Commonwealth MRT station

Commonwealth
 EW20 
联邦[1]
காமன்வெல்த்[2]
An entrance to the station with the exterior view in the background.
General information
Location375 Commonwealth Avenue
Singapore 149735
Coordinates1°18′9.21″N 103°47′53.61″E / 1.3025583°N 103.7982250°E / 1.3025583; 103.7982250
SystemMass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Operated bySMRT Trains (SMRT Corporation)
Line
  East–West Line
Platforms2 (1 island platform)
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus, Taxi
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Platform levels1
ParkingYes (external)
AccessibleYes
History
Opened12 March 1988 (1988-03-12)
ElectrifiedYes
Previous namesQueenstown
Passengers
June 202411,905 per day[3]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station
Queenstown
towards Pasir Ris
 East–West Line Buona Vista
towards Tuas Link
Location
Commonwealth
Commonwealth station in Singapore

Commonwealth MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East–West Line (EWL) in Queenstown, Singapore. Operated by SMRT Corporation, the station serves nearby landmarks such as the Faith Methodist Church and Queensway Secondary School.

First announced in May 1982 as Queenstown, the station switched names with the then-Commonwealth station in March 1987. It officially commenced operations on 12 March 1988 as part of Phase IA of the MRT, an extension from Tiong Bahru station to Clementi. Accessibility enhancements on the station's facilities were conducted in 2008. Half-height platform screen doors and high-volume low-speed fans were installed by August 2011 and the first quarter of 2013, respectively.

Like other elevated stations on Phase IA, the station feature grilles and horizontal louvres.

History

Commonwealth station was first included with the name Queenstown in the early plans of the MRT system in May 1982.[4] Initially meant to be part of Phase II of the system, it was later announced in June 1983 to be part of Phase IA, an extension of Phase I from Tiong Bahru to Clementi.[5][6][7]

In October 1983, eleven local companies, nine of which were joint ventures with foreign businesses, were chosen in the pre-qualification stage out of 38 applications for the design work of Phase IA.[8] In January 1984, it was announced that a five-member joint venture, consisting of Mott, Hay and Anderson, Sir William Halcrow and Partners, BSK-BS Konsult, DP Architects, and the Public Works Department (PWD), had won a S$5.99 million (US$2.81 million) contract for architectural and engineering consultancy as well as the design of the stations.[9]

Ten single tenderers and joint ventures were prequalified for Contract 203 by October 1984, which detailed the construction of Queenstown and Buona Vista stations as well as viaducts from Queensway Circus to Clementi Road.[10] In January 1985, the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC) awarded the contract to Kah Ngam Construction and Aoki Corporation for S$70.27 million (US$31.94 million).[11] In March 1987, it was announced that the then-Queenstown and Commonwealth stations would switch names as each station was closer to places using the other name.[12][13] In February 1988, it was announced that the now-Commonwealth and Queenstown stations would respectively host open houses on 20 and 21 February, with operations expected to start by the middle of March.[14][15] On 12 March 1988, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officially launched Phase IA as part of a broader expansion of the MRT system.[16]

In 2008, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) conducted accessibility enhancements on Commonwealth MRT station by adding lifts and enhancing existing infrastructure to be barrier-free.[17] Following a rise in track intrusions and commuters slipping when rushing for the train, the LTA and SMRT decided to install platform screen doors.[18] After several successful tests, half-height platform screen doors were installed and commenced operations at all EWL stations by the end of August 2011. It was announced in October 2011 that high-volume low-speed fans would be installed at Commonwealth station by the first quarter of 2013.[19] A new overhead bridge and two new exits were constructed starting mid-2012 and opened on 23 August 2015, the same day as Queenstown station.[19][20]

Details

Commonwealth station has the station number of EW20 and is situated between Queenstown and Buona Vista stations on the EWL.[21] The original station number of W6 was changed to EW20 in August 2001 as part of a system-wide campaign in response to the expansion of the MRT system.[22][23][24] As part of the EWL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[25] Like many stations on the initial MRT network, Commonwealth has an island platform and is elevated.[14][15][26] The station operates between 5:45 am to 12:12 am on weekdays and Saturdays, with a later opening time on Sundays.[27] Train frequencies vary from 2 to 5 minutes during peak hours to an average of 5 minutes for off-peak hours on weekdays and Saturdays, with frequencies at 4 to 5 minutes during peak hours on Saturday.[28]

Commonwealth station is on Commonwealth Avenue. It has four exits and serves surrounding landmarks such as the Faith Methodist Church, MOE Heritage Centre, and Haw Par Technocentre. It is also near two schools: Queensway Secondary School and New Town Primary School.[29][30] It is wheelchair-accessible and has bicycle facilities.[30][31]

According to Michael Granit of BSK-BS Konsult, who was in charge of the design philosophy for Phase IA, stations of the phase were designed to have an identity similar to Singaporean traditions.[32] The station features grilles described by The Straits Times as "brashly coloured" and "run[ning] right round the station, interrupted only by the regularly spaced columns",[33] which are equated to French windows in shophouses.[34] Its platform columns have also been equated to the palladium columns in shophouses.[34] It has walls of a "soothing cream" colour, meant to make it "pleasant to the eye" and distinguish it from other stations in the stretch.[35][36] According to the MRTC, the pastel shade of the walls is reminiscent of traditional colours used for shophouses.[34] The roof of the station is also cantilevered to reduce rain shedding on platforms.[37] Additionally, it has horizontal slats to reduce the sunlight exposure of the trains and the apparent height of the upper roof line.[34]

References

  1. ^ "SM_CH_(Ver280225)_Hume.pdf" (PDF) (in Chinese). Land Transport Authority. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  2. ^ "SM_TM_(Ver280225)_Hume.pdf" (PDF) (in Tamil). Land Transport Authority. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
  3. ^ "Land Transport DataMall". mytransport.sg. Land Transport Authority. Retrieved 14 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ^ "Proposed MRT stations". The Straits Times. 23 May 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 23 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  5. ^ "Now first phase takes a step up". The Straits Times. 10 June 1983. p. 1. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  6. ^ Wee, Agnes (10 June 1983). "Phase I of MRT modified to cover a wider area". The Business Times. p. 1. Retrieved 7 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  7. ^ "More people can use MRT sooner". The Straits Times. 10 June 1983. p. 15. Retrieved 15 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  8. ^ Sin Giok, Oei (29 October 1983). "11 local builders qualify for first phase of MRT". Singapore Monitor. p. 2. Retrieved 7 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  9. ^ "Five-member team wins $5.99m MRT contract". The Business Times. 12 January 1984. p. 1. Retrieved 9 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  10. ^ Lim, Soon Neo (3 October 1984). "MRTC pre-qualifies 37 companies". The Business Times. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  11. ^ "Lim Kah Ngam and Aoki win MRT contract". Business Times. Singapore. Retrieved 5 October 2017 – via NewspaperSG.
  12. ^ "Name change for five MRT stations". The Business Times. 27 March 1987. p. 2. Retrieved 23 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  13. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (27 March 1987). "Five MRT stations renamed to better reflect the locality". The Straits Times. p. 19. Retrieved 23 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  14. ^ a b "Open house at six MRT stations". The Business Times. 5 February 1988. p. 2. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  15. ^ a b "Six East–West Line MRT stations to hold open days". The Straits Times. 6 February 1988. p. 25. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  16. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (13 March 1988). "Well done, says PM". The Straits Times. p. 1. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  17. ^ "LTA Completes Barrier Free Accessibility Enhancement". LTA. 23 October 2011. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  18. ^ Wong, Siew Ying (26 January 2008). "Above-ground MRT stations to have platform screen doors by 2012". CNA. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  19. ^ a b "Enhancing Connectivity and Comfort for Commuters". Land Transport Authority. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  20. ^ "New bridges for Commonwealth and Queenstown MRT stations". The Straits Times. 23 August 2015. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  21. ^ "System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  22. ^ "Going to N1, B3, W11, El2, anyone?". The Straits Times. 25 October 1985. p. 21. Retrieved 19 November 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  23. ^ Salim, Shazalina (3 August 2001). "Red, green and grey". Today. p. 9. Retrieved 15 December 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  24. ^ "New Signage System For MRT And LRT Network". LTA. Archived from the original on 1 August 2003. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  25. ^ "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  26. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (28 April 1987). "Getting to know the network and how it will work". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 19. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  27. ^ "Commonwealth – First & Last Train". SMRT. Archived from the original on 1 February 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  28. ^ "LTA | Transport Tools | MRT/LRT". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  29. ^ "Commonwealth – Exits". SMRT Journeys. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Commonwealth – Map". SMRT Journeys. 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  31. ^ "Comonwealth – Amenities". SMRT. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  32. ^ MRTC 1987, p. 13 and 16.
  33. ^ NG. (10 February 1988). "Lessons in architecture, MRT-style". The Straits Times. p. 3. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  34. ^ a b c d MRTC 1987, p. 16.
  35. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (5 August 1985). "Overhead MRT stations easy on the eye". The Straits Times. p. 15. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  36. ^ "Bright and scenic ride". The Straits Times. 10 March 1988. p. 20. Retrieved 11 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  37. ^ MRTC 1987, p. 20.

Bibliography

  • Media related to Commonwealth MRT Station at Wikimedia Commons
    External media
    Site of Commonwealth's location By The Straits Times
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.