Queenstown MRT station

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Short description Template:Template other Template:Not to be confused Queenstown MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East–West line (EWL) in Queenstown, Singapore. Located on Commonwealth Avenue, it serves nearby landmarks such as Queenstown Primary School and the Princess House as well as a few nearby churches. Like other elevated stations in the Tiong Bahru-Clementi stretch, it features grilles and a blue colour scheme. It is wheelchair accessible.

First announced in May 1982 as Princess, it was later announced to be an extension of Phase I of the MRT system as Commonwealth. In order for the station to be constructed, ten blocks in Commonwealth Avenue and Stirling Road was torn down, with Commonwealth Avenue to be realigned. During the construction of Commonwealth, there was labour dispute between the contractor, Sumitomo Construction, and its construction workers, temporarily halting construction for the station. In March 1987, it was announced that Commonwealth and Queenstown will switch names as the areas closer to Commonwealth have the name "Queenstown" and vice versa. Queenstown commenced operations along with the entire MRT system on 12 March 1988 by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. In November 2010, a Chinese man was pronounced dead after being knocked by an incoming train. Half-height platform screen doors and high-volume low-speed fans were installed by August 2011, with Queenstown receiving a new exit as well as pedestrian bridges connecting the station to both sides of the road in August 2015.

History

Queenstown station was first included in the early plans of the MRT system as Princess in May 1982. It was later announced in June 1983 to be part of an extension of Phase I from Tiong Bahru to Clementi stations as Commonwealth station.

By October 1983, eleven local companies, nine of which are joint ventures with foreign businesses, were chosen in the pre-qualification stage for the design work of the Tiong Bahru-Clementi Stretch out of 38 applications. In January 1984, it was announced that a five member team consisting of Mott, Hay and Anderson, Sir William Halcrow and Partners, BSK-BS Konsult, DP Architects, and the Public Works Department (PWD), won a Template:SGDConvert contract for architectural and engineering consultancy as well as the design of said stretch. In June, it was announced that ten blocks in Commonwealth Avenue and Stirling Road will be torn down in order to provide room for the station and ease construction, the largest so far in the initial system, such that 800 residents would be affected. Once torn down, it was planned to realign Commonwealth Avenue so that the station will not straddle the road.

Nine single tenderers and joint ventures were prequalified for Contract 202 by October 1984, which detailed the construction of Redhill and Commonwealth stations as well as viaducts from Delta Swimming Complex to Queensway Circus, with the PWD calling for tenderers in the same month to realign Commonwealth Avenue so that the station would not straddle the road. The Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC) awarded the contract to Sumitomo Construction in February 1985 for Template:SGDConvert. It was also expected that construction of Redhill and Commonwealth will start in the same month and be finished by December 1987. However, in September, it was reported by The Straits Times that there was a labour dispute between 130 Thai workers and Sumitomo over living conditions and income tax deduction from their salaries, resulting in the station's construction to be halted. By October, a westbound section of Commonwealth was diverted for the station, resulting in two bus stops being replaced by a new bus stop. In March 1987, it was announced that Queenstown and Commonwealth stations will swap names as Queenstown station is closer to areas with the name "Commonwealth" and vice versa. In February 1988, it was announced that Queenstown, along with Commonwealth station, will have an open house on 20 and 21 February, with expected operations moved to the middle of March. On 12 March 1988, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officially launched the entire system, including stations in the Tiong Bahru-Clementi stretch. During the opening ceremony, Lee addressed to a crowd of 500 guests before riding a train to Queenstown.

On 29 November 2010, a Chinese man was knocked by an incoming train and found to be lying on the tracks. He was pronounced dead by SCDF medics. 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. After several successful tests, half-height platform screen doors were eventually installed and commenced operations at Queenstown station by August 2011. The station was installed with high-volume low-speed fans by the first quarter of 2013. It was announced in October 2011 that Queenstown, along with Commonwealth and Clementi, will receive new pedestrian bridges to the stations from both sides of the roads and entrances with fare gates and ticketing machines. Work started on the upgrades by June 2012 with expected completion by mid-2015. The works were completed in August 2015 for Queenstown and Commonwealth, with both stations having two exits and elevators for those bridges.

Details

Queenstown station is on the EWL with the station number of EW19, situated between Commonwealth and Redhill stations. When it opened, it had the station number of W5 before being changed to its current station code in August 2001 as a part of a system-wide campaign to cater to the expanding MRT System. As a part of the EWL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains. Like many stations on the initial MRT network, Queenstown has an island platform and is elevated. The station operates between 5:47am to 12:10am daily, with train frequencies varying from 2 to 5 minutes.

File:EW19 Queenstown MRT Station Platform 202411.jpg

Queenstown's platform and blue walls

The station is on the central reserve of Commonwealth Avenue.Template:Sfn It has two exits and serves surrounding landmarks such as Queenstown Primary School, the New Optometry and Ocular Care Centre (NOOCC), Queenstown Stadium, Princess House, and Rainbow Centre Margaret Drive Special School. It also serves several nearby churches such as The True Way Presbyterian Church, Church of the Good Shepherd, Queenstown Baptist Church, and Hephzibah Christian Fellowship. Queenstown is wheelchair-accessible and has bicycle facilities.

Like other stations in the Tiong Bahru-Clementi stretch of Phase IA, it was designed to have an identity similar to Singaporean traditions, according to BSK-BS Konsult's Michael Granit, who was in charge of the design philosophy for Phase IA.Template:Sfn Its horizontal louvres, what The Straits Times has described as "brashly coloured grilles which run right round the station, interrupted only by the regularly spaced columns", are equated to French windows in shophouses.Template:Sfn Its platform columns can also be equated to the paladium columns in shophouses.Template:Sfn The station features blue walls, which was done to make the station "be pleasant to the eye" and to distinguish it from other stations within the stretch. According to the MRTC, the pastel shade of the wall are reminiscent of traditional colours used for shophouses.Template:Sfn Additionally, the roof for Queenstown is cantilevered to reduce rain shedding on platforms.Template:Sfn It also has horizontal slats to reduce sun exposure to the trains and the apparent height of the upper roof line.Template:Sfn

External links

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