Dakota MRT station

Last updated

Dakota
 CC8 
达科达
டகோட்டா
CC8 Dakota MRT Platform A.jpg
Platform A of Dakota MRT station with featured artwork in November 2017.
General information
Location201 Old Airport Road
Singapore 397973
Coordinates 1°18′30″N103°53′18″E / 1.308289°N 103.888253°E / 1.308289; 103.888253
System Mass Rapid Transit
Operated by SMRT Trains (SMRT Corporation)
Line
  Circle Line
Platforms2 (1 island platform)
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus, taxi
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Platform levels1
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
History
Opened17 April 2010;15 years ago (2010-04-17)
Previous namesTanjong Katong
Passengers
June 20247,870 per day [1]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station
Mountbatten
towards Dhoby Ghaut or Marina Bay
Circle Line Paya Lebar
towards HarbourFront
Location
SGMRT-LRT (zoom) map.svg
Red Dot.svg
Dakota
Dakota station in Singapore

Dakota MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Circle Line (CCL) in Geylang, Singapore. Operated by SMRT Trains, it serves nearby landmarks such as Broadrick Secondary School, Kong Hwa School, and Old Airport Food Court & Shopping Mall. Little Things, Little Stories by art group A Dose of Light, which features photographs of objects found in the Dakota neighbourhood, is displayed at this station as part of the Art-in-Transit artwork programme.

Contents

The station was first announced in April 2001 under the name Tanjong Katong as part of Stage 2 of the CCL. It had to be rebuilt when construction resumed in June 2004, following the Nicoll Highway collapse in April. It was renamed to Dakota in July 2005 and opened on 17 April 2010 alongside other CCL stations from Dhoby Ghaut to Tai Seng.

History

Exit B of Dakota MRT station in July 2019. CC8 Dakota Exit B.jpg
Exit B of Dakota MRT station in July 2019.

In November 1999, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that it would extend the Marina Line, a planned rail line, from the then-Stadium Boulevard station to connect to the Outer Circle Line at Paya Lebar. [2] The lines were merged to create the Circle Line (CCL) in April 2001; the second phase of the CCL involved a 5 km (3.1 mi) extension from Stadium Boulevard to Upper Paya Lebar Road with 5 stations. [3] [4]

The CCL contract for the then-Tanjong Katong station was awarded to a joint venture between Nishimatsu and Lum Chang for S$322 million (US$179.83 million) in August 2002. [5] [6] However, the Nicoll Highway collapse on 20 April 2004 delayed the opening of the CCL to 2009. [7] The LTA halted work at stations under the joint venture to review their sites. [8] [9] In June 2004, the Building and Construction Authority approved the resumption of construction at Tanjong Katong station; [10] however, it required the installation of additional struts and other support structures due to the soft marine clay at the site. [11] The station, which was partially excavated, was also filled and rebuilt. [12]

Following a public poll, the LTA renamed Tanjong Katong station to Dakota in July 2005. [13] [14] As part of the station's construction, a section of Old Airport Road was closed from March 2006; [15] by then, the station was expected to be completed by 2010. [16] [17] However, Christopher Tan of The Straits Times reported in November 2007 that Dakota's construction was "lagging behind" compared to other CCL stations. [18] The closed section of Old Airport Road reopened in December 2008 but caused a nearby road to be permanently closed. [19]

In August 2009, Dakota station was expected to receive its Temporary Occupation Permit by the end of the year. [20] [21] In the same month, transport minister Raymond Lim announced that it, along with other stations from Dhoby Ghaut to Tai Seng, would open by the first half of 2010; [22] the date was later announced to be 17 April. [23] As announced in March, [24] an open house was held at stations in the Dhoby Ghaut–Tai Seng stretch by the LTA on 4 April 2010. [25] They opened on 17 April 2010. [26] [27]

Details

Dakota station serves the CCL. It is between Mountbatten and Paya Lebar stations and has the official station code of CC8. [28] As part of the CCL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains. [29] It operates between 5:37 am and 12:23 am daily. [30] Train frequencies vary between 3.5 and 5 minutes during peak hours and have an average of 6 minutes during off-peak hours. [31] The station is wheelchair-accessible. [32] A tactile system, consisting of tiles with rounded or elongated raised studs, guides visually impaired commuters through the station, [33] with dedicated tactile routes that connect the station entrances to the platforms. [34] Wider fare gates allow wheelchair users to enter the station more easily. [34] The station also has bicycle facilities. [35] It runs along Old Airport Road, and serves various nearby landmarks such as Broadrick Secondary School, Kong Hwa School, Mountbatten Neighbourhood Police Post, and Old Airport Food Court & Shopping Mall. [32]

Art-in-Transit

As part of the Art-in-Transit programme, which showcases public artworks on the MRT, Little Things, Little Stories, an artwork by art group A Dose of Light, is displayed at Dakota station. [36] It consists of approximately 70 photographs of objects found in the Dakota neighbourhood, such as kueh moulds, a lift door, and plastic chairs used in kopitiams, among other objects. It also features a sculpture of a man, based on buskers in nearby food centres, inside a mailbox, and a television set featuring the photographers, Zhao Renhui and Ang Song Nian, as newscasters. When interviewed by the LTA, Ang said that the inclusion of the television was for "posterity's sake". [37] He also said that the 1:1 ratio of the objects displayed "retains the integrity of the selected items which we believe would best showcase and illustrate the characteristics of the Dakota neighbourhood". [38] According to the LTA, the photographers intended to create a "visual time capsule" as they were afraid that the aforementioned objects would disappear amidst major developments following the opening of the station. [39]

Little Things, Little Stories was one of six artworks that won a competition organised by the LTA to install artworks for CCL stations. [40] Over the course of a year, Zhao and Ang visited Dakota 48 times; they would conduct their visits when Zhao, who was studying abroad, returned to Singapore. [39] When visiting Dakota for the first time, the two envisioned the artwork's concept after seeing various objects that evoked a "sense of nostalgia", such as floor tiles, pay phones, and footwear. [39] The photographers initially photographed objects in the area, such as signage and potted plants; [39] residents often mistook them to be government agents conducting inspections, with Zhao adding that when the duo persuaded private property residents to allow them to enter, "people were very wary of us, so that was very tough". [38] The photographers discovered more "interesting" objects once they entered residents' homes, prompting them to include those objects in their artwork. Inspired by a resident who arranged her fridge magnets in a similar manner, the photographers attempted to compile their hundreds of photographs into the artwork. However, they instead selected the objects they considered most interesting for the final artwork after the initial artwork's layout was messy and the canvas proved too small to fit all the images. [38]

References

  1. ↑ "Land Transport DataMall" . Datamall. Land Transport Authority . Retrieved 14 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ↑ Yeo, Geraldine (25 November 1999). "6 stations for Marina line's first phase". The Straits Times . p. 3. Retrieved 24 October 2025– via NewspaperSG.
  3. ↑ Kaur, Karamjit (29 April 2001). "Land to be acquired for rail line and expressway". The Straits Times . p. 31 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  4. ↑ Kaur, Karamjit (29 April 2001). "Coming your way - MRT: Extension of Marina Line to Upper Paya Lebar Road". The Straits Times . p. 1 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  5. ↑ "LTA awards two MRT contracts". The Business Times . 2 August 2002. p. 5 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  6. ↑ "ECON clinches $339m LTA contract". The Straits Times . 3 August 2002. pp. A16 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  7. ↑ "Circle Line stage one likely to be delayed by 2 years: Yeo". CNA . Archived from the original on 21 February 2005. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  8. ↑ "Work on Singapore MRT line put on hold" . The Star . 27 April 2004. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  9. ↑ Fong, Tanya; et al. (24 April 2004). "Main contractor told to stop all excavation work". The Straits Times . pp. H3 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  10. ↑ "2 more MRT sites get OK to dig". The Straits Times . 15 June 2004. pp. H2 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  11. ↑ Tor, Ching Li (14 September 2004). "Panel: Urgent need for better site safety". Today . p. 1. Retrieved 7 December 2025– via NewspaperSG.
  12. ↑ Tan, Christopher (13 February 2008). "Safety is top priority as work starts on $12b Downtown Line". The Straits Times . pp. H4 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  13. ↑ "Next stop, Dakota". The Straits Times . 7 July 2005. pp. H5 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  14. ↑ "Names for 12 Circle Line MRT stations unveiled". Today . 7 July 2005. p. 6. Retrieved 24 October 2025– via NewspaperSG.
  15. ↑ "Traffic diversion in Old Airport Road". The Straits Times . 15 March 2006. pp. H7 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  16. ↑ Tan, Sonia (17 February 2006). "Part of Old Airport Road to close for Circle Line works". The Straits Times . pp. H15 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  17. ↑ "Section of Old Airport Road to be closed". The New Paper . 17 February 2006. p. 21 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  18. ↑ Tan, Christopher (22 November 2007). "Pool doubles as skylight for Bras Basah station". The Straits Times . p. 3 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations). … some stations –including the new Nicoll Highway and Dakota stations –are lagging behind.
  19. ↑ "Old Airport Road reopens". Today . 27 December 2008. p. 4. Retrieved 9 December 2025– via NewspaperSG.
  20. ↑ "Right on track". Today . 18 August 2009. p. 12. Retrieved 29 November 2025– via NewspaperSG.
  21. ↑ Tan, Christopher (18 August 2009). "Circle Line breakthrough". The Straits Times . pp. A3 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  22. ↑ Leong, Wee Kat (31 August 2009). "10-month countdown for 11 Circle Line stations". Today . p. 1. Retrieved 29 November 2025– via NewspaperSG.
  23. ↑ Ee, Samuel (27 January 2010). "More Circle Line stations to open in April". The Business Times . p. 10 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  24. ↑ Tay, Suan Chiang (27 March 2010). "Track stars". The Straits Times . pp. F8–9 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  25. ↑ Ramesh, S. (5 April 2010). "Free rides for 52,000". Today . p. 11. Retrieved 29 November 2025– via NewspaperSG.
  26. ↑ Chee, Glenn (17 April 2010). "Another stretch of Circle Line opens". The Business Times . p. 15 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  27. ↑ Almenoar, Maria (17 April 2010). "11 Circle Line stations open today". The Straits Times . pp. A4 – via NewspaperSG (only viewable at NLB multimedia stations).
  28. ↑ "System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  29. ↑ "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  30. ↑ "Dakota – First & Last Train". SMRT Journeys. 25 October 2025. Archived from the original on 16 November 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  31. ↑ "LTA | Transport Tools | MRT/LRT". Land Transport Authority . Archived from the original on 13 December 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  32. 1 2 "Dakota – Map". SMRT Journeys. 17 June 2025. Archived from the original on 13 December 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  33. ↑ "Tactile Guiding System: Studs and Strips to Guide Your Way". Land Transport Authority. 30 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  34. 1 2 Cheong 2012, p. 149.
  35. ↑ "Dakota – Amenities". SMRT Journeys. 4 November 2025. Archived from the original on 24 December 2025. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  36. ↑ "Art in Transit". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  37. ↑ Zhuang, Mead & Koh 2013, p. 60–61.
  38. 1 2 3 Zhuang, Mead & Koh 2013, p. 60.
  39. 1 2 3 4 Zhuang, Mead & Koh 2013, p. 58.
  40. ↑ Zhuang, Mead & Koh 2013, p. 61.

Bibliography

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