Aljunied MRT station

EW9  Aljunied 阿裕尼 அல்ஜூனிட்
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Aerial view of Aljunied MRT station
General information
Location	81 Lorong 25 Geylang Singapore 388310
Coordinates	1°18′59.19″N103°52′58.73″E / 1.3164417°N 103.8829806°E / 1.3164417; 103.8829806
Operated by	SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Line(s)	East–West Line
Platforms	2 (1 island platform)
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus, Taxi
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Platform levels	1
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	4 November 1989;35 years ago (1989-11-04)
Electrified	Yes
Passengers
June 2024	21,402 per day [1]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station Paya Lebar towards Pasir Ris East–West Line Kallang towards Tuas Link
Location Aljunied Aljunied station in Singapore

Aljunied MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East West line (EWL) in Geylang, Singapore. Named after Aljunied Road, this station primarily serves Aljunied, one of the subzones that make up Geylang planning area.

The station opened on 4 November 1989 as part of the MRT eastern line extension to Tanah Merah station. The station exterior has the characteristic dome-shaped segmented roof also seen on other elevated EWL stations.

History

Exit A of the station.

Aljunied station was first announced in May 1982 in the initial MRT plans. ^[2] It was later announced that the station would be part of Phase II of the MRT system in October 1983. ^[3]

There were several joint ventures between companies that prequalified for Contract 302 by May 1985, which detailed the construction for this station, Kallang station, and a 115m long ^[4] viaduct over the Kallang River as well as viaducts from the west side of the river to Paya Lebar station ^{[5] [6]} Ultimately, Contract 302 was awarded to Lee Kim Tah Ltd at a contract sum of S$59.52 million in November 1985. The contractor had partnered with a French company Societe Generale D'Enterprises Sainrapt Et Brice (SGE) for the construction. ^[4] The station opened earlier than expected on 4 November 1989. ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]}

On 26 June 2009, train services along the East West line were disrupted for almost 18 minutes at about 7:25 pm after a man jumped off the platform and ran towards Paya Lebar station. However, SMRT staff did not manage to find the man. The Chinese man in his 40s found his way down the tracks to the street but was later arrested by the police. He sustained leg injuries and was charged with attempted suicide. ^[11]

As part of efforts to improve overall accessibility of public transport, the overhead pedestrian bridge near Aljunied and other stations (Sengkang, Bishan, Khatib, Kranji and Yew Tee) have lifts installed to improve barrier free accessibility to major transport nodes. ^{[12] [13]} The lifts were installed progressively, from the first quarter of 2013, with all completed by end 2013. ^{[14] [15]} Aljunied station was also the first batch of ten stations announced in 2010 to have additional bicycle parking facilities ^[a] as a response to the growing demand of bicycle parking spots. ^[16] The installation was completed in October 2012. ^[17]

As with most of the elevated stations along the EWL, the station was initially built without platform screen doors. 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. ^[18] After several successful tests at Jurong East, Yishun and Pasir Ris stations, half-height platform screen doors were eventually installed and commenced operations at Aljunied station by August 2011. ^[19] The station was installed with high-volume low-speed fans by the first quarter of 2013. ^[20]

Station details

The station serves the EWL between the Paya Lebar and Kallang stations with the station code EW9. ^[21] Being part of the EWL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains. ^[22] Next to Aljunied Road, the station has two exits serving the Geylang Methodist Primary and Secondary School, Geylang East Public Library, and Victoria Centre. ^[23]

In 2018, Aljunied was the temporary terminus for train services from Joo Koon station during the early closures, late openings and full closures of the line, from 5 January to 4 February. ^{[24] [25] [26]}

Like most EWL elevated stations on the eastern segment on the line (after Kallang station), Aljunied station has the notable feature of the dome-shaped roof, segmented like a caterpillar, over the platform level. The design was an attempt by the MRT Corporation (MRTC) to give the stations on the EWL an "attractive look". ^[27]

The inside of Aljunied Station's domed roof

Notes and references

Notes

1. The other stations are: Admiralty, Boon Lay, Chinese Garden, Khatib, Lakeside, Sembawang, Sengkang, Simei, and Yishun

References

1. "Land Transport DataMall". mytransport.sg. Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
2. "Proposed MRT stations". The Straits Times . 23 May 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 23 September 2024– via NewspaperSG.
3. "Phase 2 gets go-ahead to ensure continuity". The Straits Times . 26 October 1983. p. 8. Retrieved 14 September 2024– via NewspaperSG.
4. Lye, Jaime (8 November 1985). "Lee Kim Tah wins MRT contract". The Business Times.
5. Yap, Boh Hoon (13 May 1985). "MRTC prequalifies 37 for 11 engineering contracts". The Business Times. p. 1. Retrieved 7 October 2024– via NewspaperSG.
6. "List of pre-qualified contractors — MRT Phase IIA, IIB". The Business Times. 14 May 1985. p. 3. Retrieved 6 October 2024– via NewspaperSG.
7. "MRT eastern line to start operating on Nov 18". The Business Times. 4 August 1989.
8. "On right track". The Straits Times. 4 November 1989.
9. Dhaliwal, Rav (5 November 1986). "MRT Trains to Pasir Ris from Dec 16". The Straits Times.
10. "18 mins from City Hall to Tanah Merah by MRT from Nov 4". The Straits Times. 15 October 1984.
11. "Man jumps onto MRT track; train service disrupted for 18 minutes". Channel NewsAsia. 26 June 2009. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
12. "Installing Lifts at Pedestrian Overhead Bridges (POBs) | Road & Commuter Facilities | Projects | Roads & Motoring | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 25 August 2016.
13. "Improving Accessibility to Public Transport Network Lifts at Selected Pedestrian Overhead Bridges near MRT stations | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. 8 March 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
14. "LTA Installing Lifts at Pedestrian Overhead Bridges at Six MRT Stations | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. 9 July 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013.
15. "Installing Lifts at Pedestrian Overhead Bridges (POBs) Road & Commuter Facilities Projects Roads & Motoring Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012.
16. "Look out for better bike facilities close to MRT stations | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013.
17. "More Bicycle Parking Facilities with Enhanced Security Features at MRT Stations Islandwide | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. 29 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014.
18. 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.
19. "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.
20. "Enhancing Connectivity and Comfort for Commuters". LTA. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
21. "System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
22. "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
23. "Aljunied – Exits". SMRT Journeys. 13 September 2024. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
24. "Sunday closures, shorter weekend service hours on another part of East-West line in January". Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
25. "Early closures, late starts at 10 stations of East West line next month". Archived from the original on 17 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
26. Abdullah, Zhaki (15 December 2017). "Shorter weekend hours on some East-West line stations next month for engineering work". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
27. "Roof to make heads turn". The Straits Times. 20 April 1986.

External links

• Media related to Aljunied MRT station at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website