Esplanade MRT station

Not to be confused with Esplanade metro station in Kolkata.

CC3  Esplanade 滨海中心 எஸ்பிளனேட்
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Exit C of Esplanade station
General information
Location	90 Bras Basah Road Singapore 189562 [1]
Coordinates	01°17′36″N103°51′20″E / 1.29333°N 103.85556°E / 1.29333; 103.85556
Operated by	SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Line(s)	Circle Line
Platforms	2 (1 island platform)
Tracks	2
Connections	NS25  EW13  City Hall Bus, Taxi
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Platform levels	1
Parking	Yes (Esplanade, Suntec City) [1]
Accessible	Yes [2]
History
Opened	17 April 2010;13 years ago (2010-04-17)
Electrified	Yes
Previous names	Convention Centre, War Memorial [3]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station Bras Basah towards Dhoby Ghaut Circle Line Promenade towards HarbourFront
Location
Esplanade Esplanade station in Singapore

Esplanade MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Circle Line (CCL) in Singapore. Situated in the Downtown Core, it is at the junction of Bras Basah Road, Raffles Boulevard and Nicoll Highway. As the name suggests, the station serves the Esplanade performing arts centre, alongside various developments such as War Memorial Park, Suntec City Mall and the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. Esplanade station is linked to the nearby City Hall station via CityLink Mall, an underground retail development.

First announced in 1999 as Convention Centre MRT station as part of the Marina MRT line, it was later incorporated into Stage 1 of the CCL. Several roads were diverted during its construction. The station was renamed Esplanade through a public poll in 2005. Along with the other stations on Stages 1 and 2 of the CCL, the station opened on 17 April 2010. Esplanade station features an Art-in-Transit artwork A Piece of Ice-Clear Heart by Lim Mu Hue.

History

Construction works in March 2006

The station was first announced in November 1999 as Convention Centre station as part of the Marina MRT line (MRL). The MRL consisted of six stations from Dhoby Ghaut to Stadium stations. ^{[4] [5]} In 2001, the station became part of Circle Line (CCL) Stage 1 when the MRL was incorporated into the CCL. ^{[6] [7]} On 7 August 2001, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) awarded Contract 825 for the design and construction of Convention Centre station and associated tunnels to a joint venture among Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Woh Hup Pte Ltd and NCC International AB. ^{[6] [8]} The S$ 343.9 million ( US$ 192 million) contract included the construction of the Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah and Promenade stations. ^[9]

During the station's construction, the arterial routes of Bras Basah Road and Nicoll Highway had to be diverted through more than 10 phases. ^[10] Road diversions began on 4 August 2002 with the realignment of a stretch of Bras Basah Road and the shifting of Nicoll Highway into War Memorial Park. ^[11] A pedestrian underpass linking One Raffles Link and Suntec City was closed on 20 January 2003. A sheltered linkway at One Raffles Link and a temporary pedestrian bridge were constructed to facilitate movement between City Hall and Suntec City. ^[12]

Through a public poll conducted from 26 March to 9 May 2004 to replace its working name "Convention Centre", ^[13] "Esplanade" garnered more votes at 49% against "War Memorial" at 41%. ^[3] This was the first time the LTA consulted the public regarding the station names. ^{[13] [14]} The name was finalised on 7 July 2005. ^[3]

To minimise the impact of noise and dust pollution on the surrounding developments, the station was constructed using the top-down method. Diaphragm walls were built to minimise ground movement. With the roof constructed first, construction could proceed under all weather conditions while allowing the early reinstatement of Bras Basah Road and War Memorial Park. ^[15] At the end of 2007, the diverted roads' original alignments were reinstated. ^[16]

On 30 April 2008, the underpass reopened to the public. The reopening was marked with a celebration as Suntec City Mall offered goodies and organised music and line dancing performances. ^[17] The station opened on 17 April 2010 along with the stations on CCL Stages 1 and 2. ^{[18] [19]} Prior to its opening, passengers were offered a preview of the station during the CCL Discovery open house on 4 April 2010. ^[20]

Station details

Platform level of the station

Esplanade station serves the Circle line and is between the Bras Basah and Promenade stations. The official station code is CC3. ^[21] Esplanade station is within walking distance of City Hall MRT station on the North South and East West lines, ^[22] linked to the station via CityLink Mall. ^[23] The station has provisions to allow it to interchange with a future MRT line. ^[24]

As the name suggests, the station is located near Esplanade Theatres. ^[25] In addition to the Esplanade, the three-level station ^[26] is connected to the various developments surrounding the junction of Bras Basah Road, Raffles Boulevard and Nicoll Highway. ^[1] Surrounding cultural landmarks include War Memorial Park, Raffles Hotel and the Padang, while the station serves retail and commercial buildings such as Marina Square, Raffles City Singapore, Suntec Convention Centre, Suntec City Mall and South Beach Tower. ^[27]

The station is wheelchair accessible. A tactile system, consisting of tiles with rounded or elongated raised studs, guides visually impaired commuters through the station, ^[28] with dedicated tactile routes that connect the station entrances to the platforms. ^[29] Wider fare gates allow easier access for wheelchair users into the station. ^[29]

Public artwork

The artwork featured at the concourse level of the station

Commissioned as part of the Art-in-Transit programme, a showcase that integrates public artwork in the MRT network, A Piece of Ice-Clear Heart by Lim Mu Hue is displayed at the station. ^[30] The 8.6-by-15.1-metre (28 by 50 ft) mural ^[26] consists of seven pieces of woodblock prints featuring scenes of shadow puppetry and other performances that were popular during the early days of Singapore. ^[31] Depicting the origins of theatre, the work is inspired by, and pays homage to, the nearby Esplanade Theatres. This was Lim's last and largest commission before his death in 2008. ^{[30] [32]}

The artwork is a collage of Lim's early works, ^[31] including Backstage Heroes, Puppet Masters and Teochew Opera Singing. ^[33] Finding his works on theatre to be relevant for the station, curator Karen Lim and the Art Review Panel commissioned him for this station, unaware that he had been diagnosed with cancer. Karen Lim at the time hoped to bring more awareness to woodblock printing, as it was getting rarer in Singapore with fewer artists utilising it. ^[34]

To reflect the multicultural influences on Singapore's performing arts, Lim produced another work, Wayang Kulit, alongside Puppet Masters at Work. The latter work was created to illustrate the link between theatre and wood art. Initially, Lim came up with only a few prints and sketches depicting the process of creating a woodblock print. Upon Karen's suggestion to produce more of his actual prints, Lim went on to experiment with fusing his works technologically, revisiting and editing his old works to create a cohesive mural. ^[34]

Due to limited time and his ailing health, his two latest works were digitally edited from the original carvings. Meanwhile, Lim travelled to China (accompanied by his two daughters) to observe puppet masters in action to accurately depict them in his work. ^[34] Lim went on to finish his work, going through numerous revisions and refining certain details before dying. His children continued to work with the LTA and the production team to put up the work. Resizing to a higher resolution from the original smaller prints, the work had to be digitally altered for it to fit on the slanted wall so that it did not look distorted when viewed from the ground. ^[26]

References

1. "Esplanade MRT Station (CC3)". OneMap. Singapore Land Authority. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
2. "An Inclusive Public Transport System". Land Transport Authority. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
3. "Annex A: Finalised Names for Circle Line (CCL) Stages 1–3 Stations". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
4. "6 stations for Marina line's first phase". The Straits Times . Singapore Press Holdings. 25 November 1999. p. 3.
5. "Marina Rail Line to Be Scaled Back". Business Times . Singapore Press Holdings. 25 November 1999. p. 3.
6. "Stage 1 of the Circle Line". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
7. "Circle Line and Kallang/Paya Lebar Expressway: Joint Press Statement by Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Ministry of Law". National Archives of Singapore . Ministry of Information and The Arts. 28 April 2001. Archived from the original on 6 March 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
8. "Project LTA C825 STECS". Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. Archived from the original on 3 September 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
9. "Award of Second Civil Works Contract for the Marina Line". Land Transport Authority. 7 August 2001. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2009– via Web Archive Singapore.
10. Cheong 2012, p. 60.
11. "Temporary Road Realignment on Bras Basah Road and Nicoll Highway". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2009– via Web Archive Singapore.
12. "Closure of Pedestrian Underpass Linking One Raffles Link and Suntec City". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2009– via Web Archive Singapore.
13. "LTA Announces Finalised Names for Circle Line Stages 1–3 Stations and Seeks Views on Names for Circle Line Stages 4 and 5 Stations". Ministry of Transport. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
14. "You can name an MRT station". Today . Mediacorp. 27 March 2004. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023– via NewspaperSG.
15. Cheong 2012, p. 57.
16. "Circle Line on Track for Completion". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
17. Lynlee Foo (30 April 2008). "Underpass Linking City Hall MRT to Suntec City Mall Open to Public". Channel NewsAsia . Mediacorp. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
18. "Welcome Remarks by Mr Raymond Lim at the Opening of the Circle Line from Dhoby Ghaut to Bartley on 16 April 2010". Ministry of Transport. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
19. "Circle Line from Bartley to Dhoby Ghaut to Open 17 April". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 21 June 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
20. "Discover CCL at Open House Event!". Land Transport Authority. 15 March 2010. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2016– via Web Archive Singapore.
21. "MRT System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2020.
22. Lim, Adrian (12 September 2017). "Save Time on MRT Trips? Check New Map and Walk". The Straits Times . Singapore Press Holdings. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
23. "Esplanade – Map". SMRT Journeys. SMRT Corporation. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
24. "Implementation of the Marina Line System". Land Transport Directory of Singapore. Singapore : Transportation Infrastructure Development. 1998. p. 48.
25. "Getting Here & Parking". The Esplanade Co Ltd. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
26. Zhuang 2013, p. 31.
27. "Esplanade – Exits". SMRT Journeys. SMRT Corporation. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
28. "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.
29. Cheong 2012, p. 149.
30. "Art in Transit". Land Transport Authority. 7 April 2020. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
31. "Circle Line Art" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 February 2017.
32. "Showcase of Late Artist's Work: Carving a Path Not Just Through Wood". The Straits Times . Singapore Press Holdings. 9 April 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
33. Zhuang 2013, p. 29.
34. Zhuang 2013, p. 30.

Bibliography

• Cheong, Colin (2012). The Circle Line: Linking All Lines (PDF). Singapore: Land Transport Authority. ISBN   978-981-4342-02-5.
• Zhuang, Justin (2013). Art in Transit: Circle Line MRT. Singapore: Land Transport Authority. ISBN   978-981-07-4982-8. OCLC   854958677.

External links

• Official website
• Media related to Esplanade MRT Station at Wikimedia Commons