Dhoby Ghaut MRT station


 NS24  NE6  CC1 
Dhoby Ghaut
多美歌
டோபி காட்
Dhoby Ghaut

Rapid transit
Exit E of Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.
Location 11 Orchard Road
13 Orchard Road
60 Orchard Road
Singapore 238826/238893/238889
Coordinates 1°17′57″N 103°50′45″E / 1.299156°N 103.845736°E / 1.299156; 103.845736
Operated by SMRT Trains (SMRT Corporation) (North South & Circle Lines)
SBS Transit (ComfortDelGro) (North East Line)
Line(s)
  North South line
  North East line
  Circle line
Platforms Island
Tracks 6
Connections Bus, Taxi
Construction
Structure type Underground
Depth 28 metres
Platform levels 3
Parking Yes (Plaza Singapura, The Cathay)
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code  NS24  NE6  CC1 
History
Opened 12 December 1987 (1987-12-12) (North South Line)
20 June 2003 (2003-06-20) (North East Line)
17 April 2010 (2010-04-17) (Circle Line)
Electrified Yes
Previous names The Istana
Services
Preceding station   Mass Rapid Transit   Following station
towards Jurong East
North South line
towards HarbourFront
North East line
towards Punggol
TerminusCircle line
towards HarbourFront
Location

Dhoby Ghaut MRT station (NS24/NE6/CC1) is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North South Line, North East Line and Circle Line, located in Museum planning area, Singapore.

Situated at the eastern end of Orchard Road, Dhoby Ghaut station is currently the only MRT station in Singapore to be a triple-line interchange. However, it will be joined by Outram Park MRT station and Marina Bay MRT station in 2021 once the Thomson-East Coast Line opens. Dhoby Ghaut station's location along the popular shopping belt Orchard Road and being served by 3 MRT lines make this station one of the busiest stations on the network.

Dhoby Ghaut is the fourth deepest MRT station in Singapore, after Bras Basah MRT station, Promenade MRT station and Bencoolen MRT station; its deepest point is at 28 metres below ground level.[1]

The section of track between this station and Somerset MRT station is the shortest between any two stations on the North South Line. It takes approximately 1 minute for a train to travel between these two stations.

History

Dhoby Ghaut NSL MRT Platform during peak hours
Busy NEL platforms in the station
Circle Line MRT Platform at Dhoby Ghaut

Before the station was built, it was tentatively named Istana, after the Istana in the vicinity. Its current name, Dhoby Ghaut, was selected to reflect the area's heritage as a traditional Indian laundromat. 'Dhobi' was named for the Indian laundromats formerly working at the station's current premises and 'Ghat' refers to the steps leading down to the canal where the dhobis would smack dry the clothes after washing. The Amber Mansions, Jewish cemetery and Sivan temple have been demolished as a result. On 14 October 1983, the contract 106, Singapore Pilling and Civil Engineering will begin excavation of the tunnels from Somerset to City Hall together with Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, and was awarded. The other intermediate shafts are at Waterloo Street and at Victoria Street.

When Dhoby Ghaut station was under construction, there was a small cave-in at the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station which developed a hole 6m wide at Cathay Cinema on 12 January 1985,[2] and a fatal accident happened in June 1985 due to a breach of safety rules.[3] Construction for the North South Line was completed on 12 September 1985.[4]

Before the construction of the North East Line, the Circle Line and The Atrium at Orchard, an underpass opened on 8 December 1990 after disputes over payment of the construction of the underpass[5] to help ease congestion at the traffic lights across Orchard Road.[6] Construction of the North East Line and Circle Line required slight diversion of Orchard Road, where construction began in January 1999 and had been re-instated on 14 July 2006.

The North South Line station upgrading was completed on 12 October 2002. Construction began in September 2000 for their lift access in the station for the disabled.[7]

During the construction of the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station for the Circle Line, on 25 March 2003, the section of Orchard Road was realigned.

Dhoby Ghaut was one of four stations which participated in Exercise Northstar V, a mock terrorist exercise held on 8 January 2006. In addition, damage to the third rail between Dhoby Ghaut and City Hall on 15 December 2011 caused the emergency evacuation and 3 injuries.

Public art

The artwork Interchange by Milenko and Delia Prvacki can be found on the walls of the linkway between the North South Line and North East Line. Singaporean artist Baet Yoke Kuan created a three-dimensional relief work on the large columns that support the Circle Line sector of the station, inspired by the concept 'man and the environment'.

The station is also one of the 4 MRT stations to appear in the original Singapore edition of the board game Monopoly.

Nearby points of interest

References

  1. ↑ "Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station". SAA.
  2. ↑ Small cave-in at Dhoby Ghaut site
  3. ↑ "MRT contractor fined over death at worksite". The Straits Times. 22 January 1988.
  4. ↑ "MRT job done on time despite obstacles". The Straits Times. 12 September 1985. p. 10.
  5. ↑ "Row over building of underpass". The Straits Times. 23 May 1987. p. 10.
  6. ↑ "Survey on impact of MRT on traffic". The Straits Times. 11 February 1988. p. 23.
  7. ↑ "More MRT stops ready for disabled". The Straits Times. 24 December 2002.
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