Downtown MRT station

Mass Rapid Transit station in Singapore

DT17
Downtown
市中心
டௌன்டவுன்

Preceding station	Mass Rapid Transit	Following station
Bayfront towards Bukit Panjang		Downtown Line		Telok Ayer towards Expo

Preceding station

Mass Rapid Transit

Following station

Bayfront

towards Bukit Panjang

Downtown Line

Telok Ayer

towards Expo

Location
Downtown Downtown station in Singapore

Location

Downtown

Downtown station in Singapore

History

The station was first announced as Landmark station when the Land Transport Authority (LTA) unveiled the 3.4-kilometre (2.1 mi) Downtown extension (DTE) on 14 June 2005. The DTE was initially planned to be a branch of the Circle line, extending from Milennia (now Promenade) station to Chinatown station.^[2]^[3]^[4] In 2007, the DTE was revised, becoming Stage 1 of the 40-kilometre (25 mi) Downtown line (DTL).^[5] Through a public poll, the station was renamed to Downtown in June 2009.^[1]^[6]^[7]

Contract C907 for the construction of the station was awarded to Taisei Corporation for S$230 million (US$152.6 million) in December 2007.^[8] The contract also included the construction of Central Boulevard above the station.^[9] The station held an open house on 7 December 2013.^[10]^[11] Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong held an official inauguration at this station on 21 December;^[12]^[13] the station commenced operations the following day along with the DTL Stage 1 stations.^[14]

Station details

Downtown station serves the DTL and is situated between the Bayfront and Telok Ayer stations. The official station code is DT17.^[15] Downtown station is within walking distance of the Raffles Place and Marina Bay stations on the North South Line.^[16] Being part of the DTL, the station is operated by SBS Transit.^[17] The station has a side platform configuration with four underground levels.^[18]

Downtown station is underneath Central Boulevard between the junctions of Straits View and Marina View,^[19] and serves the Marina Bay Financial Centre.^[18] The station's six entrances connect to surrounding developments and landmarks including Asia Square, Hong Leong Building, Marina Bay Suites, One Raffles Quay, OUE Downtown and SGX Centre.^[20] The station has provisions to link with future developments.^[21]

Artwork

Station artwork

Leaves by Jason Lim is a mosaic of six leaves displayed at this station as part of the Art-in-Transit programme, a public art showcase which integrates artworks into the MRT network.^[22] While the leaves on a macroscopic level guide commuters to the platforms, the close-up view shows a series of plant cells reflecting how local businesses are connected.^[23]^[24] The work was inspired by the structure of bamboo leaves; bamboo is significant in Asian economies and cultures, representing integrity and resilience.^[25]

Lim initially planned a mural of a single leaf blade across the platform wall, but, due to the platform design, he changed his planned artwork to six blades. He used mosaic tiles for the artwork to create a pixellated effect, allowing commuters to interpret his work in various ways. The work was first created on sheets of A3 graph paper, with each square shaded. These drawings were scanned in low resolution and enlarged to further "pixelate" them and create the intended mosaic effect.^[25] Rather than mounting Lim's work on cement, the LTA allowed Lim to install mosaic tiles on the entirety of the wall dedicated to the artwork. This allowed his work to be integrated with the station's design. An Italian mosaic tile manufacturer produced the tiles.^[26]

References

^ ^a ^b "Annex 1: Final Station Names" (PDF). LTA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2013.
^ Tor Ching Li (15 June 2005). "Joining the hot spots". Today. p. 2.
^ "Expanding The Rail Network With Downtown Extension". Land Transport Authority. 14 June 2005. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
^ "Circle Line extension set to liven up New Downtown and CBD". The Straits Times. 15 June 2005. p. 18.
^ Tan, Christopher (15 March 2007). "Five stops planned for first phase of Downtown MRT line". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
^ "Circle Line, Downtown Line 1 and 2 Station Names Finalised". LTA. 16 June 2009. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021.
^ "Haw Par Villa, Caldecott named as Circle Line stations". Today. 17 June 2009. p. 12 – via NewspaperSG.
^ "List of contracts awarded for Downtown Line 1" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2022 – via Web Archive Singapore.
^ "LTA Awards $230 Million Civil Works Contract For Landmark Station". Land Transport Authority. 21 January 2008. Archived from the original on 19 September 2011 – via Web Archive Singapore.
^ "Celebrate "Music Through The Years" at Downtown Line 1 Stations this Saturday!". LTA. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
^ "Downtown Line 1 Open House". www.mot.gov.sg. 7 December 2013. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
^ Sim, Royston (21 December 2013). "Downtown Line Stage 1 officially opened by PM Lee". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
^ "Transcript of Speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Opening of Downtown Line Stage 1, Downtown Station Concourse". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. 21 December 2013. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
^ "Downtown Line Stage 1 officially opened by PM Lee". TODAYonline. 21 December 2013. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
^ "MRT System Map" (PDF). LTA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2020.
^ "System Map (with walking time)". lta.gov.sg. Land Transport Authority. 7 June 2019. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
^ "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^ ^a ^b "News Room – News Releases – Downtown Line". Land Transport Authority. 21 December 2013. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
^ "Downtown MRT Station (DT17)". OneMap. Singapore Land Authority. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
^ "Train Service Information". SBSTransit. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
^ "Sale of Site for White Site Development at Marina Bay Land Parcel at Central Boulevard" (PDF). Urban Redevelopment Authority. pp. 90–92. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
^ "Getting Around – Public Transport – A Better Public Transport Experience – Art in Transit". LTA. 25 June 2020. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
^ "Downtown Line 1: Art-In-Transit" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
^ "Green in Transit" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
^ ^a ^b Zhuang & Soh 2022, p. 92.
^ Zhuang & Soh 2022, p. 94.

Bibliography

Zhuang, Justin; Soh, Darren (2022). Art in transit: Downtown Line Singapore. Singapore: Land Transport Authority. ISBN 978-981-18-3967-2. OCLC 1342054525.