Tan Kah Kee MRT station

 DT8 
Tan Kah Kee
陈嘉庚
டான் கா கீ
Tan Kah Kee
Rapid transit
Students from the schools around the station waiting for the train.
Location 651 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 266268
Coordinates 1°19′34″N 103°48′26″E / 1.326039°N 103.807169°E / 1.326039; 103.807169
Operated by SBS Transit DTL
Line(s)
  Downtown line
Platforms Island
Tracks 2
Connections Bus, Taxi
Construction
Structure type Underground
Platform levels 2
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code  DT8 
History
Opened 27 December 2015 (2015-12-27)
Electrified Yes
Previous names Duchess
Services
Preceding station   Mass Rapid Transit   Following station
towards Bukit Panjang
Downtown line
towards Expo
Location

Tan Kah Kee MRT station (DT8) is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Downtown Line in Bukit Timah, Singapore. Located directly underneath the campus of Hwa Chong Institution, this station was named after the founder of the institution, Tan Kah Kee, who was also a businessman, community leader and philanthropist.[1] This is the first and only MRT station on the network to adopt a person's full name as the station's name.

In addition to Hwa Chong Institution, other educational institutions within the vicinity of this station include Nanyang Girls' High School, Raffles Girls' Primary School and National Junior College.

History

Exit A of this station, which is directly outside Hwa Chong Institution.
Concourse level of the station.

As part of the survey headed by the Land Transport Authority in 2008 for the second stage of the Downtown Line, some Singaporeans (71%) including those from Hwa Chong Institution, the former Chinese High School and Hwa Chong Junior College, as well as Nanyang Girls' High School, opted in for the station to be renamed from "Duchess" to "Hwa Chong".[2] Other names considered include "Hillcrest", "Kah Kee" and "Watten", whereas the other 29% of the entire school also suggested "Kah Kee" as a station name. [1] On 17 June 2009, the station was formally renamed to "Tan Kah Kee" by the Ministry of Transport decision, in honour of the businessman and community leader Tan Kah Kee, who was the founder of The Chinese High School (present Hwa Chong Institution) of which a large proportion of the station was built under. This was also in recognition of Tan's selfless contribution to the local education and the Chinese community. [1]

Between July and August 2012, concerns were raised on the structural integrity of terraced and semi-detached residences surrounding the station, believed to be linked to the construction of the Downtown Line. This came after complains about hairline cracks appearing on walls inside and outside the affected properties. It was understood that cracks began widening in the period of investigation. Apart from the cracks, some car porch roofs and walls had shifted, and some gates could no longer be opened. Checks were made by the Authority and the houses were found to be structurally safe. Additional steps were taken to repair damages to at least 40 Watten Estate properties. [3]

At the Downtown MRT Line Stage 2 open house on 5 December 2015, LTA was informed by netizens that the Tamil translation of the station was incorrect. An apology was issued in the evening for the error and the error was rectified. [4]

Art in transit

The Tan Kah Kee MRT station features two murals created by students of the Hwa Chong Institution, titled Gratitude (or 饮水思源 in Mandrain Chinese) and Resilience (or 自强不息 in Mandrain Chinese).[5] Gratitude was designed to reflect the principle of giving back to society.[6] Resilience was characterised by its motifs of the rising sun, while Gratitude was characterised by its motifs of stormy waves.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 chinanews. "纪念先贤贡献　新加坡地铁站将命名"陈嘉庚站"——中新网". www.chinanews.com. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
  2. ↑ "Next stop on Downtown Line: Hwa Chong station?". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  3. ↑ "MRT works cause cracks in Bukit Timah homes". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2013-04-16.
  4. ↑ "LTA apologises for incorrect Tamil translation of Downtown Line 2's Tan Kah Kee station". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2015-12-05.
  5. 1 2 Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh (29 November 2015). "Art Galore on Upcoming MRT Downtown Line". Straits Times. Straits Times. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  6. ↑ "Your Guide to the New Downtown Line". HC Unite. Retrieved 30 September 2016.


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