Jurong East MRT station

Jurong East MRT station (NS1/EW24/JE5) is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North South (NSL) (which terminates at this station) and East West (EWL) lines in Jurong East, Singapore, operated by SMRT Trains. It is located at the heart of the Jurong Lake District, within the vicinity of JCube, Jem, Westgate, IMM, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and Jurong East Bus Interchange.

Not to be confused with Jurong West MRT station.


 NS1  EW24  JE5 
Jurong East
裕廊东
ஜூரோங் கிழக்கு
Jurong East
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Platforms C and D of Jurong East.
Location10 Jurong East Street 12
Singapore 609690[1]
Coordinates1°20′00″N 103°44′32″E
Operated bySMRT Trains (SMRT Corporation) (North South and East West Lines)
Line(s)
  East West line
  Jurong Region line
  North South line
Platforms3 island platforms, 2 stacked side platforms (U/C)
Tracks4 + 2 under constructiom
ConnectionsJurong East Bus Interchange, Taxi
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Platform levels1
ParkingYes (Jem, Westgate)
Bicycle facilitiesYes
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station code EW24  NS1  JE5 
History
Opened5 November 1988 (1988-11-05) (Platforms C, D, E, F)
27 May 2011 (2011-05-27) (Platforms A & B)
Opening2027 (2027) (Jurong Region line)
ElectrifiedYes
Previous namesJurong, Jurong Town[2]
Services
Preceding station   Mass Rapid Transit   Following station
towards Pasir Ris
East West line
towards Joo Koon or Tuas Link
TerminusNorth South line
One-way operation
Jurong Region line
East Service
Future service
One-way operation
Jurong Region line
North Service
Future service
towards Tengah
Location
Jurong East
Jurong East station in Singapore

The station opened on 5 November 1988 as part of the MRT system extension to Jurong. The station was initially the terminus of the Branch line and now the NSL when the Branch line merged with the NSL. An additional track and platforms was added when the station went through upgrades in 2010 as part of the Jurong East Modification Project (JEMP). In 2027, Jurong East station will be an interchange with the Jurong Region Line (JRL). Jurong East station is also one of the busiest MRT stations in western Singapore.

History
Exterior view of Jurong East station, showing a Siemens C651 train pulling in. Picture was taken before the JEMP.
Aerial perspective of Jurong East Interchange and the station.

The Ong Chwee Kou Building Contarctors (OCK)-Sumitomo Construction partnership was pre-qualified for contracts 403 and 404 (which involves the construction of Ulu Pandan Depot to the station and from the station to Lakeside station respectively in May 1985.[3] Originally Jurong Town and later Jurong, it was later renamed Jurong East on 27 March 1987.[2][4] The station opened ahead of schedule on 5 November 1988, as part of the 6.4-kilometre (4.0 mi) first stage of Phase 2 of the system.[5][6][7][8][9] The station became the terminus for train services to Choa Chu Kang station when the Branch line opened on 10 March 1990[10] and later the NSL when the line extended through Woodlands station and merged with the Branch line.[11]

Jurong East Modification Project

The Jurong East Modification Project (JEMP) was a key infrastructural upgrading project involving the construction of two new platforms and a new track at Jurong East, allowing two trains along the North South Line to enter and depart the station concurrently. Previously, trains had to take turns to arrive and depart from the station using a shared middle track. The new platforms and track allowed for shorter train intervals, reducing waiting times and reducing the crowding in trains.[12] The Contract 1590 for the design, construction and completion of the new above-ground platform station extension adjacent to the existing station and associated viaducts was awarded to Sato Kagyo Pte Ltd at a contract sum of S$127 million.[13]

The station was retrofitted with half-height platform screen doors in 2009 which commenced operations on 18 December 2009.[14]

Originally projected to be opened in 2012, then Minister for Transport, Mr Raymond Lim, announced on 12 February 2009 that the date was pushed forward by a year, to 2011. Construction started in 2009 and was completed and handed to the operator at around the first quarter of 2011, with the new platforms and track being tested since then, before the announcement on 16 May 2011 about its operation date on 27 May 2011.[15][16] To connect the new train tracks to the existing tracks, train services between Joo Koon and Clementi were halted on 4 & 5 September 2010 (affected substation is Chinese Garden, Ulu Pandan and possibly Dover),[17] followed by train services between Jurong East and Bukit Gombak on 18 & 19 September 2010 (affected substation is Bukit Gombak).[18]

During the initial operation period, the new platforms and track were only operated on weekdays except public holidays, during the morning peak hour period, from 7:00 am to 9:00 am, as there were only five new C151A trains ready for revenue service. Evening peak hour operation from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on weekdays started from 27 December 2011 while the morning peak hour period was extended to end an hour later at 10:00 am after the next batch of trains became ready for revenue service. It was then extended progressively, between 6:00am and 11:00am, and after 5:00pm till 9:00pm.[19][20] To make full use of the new platform, terminating NSL trains heading to Ulu Pandan Depot also use Platform A so that it will minimize disruption of mainline operations.

The station has the most high-volume low-speed fans installed due to station's size, out of the 36 elevated stations. The fans commenced operations on 30 June 2012 together with Ang Mo Kio.[21]

Noise barriers (from PIE to Block 266 Toh Guan Road) and privacy screens (from Block 266 Toh Guan Road to Boon Lay Way and Block 108 Jurong East Street 13 to Jurong Town Hall Road) were also installed to reduce the amount of noise generated towards residential areas, between January 2011 and September 2014.[22][23]

Jurong Region Line Interchange

On 9 May 2018, LTA announced that Jurong East station would be part of the proposed Jurong Region line (JRL). The station will be constructed as part of Phase 2, JRL (East), consisting of 7 stations between Tengah and Pandan Reservoir, and is expected to be completed in 2027.[24]

Contract J110 was awarded to Daelim Industrial Co. Ltd at a sum of S$197.4 million for the design and construction of Jurong East JRL station and associated viaducts, including Addition & Alteration works to the existing station complex. Construction will start in 2020, with completion in 2027.[25][26][27]

Station Details
Track layout
to Chinese Garden
to Bukit Batok
to Clementi

The station was designed by Scott Danielson, and it has a roof which utilises a geometric design similar to the original Jurong East Bus Interchange, in order to fit with the adjacent structure.[28]

The station currently has four tracks and three island platforms serving both the North South and East West lines. It is the terminus for the North South line. To the southeast, the tracks merges into two tracks, while to the northwest the tracks widen into six tracks, four of which are for the North South line. The four tracks later merges into two.[29] As part of the JEMP, a new platform has been built to allow two trains along the North South Line to enter and depart the station at the same time. Previously, trains had to take turns to arrive and depart from the station using a shared middle track.[30][15] Currently, the new platforms A and B are only opened on weekdays (except public holidays) during morning and evening peak hours.[19]

Incidents
  • On 4 February 2005, a 29-year-old man, Mak Hoy Meng went up to an SMRT employee at this station and gave him two handwritten notes that declared there was a bomb at one of the stations.[31] The restaurant supervisor told Yeow Meng Chai that he saw a man drop the notes and even described the fellow in detail, down to the brand of the bag he was carrying. But under questioning by the police, he admitted he had written them himself and there were no bombs. His story came apart when his description differed in later versions. By then, police officers had searched extensively for the man. However, trains were not stopped. On 10 March 2005, he pleaded guilty under the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Regulations to trying to hoax Yeow about a bomb on 4 February 2005 at 8 pm and was jailed for 2​1⁄2years. He admitted that at the time he tried to fool Yeow, he was disgruntled with the police and society in general, because he had been charged with theft and was out on bail. The theft charge – stealing $50 from a restaurant was considered during sentencing.
  • A 62-year-old woman was found injured at the station at about 2:35 pm on 24 November 2011. The woman was taken to the National University Hospital where she subsequently died from her injuries. Police subsequently arrested a 55-year-old man for the alleged murder the following day.[32]

The station appeared as one of the four MRT stations in the original Singapore edition of the board game Monopoly.

References
  1. "Jurong East (MRT Station) - 10 Jurong East Street 12 (S)609690". www.streetdirectory.com. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  2. "Name change for five MRT stations". The Business Times. 27 March 1982.
  3. "MRTC prequalifies 37 for 11 engineering contracts". The Business Times. 13 May 1985.
  4. "A Journey Into Singapore's MRT past". 23 July 2013. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  5. "Jurong line ready by end of this year". The Straits Times. 12 March 1988.
  6. "Destination: Jurong". The Straits Times. 5 November 1988.
  7. "NOV 5: The MRT arrvies early at Jurong". The New Paper. 30 August 1988.
  8. "MRT to Jurong today". The New Paper. 5 November 1988.
  9. "Three more stations for MRT system". The Business Times. 5 November 1988. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017 – via NewspaperSG.
  10. "MRT to Bt Batok, Bt Gombak and Choa Chu Kang on Mar 10". The Straits Times. 14 February 1990. p. 3.
  11. "Better layouts for six new MRT stations". The Straits Times. 19 November 1992.
  12. "The Jurong East Modification Project (JEMP)". Archived from the original on 27 May 2011.
  13. "C1590 – Jurong East Modification Project, Singapore – YWL Engineering". Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  14. "Speech by Mr Raymond Lim, Minister for transport, at the visit to Kim Chuan Depot, 25 January 2008, 9.00 AM". Singapore Government Media Release. 25 January 2008.
  15. "New Platform at Jurong East Station To Open on 27 May". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011.
  16. "Waiting times cut with new platform at Jurong East MRT station". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  17. "Temporary MRT service disruption". Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  18. "LTA and SMRT gear up for disruption over the weekend". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  19. "New platforms at Jurong East Interchange to operate in evenings". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  20. Jamie Ee Wen Wei (28 May 2011). "Jurong East platform opens". The Straits Times.
  21. "Enhancing Connectivity and Comfort for Commuters". www.lta.gov.sg. Land Transport Authority. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  22. Mustafa Shafawi (14 June 2011). "LTA to study noise levels along elevated MRT tracks". Channel News Asia.
  23. "Railway Noise Barriers on Track". www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  24. "Joint News Release by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) & SLA - Jurong Region Line: Enhancing Connectivity in the West | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". 21 September 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  25. "LTA | News Room | news-releases | LTA Awards Three Civil Contracts to Construct Four Stations for the Jurong Region Line". 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  26. "LTA awards 3 contracts for future Jurong Region Line worth S$596m, Transport - THE BUSINESS TIMES". 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  27. "3 civil contracts worth $596m awarded to design, construct future Jurong Region Line stations, Transport News & Top Stories - The Straits Times". 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  28. "MRT station roofs to show Singapore's cultural mix". The Straits Times. 13 April 1987. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017 – via NewspaperSG.
  29. OpenStreetMap contributors (28 March 2020). "Jurong East MRT station" (Map). OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  30. "New Platform at Jurong East MRT Station". Archived from the original on 9 July 2011.
  31. The Straits Times, "Man Jailed For Bomb Hoax", 11 March 2005
  32. "Murder at Jurong East MRT station". AsiaOne. 24 November 2011. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
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