Bukit Panjang MRT/LRT station

LRT platform of Bukit Panjang station.

The station opened as part of the Bukit Panjang LRT line on 6 November 1999.[6]

10,000 regular peak-hour commuters were stranded on the morning of 30 August 2001 because the LRT service was still being repaired after a power failure on the evening of 29 August 2001. An LRT train had hit a switch beam at the Bukit Panjang station at about 5:40 pm on 29 August, resulting in the power failure. It was some 16 hours later before the service resumed at 10:15 am later that day.[7]

In 2015, Half-Height Platform Barriers were installed on the LRT Platforms. The Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang stations were the first stations on the BPLRT line to install Half-Height Platform Barriers due to foreseen high commuter traffic from the Downtown Line. These barriers were installed in an effort to prevent people falling or getting onto the tracks.[8]

Entrance to the DTL platforms of the station.

On 15 July 2008, when the station locations were revealed for Downtown line Stage 2, the station for Bukit Panjang was located at Petir.[9] When questioned if the station could be linked to Bukit Panjang instead, LTA said that there were technical constraints as turning to Upper Bukit Timah Road will be too sharp and short for the Downtown line trains. Nevertheless, plans were made for connections between Petir station and the Bukit Panjang LRT station.[10]

The Contract 912 for the design and construction at Bukit Panjang station and its associated tunnels was awarded to Lum Chang Building Contractors Pte Ltd at approximately S$452.4 million.[11][12] Construction began on 12 January 2010. In the end, the station was located at Upper Bukit Timah Road and was not connected to the Bukit Panjang LRT line directly. Passengers have to tap out and walk across the linkway to the other.[13]

Excavation works for the Downtown line 2 caused a massive sinkhole on Woodlands Road on 16 March 2013. The construction destabilised the soil, which ruptured an underground water pipe. The rupture which was as wide as one of the road's lanes, appeared near West View Primary School, next to where construction work for Downtown line 2 is being carried out.[14] A fire broke out at a construction site for the Downtown line in the early hours of 9 April 2014. No injuries were reported and the fire was put out in 30 minutes. Thick smoke could be seen from the work site in Bukit Panjang, near Junction 10 mall.[15]

The station opened on 27 December 2015 along with the other DTL Stage 2 stations.[16][17] Exit C, which was supposed to be opened in December 2016, opened on 9 February 2018. It connects the station to Bukit Panjang Road.[18][19]

An additional extension of the Downtown Line to Sungei Kadut station from Bukit Panjang station was announced on 25 May 2019 by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). The extension is set to cut down travel time to the downtown area by up to 30 minutes for those living in the northwestern area of Singapore. The extension is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s.[20]

The LRT station has the conventional barrel-roof design like the rest of the stations on the BPLRT. The design was chosen by the Bukit Panjang residents when the BPLRT was being constructed.[21][22]

An artwork Punctum of the Long Hills by John Clang is displayed at the DTL platforms of the station as part of the Art-in-Transit Programme. The artwork showcases an impressive row of tall HDB flats, subtly reflecting the long hilly landscape for which Bukit Panjang is named after. The two giant-sized boys peeking around public housing blocks in the artwork signifies a sense of curiosity and the spirit of adventure.[23][24]

On the BPLRT, the LRT station is after Phoenix station. Services on the BPLRT then loop around the Bukit Panjang estate, via Petir station (Service B) or Senja station (Service A) after this station.[25] There were services to Ten Mile Junction station until it closed on 13 January 2019 via Service C which operated with reduced frequency due to low ridership.[26] Train frequencies on the BPLRT ranges between 2.5 to 5 minutes.[27]

On the DTL, the station is currently the line's terminus.[25] The DTL station is not directly connected to the BPLRT station and hence commuters have to exit either of the stations to transfer to another line via a bridge at the LRT station's mezzanine level. The transfer is considered a "valid transfer" of a "journey" as long as it does not exceed 15 minutes. A similar situation exists at Newton MRT station and Tampines MRT station. A short distance away from the interchange station is[28][29] Train frequencies on the DTL ranges between 2 to 5 minutes.[27]