Dhoby Ghaut MRT station
Dhoby Ghaut MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit interchange station on the North–South, North East and Circle lines in Singapore. Located beneath the eastern end of Orchard Road shopping belt in Dhoby Ghaut, Museum Planning Area, the station is integrated with the commercial development The Atrium@Orchard. The station is near landmarks such as The Istana, the MacDonald House, Plaza Singapura and Dhoby Ghaut Green.
Dhoby Ghaut station was part of the early plans for the original MRT network since 1982. It was constructed as part of Phase I of the MRT network which was completed in 1987. Following the network's operational split, the station has been served by the North–South Line since 1989. To construct the North East Line platforms, which were completed in 2003, the Stamford Canal had to be diverted while excavating through part of Mount Sophia. The Circle Line platforms opened in 2010 along with Stages 1 and 2 of the line.
Dhoby Ghaut station is one of the deepest and largest stations, with five underground levels. Its deepest point is at below ground. The station features many forms of artworks, three of them under the Art-in-Transit scheme in the North East Line and Circle Line stations, a set of Art Seats at the Circle Line platforms, and an art piece above the North–South Line platforms. It is also the first triple-line interchange station on the MRT network.
History
North–South Line (NSL) station
Dhoby Ghaut station was included in the early plans of the MRT network in May 1982. It was to be constructed as part of the Phase I MRT segment from the Novena to Outram Park station; this segment was targeted to be completed by December 1987. Phase I, which would be part of the North–South Line, was given priority as it passes through areas having a higher demand for public transport, such as the densely populated housing estates of Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio and the Central Area. The line was aimed to relieve the traffic congestion on the Thomson–Sembawang road corridor.Before construction began, tenants of Amber Mansions were compelled to relocate; the land had already been marked for acquisition in 1978. Contract 106 for the design and construction of Dhoby Ghaut NSL station was awarded to a joint venture between French contractor Campenon-Bernard and Singapore Piling and Civil Engineering Company Limited. The S$51.3 million contract, awarded in October 1983, included of tunnelling works between the Somerset and City Hall stations.
Due to the soft marine clay at the station site, jet grouting was used to stabilise the soil. In January 1985, the soft soil led to a tunnel cave-in, which formed a wide hole near Cathay Cinema. The hole was refilled and the soil was further strengthened by injecting a concrete mixture. On 17 June, an engineer died when a crane fell into the work shaft and crushed him. Investigations revealed that the three pieces of timber intended to support the crane were not properly fastened and inadequate in providing support. The contractor was fined S$1,000 for failing to ensure that the crane was capable of handling the load. Despite the incidents, structural work for the station was completed that September.
To help people familiarise themselves with the system, the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation organised an open house at the station on 6 December 1987. Train services commenced on 12 December when the line extension to Outram Park station was officially completed. The station was part of a line service that ran continuously from Yishun station in the north to Lakeside station in the west. From 28 October 1989, it began to serve the NSL with the operational split of the MRT system. In September 2000, the Land Transport Authority installed lifts to allow barrier-free access to the station.
North East Line (NEL) station
Plans were made in 1986 for a new line from Outram Park station via Dhoby Ghaut to Punggol station in the northeast. These were finalised as the North East Line in January 1996. In August 1997, the LTA awarded Contract C707 for building the NEL station to Obayashi Corporation. The S$268 million contract included the construction of two commercial buildings above the station. Construction began in 1996, with NEL commencing services on 20 June 2003.Construction difficulties included having to reroute the Stamford Canal, which bisected the station site, to a temporary canal. The old canal box was rebuilt and replaced by a new, larger box, which lies above the second level of the station. The new canal was temporarily supported by steel piles while the NEL station box was being constructed. With the proximity of works near the existing NSL station and tunnels, motion detectors had to be set up to detect any settlement of the NSL tunnels. To facilitate the station's construction, a part of Mount Sophia, the hill above the site, had to be removed. An high sheet pile wall, restrained with ground anchors, supported the unaffected parts of the hill.
Another construction difficulty was the irregular shapes and varying sizes of the station's five levels bound by space constraints. This made it difficult to install the site's temporary retaining walls because of the many voids in between the station levels.
Circle Line (CCL) station
The station box for the Circle Line had been put in place when the NEL station was being constructed. It was planned for Dhoby Ghaut station to be the terminus of a branch of the Marina line. The MRL was finalised to serve six stations from this station to Stadium station in November 1999. The station became part of CCL Stage 1 when the MRL plans were incorporated into the CCL plans in 2001.On 7 August 2001, the LTA awarded Contract 825 for the design and construction of the CCL station and associated tunnels to a joint venture among Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. Pte Ltd, Woh Hup Pte Ltd and NCC International AB. The S$343.94 million contract included building the Bras Basah, Esplanade and Promenade stations. During construction, part of Orchard Road had to be realigned for three months from 10 June 2002. The underpass, linking the NEL and NSL platforms, had to be stabilised while construction works took place underneath. Seven caisson piles were installed to enhance the support of the underpass and capping beams were then constructed to form the supporting system. Along with the other stations on CCL1 and 2, the station began operations on 17 April 2010.
As part of a joint emergency preparedness exercise by the LTA and train operators SBS Transit and SMRT trains, security screenings were held at this station on 6 August 2024. Metal detectors and X-ray machines were deployed for the screening of commuters and their belongings during the exercise.
Station details
Location and name
The station is located in the eponymous Dhoby Ghaut along the eastern end of Orchard Road, near the junction of Handy Road and Bras Basah Road. It is on a former Jewish cemetery that was in operation between 1841 and 1983. The station name, Dhoby Ghaut, is a Hindi term referring to the area's past as a traditional Indian open-air laundry.Landmarks surrounding the station include The Istana, the MacDonald House, the Young Men's Christian Association building, the House of Tan Yeok Nee, Singapore Management University and the National Museum of Singapore. It is underneath retail and commercial developments such as Plaza Singapura shopping mall and The Atrium@Orchard office complex.
Services
The station is served by the NSL, NEL and CCL and is the first triple-line interchange on the MRT network. The official station codes are NS24/NE6/CC1. When it opened, it had the station code of N1 before being changed to the current alphanumeric style in August 2001 as a part of a system-wide campaign to cater to the expanding MRT System. Dhoby Ghaut station generally operates between 5:30am and 12:15am. The first train on the CCL departs from the station at 5:37am and the last train departs for Kranji station on the NSL at 12:13am. On the NSL, Dhoby Ghaut station is between the Somerset and City Hall stations, with a headway of 2 to 5 mins in both directions. The station is between the Clarke Quay and Little India stations on the NEL, with a headway of 2.5 to 5 mins in both directions. The station is the terminus of CCL inner spur to the station; the adjacent station is Bras Basah station. During off-peak, train frequency on the line range from 5 to 6 mins, increasing to 2 to 3 mins during peak hours.Station design
Serving three MRT lines, the five-level underground station is the largest station on the network, with seven entrances connecting to the various developments around the station. The long NSL station, designed by French architect Spielman and local partner Chok and Associates, is located at Basement 3 of the station. The NSL station has brown and black geometric patterns that run throughout the station. These patterns guide passengers to the platforms, which has diamond-shaped tiles to indicate the platform screen doors. Initially with three levels, the station expanded to five underground levels with the NEL platforms.The NEL platforms, constructed below ground at Basement 5, were the deepest on the network until 2010 when Bras Basah station on the CCL opened. Dhoby Ghaut station is the first MRT station to feature a set of travelators that link the NEL and NSL platforms. The expanded station is integrated with the twin-towered office complex The Atrium@Orchard above the station. The first such integration on the MRT network allows for more efficient land use while improving access to public transport. The station also has retail shops collectively part of Staytion Lifestyle Centre, previously SMRT's Dhoby Ghaut XChange. It was initially planned for these shops to be taken over by an anchor tenant due to low footfall from the COVID-19 pandemic, but SMRT's retail arm Stellar Lifestyle instead revamped the retail space as part of a new themed retail concept.
Unlike the other NEL stations, the station itself is not designated as a Civil Defence shelter; an underground car park underneath the ten-storey tower is a designated shelter instead. As a result, the station is more spacious and naturally illuminated with lightwells. The station architecture received an "honourable mention" at the Singapore Institute of Architects Design Awards in 2003.
The station is wheelchair accessible. The NSL station, initially without accessible facilities, has been upgraded to include lifts, ramps and dedicated toilets for the disabled. A tactile system, consisting of tiles with rounded or elongated raised studs, guides visually impaired commuters through the station, with dedicated routes that connect the station entrances to the platforms or between the lines. There are wider fare gates that allow easier access for wheelchair users into the station.