Orchard Boulevard MRT station

This article is about the Thomson–East Coast line station near Grange Road. For the interchange station on the North South and Thomson–East Coast lines, see Orchard MRT station.

Orchard Boulevard MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL). Situated in Orchard, Singapore, the station is at the end of Orchard Boulevard with Grange Road. Surrounding developments include Camden Medical Centre, Tanglin Mall, JEN by Shangri-La Hotel and various embassies.

TE13  Orchard Boulevard 乌节大道 ஆர்ச்சர்ட் பொலிவார்ட்
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Platform level of Orchard Boulevard MRT station
General information
Location	20 Orchard Boulevard Singapore 248654
Coordinates	1°18′09″N 103°49′26″E / 1.3024223°N 103.8238686°E / 1.3024223; 103.8238686
Owned by	Land Transport Authority
Operated by	SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Line(s)	Thomson–East Coast Line
Platforms	2 (1 island platform)
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Platform levels	1
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	13 November 2022; 13 months ago (2022-11-13)^[1]
Previous names	Tanglin, Grange Road^[2]^[3]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station Napier towards Woodlands North Thomson–East Coast Line Orchard towards Gardens by the Bay
Location
Orchard Boulevard Orchard Boulevard station in Singapore

First announced in August 2012 as part of the Thomson line (TSL), the station was constructed as part of TEL Phase 3 (TEL 3) with the merger of the TSL and the Eastern Region line. The station opened on 13 November 2022. An Art-in-Transit artwork by Twardzik Ching Chor Leng, PULSE, is displayed at this station.

History

The station was first announced on 29 August 2012 as part of the Thomson line (TSL).^[4][5] Contract T218 for the design and construction of Orchard Boulevard Station was awarded to KTC Civil Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd at S$143 million (US$114.3 million) in May 2014. Construction started in 2014, with an initial expected completion date of 2021.^[6]

On 15 August 2014, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that the TSL would merge with the Eastern Region line to form the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL). Orchard Boulevard station, part of the proposed line, would be constructed as part of TEL 3, consisting of 13 stations between Mount Pleasant and Gardens by the Bay.^[7][8] With restrictions imposed on construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TEL3 completion date was pushed by one year to 2022.^[9]

On 9 March 2022, Transport Minister S Iswaran announced in Parliament that TEL 3 would open in the second half of that year.^[10] As confirmed during a visit by Iswaran at the Outram Park and Maxwell stations on 7 October 2022,^[1][11][12] the station began operations on 13 November.^[13]

Description

Construction progress of the station

 

Station site in July 2017

 

The entrance in November 2020

 

The entrance in November 2021

Orchard Boulevard station serves the TEL and is between the Napier and Orchard stations. The official station code is TE13.^[14][15] Being part of the TEL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.^[16] Train frequencies on the TEL range from 5 to 6 minutes.^[17]

The station is located along Orchard Boulevard at the junction with Grange Road and Rochalie Drive.^[18] Surrounding landmarks of the station include: Camden Medical Centre, the Chinese embassy, the US embassy, Jen Singapore Tanglin by Shangri-La, Orchard Rendezvous Hotel, Tanglin Shopping Centre and Tudor Court Shopping Gallery.^[19]

Orchard Boulevard station was designed by SAA Architects, who had to resolve the contradicting requirements of providing adequate ventilation and natural daylight, while being situated in a confined site also reserved for future development near the station. Hence, the main entrance was integrated with ventilation shafts, cooling towers, and skylights built right above the station box. This allowed for a three-tiered mezzanine and a wall created by the shafts where the station artwork would be placed, with sunlight streaming into the interior. Throughout the day, the changing position of the sun results in varying interactions between sunlight, the installation artwork, and the walls of the shafts, intended to bring vibrancy and animation to different sections of the station. The station entrances' materials, such as aluminium, granite, and glass, complement the surrounding architectural landscape.^[20]

Pulse (stylised in all caps) by Twardzik Ching Chor Leng is a network of industrial-scale pipes that hang over the station concourse. The work is intended to depict the constant circulation of people on the MRT system and its importance in keeping the city alive, paralleling the functions of the human circulatory system that maintains the flow of nutrients.^[21][22]

References

1. Yong, Clement (7 October 2022). "11 new TEL stations, from Stevens to Gardens by the Bay, to open on Nov 13; free rides on Nov 11". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
2. . Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
3. . Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 6 January 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
4. Sim, Royston (29 August 2012). . The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
5. . Channel NewsAsia (CNA). 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
6. . Land Transport Authority. 27 May 2014. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
7. . Land Transport Authority. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
8. . Land Transport Authority. 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
9. "Written Reply by Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung to Parliamentary Question on Updates on Thomson East Coast Line, Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line". mot.gov.sg. from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
10. "11 more Thomson-East Coast stations to open in the second half of 2022; more 'inclusive' changes for vulnerable commuters". CNA. 9 March 2022. from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
11. "Factsheet: Thomson – East Coast Line Stage 3 to Open for Passenger Service from 13 November 2022". Land Transport Authority. from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
12. Yeoh, Grace (7 October 2022). "11 Thomson-East Coast Line stations to open on Nov 13; free rides available on Nov 11". Channel NewsAsia. Mediacorp. from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
13. Lim, Jessie (13 November 2022). "Stations buzzing on first day of operations for third stage of Thomson-East Coast Line". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
14. "MRT System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. (PDF) from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
15. "System Map". TransitLink. from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
16. "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
17. Kok, Yufeng (7 November 2022). "Opening of Thomson–East Coast Line Stage 3 to cut off-peak train intervals to 6 minutes". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
18. "Orchard Boulevard – Map". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
19. "Orchard Boulevard – Exits". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
20. "Orchard Boulevard Station". SAA Architects. 20 June 2023. from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
21. Yong, Clement (29 October 2022). "Charcoal drawings, quirky book titles: 7 art works in Thomson-East Coast Line stations you should not miss". The Straits Times. from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
22. "LTA | Art in Transit". Land Transport Authority. from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.

External links

•   Media related to Orchard Boulevard MRT Station at Wikimedia Commons