MRT station

Coordinates: 1°17′39.99″N 103°48′22.01″E / 1.2944417°N 103.8061139°E / 1.2944417; 103.8061139
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Queenstown
 EW19 


女皇镇[1]
குவீன்ஸ்டவுன்[2]
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Exterior of the Station
General information
Location301 Commonwealth Avenue
Singapore 149729[3]
Coordinates1°17′39.99″N 103°48′22.01″E / 1.2944417°N 103.8061139°E / 1.2944417; 103.8061139[3]
Owned byLand Transport Authority (LTA)[4]
Operated bySMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Line(s)
  East–West Line
Platforms2 (1 island platform)
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus, Taxi[5]
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Platform levels1
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
History
Opened12 March 1988; 37 years ago (1988-03-12)
ElectrifiedYes
Previous namesPrincess, Commonwealth
Passengers
June 202415,262 per day[6]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station
Redhill
towards Pasir Ris
 East–West Line Commonwealth
towards Tuas Link
Location
Singapore MRT/LRT system map
Singapore MRT/LRT system map
Queenstown
Queenstown station in Singapore
Not to be confused with Commonwealth MRT station, the planning name of this station.

Queenstown MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East–West line (EWL) in Queenstown, Singapore. Located on Commonwealth Avenue, it serves nearby landmarks such as Queenstown Primary School and the Princess House as well as a few nearby churches. Like other elevated stations in the Tiong Bahru-Clementi stretch, it features grilles and a blue colour scheme. It is wheelchair accessible.

First announced in May 1982 as Princess, it was later announced to be an extension of Phase I of the MRT system as Commonwealth. In order for the station to be constructed, ten blocks in Commonwealth Avenue and Stirling Road was torn down, with Commonwealth Avenue to be realigned. During the construction of Commonwealth, there was labour dispute between the contractor, Sumitomo Construction, and its construction workers, temporarily halting construction for the station. In March 1987, it was announced that Commonwealth and Queenstown will switch names as the areas closer to Commonwealth have the name "Queenstown" and vice versa. Queenstown commenced operations along with the entire MRT system on 12 March 1988 by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. In November 2010, a Chinese man was pronounced dead after being knocked by an incoming train. Half-height platform screen doors and high-volume low-speed fans were installed by August 2011, with Queenstown receiving a new exit as well as pedestrian bridges connecting the station to both sides of the road in August 2015.

History

[edit]

Queenstown station was first included in the early plans of the MRT system as Princess in May 1982.[7] It was later announced in June 1983 to be part of an extension of Phase I from Tiong Bahru to Clementi stations as Commonwealth station.[8][9][10]

By October 1983, eleven local companies, nine of which are joint ventures with foreign businesses, were chosen in the pre-qualification stage for the design work of the Tiong Bahru-Clementi Stretch out of 38 applications.[11] In January 1984, it was announced that a five member team consisting of Mott, Hay and Anderson, Sir William Halcrow and Partners, BSK-BS Konsult, DP Architects, and the Public Works Department (PWD), won a S$5.99 million (US$4.47 million) contract for architectural and engineering consultancy as well as the design of said stretch.[12] In June, it was announced that ten blocks in Commonwealth Avenue and Stirling Road will be torn down in order to provide room for the station and ease construction, the largest so far in the initial system, such that 800 residents would be affected. Once torn down, it was planned to realign Commonwealth Avenue so that the station will not straddle the road.[13][14]

External Media
image icon Map of Queenstown's location By The Straits Times
image icon Flats to be demolished for Queenstown By The Business Times
image icon Impression of Queenstown By The Straits Times

Nine single tenderers and joint ventures were prequalified for Contract 202 by October 1984, which detailed the construction of Redhill and Commonwealth stations as well as viaducts from Delta Swimming Complex to Queensway Circus,[15] with the PWD calling for tenderers in the same month to realign Commonwealth Avenue so that the station would not straddle the road.[16] The Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC) awarded the contract to Sumitomo Construction in February 1985 for S$50 million (US$37.31 million). It was also expected that construction of Redhill and Commonwealth will start in the same month and be finished by December 1987.[17][18] However, in September, it was reported by The Straits Times that there was a labour dispute between 130 Thai workers and Sumitomo over living conditions and income tax deduction from their salaries, resulting in the station's construction to be halted.[19] By October, a westbound section of Commonwealth was diverted for the station, resulting in two bus stops being replaced by a new bus stop.[20] In March 1987, it was announced that Queenstown and Commonwealth stations will swap names as Queenstown station is closer to areas with the name "Commonwealth" and vice versa.[21][22] In February 1988, it was announced that Queenstown, along with Commonwealth station, will have an open house on 20 and 21 February, with expected operations moved to the middle of March.[23][24] On 12 March 1988, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officially launched the entire system, including stations in the Tiong Bahru-Clementi stretch. During the opening ceremony, Lee addressed to a crowd of 500 guests before riding a train to Queenstown.[25]

On 29 November 2010, a Chinese man was knocked by an incoming train and found to be lying on the tracks. He was pronounced dead by SCDF medics.[26] Following a rise in track intrusions as well as commuters slipping when rushing for the train, the LTA and SMRT decided to install platform screen doors.[27] After several successful tests, half-height platform screen doors were eventually installed and commenced operations at Queenstown station by August 2011.[28] The station was installed with high-volume low-speed fans by the first quarter of 2013.[29] It was announced in October 2011 that Queenstown, along with Commonwealth and Clementi, will receive new pedestrian bridges to the stations from both sides of the roads and entrances with fare gates and ticketing machines.[30] Work started on the upgrades by June 2012 with expected completion by mid-2015.[31] The works were completed in August 2015 for Queenstown and Commonwealth, with both stations having two exits and elevators for those bridges.[32]

Details

[edit]

Queenstown station is on the EWL with the station number of EW19, situated between Commonwealth and Redhill stations.[33] When it opened, it had the station number of W5[34] before being changed to its current station code in August 2001 as a part of a system-wide campaign to cater to the expanding MRT System.[35][36] As a part of the EWL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[37] Like many stations on the initial MRT network, Queenstown has an island platform and is elevated.[23][38] The station operates between 5:47 am to 12:10 am daily, with train frequencies varying from 2 to 5 minutes.[39][40]

Queenstown's platform and blue walls

The station is on the central reserve of Commonwealth Avenue.[41] It has two exits and serves surrounding landmarks such as Queenstown Primary School, the New Optometry and Ocular Care Centre (NOOCC), Queenstown Stadium, Princess House, and Rainbow Centre Margaret Drive Special School. It also serves several nearby churches such as The True Way Presbyterian Church, Church of the Good Shepherd, Queenstown Baptist Church, and Hephzibah Christian Fellowship.[42][5] Queenstown is wheelchair-accessible and has bicycle facilities.[5][43]

Like other stations in the Tiong Bahru-Clementi stretch of Phase IA, it was designed to have an identity similar to Singaporean traditions, according to BSK-BS Konsult's Michael Granit, who was in charge of the design philosophy for Phase IA.[44] Its horizontal louvres, what The Straits Times has described as "brashly coloured grilles which run right round the station, interrupted only by the regularly spaced columns",[45] are equated to French windows in shophouses.[41] Its platform columns can also be equated to the paladium columns in shophouses.[41] The station features blue walls, which was done to make the station "be pleasant to the eye" and to distinguish it from other stations within the stretch.[46][47] According to the MRTC, the pastel shade of the wall are reminiscent of traditional colours used for shophouses.[41] Additionally, the roof for Queenstown is cantilevered to reduce rain shedding on platforms.[48] It also has horizontal slats to reduce sun exposure to the trains and the apparent height of the upper roof line.[41]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "System Map" (PDF). LTA (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  2. ^ "System Map" (PDF). LTA (in Tamil). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Queenstown MRT Station". Onemap. SLA. Archived from the original on 12 June 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  4. ^ "New Rail Financing Framework". Land Transport Authority. 1 January 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Queenstown – Map". SMRT Journeys. 28 September 2024. Archived from the original on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Land Transport DataMall". mytransport.sg. Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Proposed MRT stations". The Straits Times. 23 May 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 23 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  8. ^ "Now first phase takes a step up". The Straits Times. 10 June 1983. p. 1. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  9. ^ Wee, Agnes (10 June 1983). "Phase I of MRT modified to cover a wider area". The Business Times. p. 1. Retrieved 7 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  10. ^ "More people can use MRT sooner". The Straits Times. 10 June 1983. p. 15. Retrieved 15 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  11. ^ Sin Giok, Oei (29 October 1983). "11 local builders qualify for first phase of MRT". Singapore Monitor. p. 2. Retrieved 7 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  12. ^ "Five-member team wins $5.99m MRT contract". The Business Times. 12 January 1984. p. 1. Retrieved 9 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  13. ^ Lim, John (21 June 1984). "HDB to redevelop part of C'wealth Avenue". The Business Times. p. 16. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (21 June 2025). "162 flats make way for MRT". The Straits Times. p. 9. Retrieved 24 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  15. ^ Lim, Soon Neo (3 October 1984). "MRTC pre-qualifies 37 companies". The Business Times. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  16. ^ "PWD calls for tenders to realign C'wealth Avenue". The Business Times. 13 October 1984. p. 2. Retrieved 23 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  17. ^ Yap, Boh Hoon (8 February 1985). "Sumitomo wins $50m civil works contract under MRT Phase 1A". The Business Times. p. 1. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  18. ^ "Sumitomo gets job to build stations, viaduct". The Straits Times. 8 February 1985. p. 19. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  19. ^ "Work at MRT site stops after dispute". The Straits Times. 25 September 1985. p. 8. Retrieved 23 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  20. ^ "Part of C'wealth Avenue to be diverted from today". The Straits Times. 1 October 1985. p. 10. Retrieved 23 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  21. ^ "Name change for five MRT stations". The Business Times. 27 March 1987. p. 2. Retrieved 23 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  22. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (27 March 1987). "Five MRT stations renamed to better reflect the locality". The Straits Times. p. 19. Retrieved 23 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  23. ^ a b "Open house at six MRT stations". The Business Times. 5 February 1988. p. 2. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  24. ^ "Six East-West line MRT stations to hold open days". The Straits Times. 6 February 1988. p. 25. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  25. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (13 March 1988). "Well done, says PM". The Straits Times. p. 1. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  26. ^ "Man dead at Queenstown MRT station". Asiaone. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ "Completion of Half Height Platform Screen Doors on East West Line". LTA (Press release). 31 August 2011. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  29. ^ "Enhancing Connectivity and Comfort for Commuters". LTA (press release). 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  30. ^ "Enhancing Connectivity and Comfort for Commuters" (press release). LTA. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012.
  31. ^ Lim, Helen (22 June 2012). "3 MRT stations to have new entrances". Today (letter). p. 18. Retrieved 22 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  32. ^ "New bridges for Commonwealth and Queenstown MRT stations". The Straits Times. 23 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  33. ^ "System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  34. ^ "Going to N1, B3, W11, El2, anyone?". The Straits Times. 25 October 1985. p. 21. Retrieved 19 November 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  35. ^ Salim, Shazalina (3 August 2001). "Red, green and grey". Today. p. 9. Retrieved 15 December 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  36. ^ "New Signage System For MRT And LRT Network". LTA. Archived from the original on 1 August 2003. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  37. ^ "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  38. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (28 April 1987). "Getting to know the network and how it will work". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 19. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  39. ^ "Queenstown – First & Last Train". SMRT Journeys. 21 June 2025. Archived from the original on 22 June 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  40. ^ "LTA | Transport Tools | MRT/LRT". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  41. ^ a b c d e MRTC 1987, p. 16.
  42. ^ "Queenstown – Exits". SMRT Journeys. 9 October 2024. Archived from the original on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  43. ^ "Queenstown – Amenities". SMRT Journeys. 22 June 2025. Archived from the original on 14 June 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  44. ^ MRTC 1987, p. 13 and 16.
  45. ^ NG. (10 February 1988). "Lessons in architecture, MRT-style". The Straits Times. p. 3. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  46. ^ "Bright and scenic ride". The Straits Times. 10 March 1988. p. 20. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  47. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (5 August 1985). "Overhead MRT stations easy on the eye". The Straits Times. p. 15. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  48. ^ MRTC 1987, p. 20.

Bibliography

[edit]

Mass Rapid Transit System: Proceedings of the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Conference. Singapore: Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC). 1987. ISBN 9971-84-636-5. OCLC 82363485.

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