King Albert Park MRT station

King Albert Park MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Downtown Line in Bukit Timah, Singapore.

 DT6 
King Albert Park
阿尔柏王园
கிங் ஆல்பர்ட் பார்க்
King Albert Park
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Platform level of King Albert Park station
Location2 Blackmore Drive
Singapore 599987
Coordinates1°20′08″N 103°47′02″E
Operated bySBS Transit DTL (ComfortDelGro Corporation)
Line(s)
  Downtown Line
Platforms2 (1 island platform)
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus, Taxi
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Platform levels1
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Disabled accessYes
History
Opened27 December 2015 (2015-12-27)
ElectrifiedYes
Previous namesBlackmore, Bukit Timah[1][2][3]
Services
Preceding station   Mass Rapid Transit   Following station
towards Bukit Panjang
Downtown Line
towards Expo
Location
King Albert Park
King Albert Park station in Singapore

Located at the western end of Bukit Timah Road at the junction of Blackmore Drive, this station serves the private residential estate along the Bukit Timah corridor. It is within walking distances to Ngee Ann Polytechnic, as well as the disused Bukit Timah railway station. King Albert Park station took its name from an estate located to its west; within this estate, there exists a road with the same name.

History

Construction incidents

Residents of Maplewoods condominium are concerned about the safety of both drivers and pedestrians near the condominium and are hoping for better solutions to the problems resulting from the construction of the station along Bukit Timah Road after a dialogue session with the Land Transport Authority and their MP for Holland-Bukit Timah Christopher de Souza.

The authorities offered to retain the footpath after pedestrian safety concerns were voiced. But keeping it meant the footpath will have to be narrowed to accommodate construction works. At the same time, proposals were also offered to re-draw the access into and out of the condominium for vehicular safety. Vehicles entering the launch shaft construction site will assemble opposite it and drive across the entrance.

The residents complained that the construction site for the tunnel boring machine is a little too close to home for residents at Maplewoods as it will be right up to their main entrance. They claimed that is an accident waiting to happen. Construction works thus ceased on 6 June 2011.[4]

The Land Transport Authority hopes to start carrying out diversion works along Upper Bukit Timah Road on 3 July that year, after delays due to concerns expressed by residents of the condominium.[5]

After further delays, on 12th of that month, work on the train station along Bukit Timah Road resumed and picked up pace again within three days after work was stopped by the Maplewood residents who demanded that a launch shaft for a tunnelling machine to be sited at Sixth Avenue, but authorities have studied this proposal and found it not feasible, since the shophouses there will have to make way for construction works.[6]

Soil near station sinks

About 25-metre (82 ft) of the rightmost two lanes on Bukit Timah Road has been closed off to traffic after a nearby drain embankment caved in on 17 January 2012 in the course of tunnelling works for the Downtown Line. Engineers found a 14m precast segment of the Bukit Timah canal wall near the junction of Bukit Timah Road and Clementi Road dislodged, and some gaps in the ground were formed around that segment of the canal. It then stopped its tunnelling works to ensure safety and has begun to inject cement to stabilise the ground.[7]

Bankruptcy of main contractor

The main contractor for the station Alpine Bau went bankrupt in mid-2013.[8] On 28 June 2015, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew announced that the delay was "completely resolved" by the authorities and Stage 2's opening date was reverted to 27 December 2015.[9]

Cross Island Line Interchange

King Albert Park was proposed to be on the Cross Island Line as referring to the proposed MRT map of 2040. Following Soil Investigations in Clementi from 2016, Soil Investigation rigs are found around King Albert Park station in 2017. The rigs took turns at drilling along various points along Blackmore Road through August & September 2017.[10]

Art and station design

"The Natural History of Singapore's Mythical Botanic Creatures" by the "Artists Caravan" is an artwork illustrating the position between natural and built habitats in the environment. It also instigates curious cues to activate dialogue of the oscillating environment.[11]

The King Albert Park MRT Station and its adjoining stations, Tan Kah Kee and Sixth Avenue, are designed to represent the natural elements of air, fire, and water. The King Albert Park Station design represents the element of air and features many blue and turquoise coloured panels created by PolyVision.[12]

References
  1. "Circle Line, Downtown Line 1 and 2 Station Names Finalised". www.lta.gov.sg. 16 June 2009. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013.
  2. "Annex 1: Final Station Names" (PDF). www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2013.
  3. "Downtown Line 2 Station Names Shortlisted for Public Polling | Press Room". www.lta.gov.sg. 10 October 2008. Archived from the original on 22 February 2013.
  4. "Maplewoods residents unhappy with solutions offered". Channel News Asia. 16 June 2011. Archived from the original on 18 June 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  5. "LTA confident Downtown Line 2 will proceed as scheduled after delays". Channel News Asia. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  6. "Work on King Albert Park MRT station to continue". Channel News Asia. 12 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  7. "Part of Bukit Timah canal found dislodged while tunnelling: LTA". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  8. "Stage 2 of Downtown Line to open in first quarter 2016". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  9. "Thumbs Up For Downtown Line's Earlier Opening". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. Amirah Liyana Reduwan. "Downtown Line 2: Art in Transit". The New Paper. The New Paper. Archived from the original on 10 May 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  12. "King Albert". PolyVision. PolyVision. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
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