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Toa Payoh MRT station

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Toa Payoh MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North South line (NSL) in Toa Payoh, Singapore. Located in the town centre of Toa Payoh, it is integrated with the Toa Payoh Bus Interchange and the HDB Hub, headquarters of the Housing and Development Board. The station is underneath the intersection of three roads: Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, Lorong 2 Toa Payoh and Lorong 6 Toa Payoh.

Toa Payoh
 NS19 


大巴窑
தோ பாயோ
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
The rectangular-shaped station entrance with a connecting linkway (with a blue canopy) from the right
Exit D of Toa Payoh MRT station
General information
Location510 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh
Singapore 319398[1]
Coordinates01°19′58″N 103°50′51″E / 1.33278°N 103.84750°E / 1.33278; 103.84750
Operated bySMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Line(s)
  North–South Line
Platforms2 (1 island platform)
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus (Toa Payoh Bus Interchange), taxi
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Platform levels1
AccessibleYes
History
Opened7 November 1987; 37 years ago (1987-11-07)
Passengers
June 202432,943 per day[2]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station
Braddell
towards Jurong East
 North–South Line Novena
towards Marina South Pier
Location
A map of the Singapore rail system, with a color for each line and a red dot highlighting the location of Toa Payoh station
A map of the Singapore rail system, with a color for each line and a red dot highlighting the location of Toa Payoh station
Toa Payoh
Location within Singapore Rail central area

First announced in May 1982, construction of the station began in 1983 as part of Phase I of the MRT system. In August 1985, it became the first Mass Rapid Transit station in Singapore to have its concrete structure completed. It opened on 7 November 1987 and was one of the first MRT stations to operate in revenue service. It has a bright yellow scheme with a set of coloured tiles at the concourse level.

History

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A plaque at the station commemorating the opening of the first phase of the Singapore MRT

Toa Payoh station was included in the early plans of the MRT network published in May 1982.[3] The first confirmation that the station would be among the Phase I stations (from Ang Mo Kio to Marina Bay) came in November that year.[4][5] This segment was given priority as it passed through areas that had a higher demand for public transport, such as the densely populated housing estates of Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio and the Central Area. The line aimed to relieve the traffic congestion on the Thomson–Sembawang road corridor.[6][7]

Contract 104 for the construction of the Toa Payoh and Novena stations was awarded to Tobishima–Takenaka Joint Venture in September 1983. The S$96.8 million (US$50 million in 2022) contract included the construction of 2.329 kilometres (1.447 miles) of tunnels.[8][9] Construction of the tunnels between Toa Payoh and Novena began with a groundbreaking ceremony at Shan Road on 22 October 1983. This ceremony also marked the beginning of the MRT network construction.[10] The tunnels and the station had an expected completion date of early 1988.[11]

The station was constructed on the site of the Toa Payoh Central bus terminal, which was relocated to an adjacent site.[12] At Shan Road, the initial shaft was dug into a layer of sandstone. Tunnels were driven in either direction from that shaft. The composition of the ground was of either sandstone, granite, marine clay, or decomposed rocks. The sandstone sections had to be driven using a shield (with temporary shotcrete/mesh reinforcement). The granite sections had to be driven and also mined using explosives. The marine clay sections were constructed using cut-and-cover, and the decomposed rock sections used the New Austrian tunneling method (NATM).[13]

On 6 August 1985 Toa Payoh was the first MRT station to have its structural works completed, with the final bucket of cement poured into the station as part of the topping out ceremony.[14][15][16] Due to various soil conditions, in November 1985 the contractor requested an extension of eight months and additional monetary claims to construct the tunnels between the Novena and Toa Payoh stations.[17]

In January 1986 it was announced that the first section of the MRT system, from the Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh stations, would be opened in early 1988;[18] this was rescheduled to 7 November 1987 in an announcement in 16 September that year.[19][20][21] In an effort to familiarise people with the system,[22] the station hosted a preview from 10 to 11 October 1987.[23][24] During the preview, about 44,000 people visited the station.[25] However, no train services ran, much to the disappointment of many visitors. Many expressed excitement and curiosity, and many visitors bought tickets to take the MRT ride on the system's debut.[26]

On the opening day, Toa Payoh was the most visited station on the newly completed line, with long lines outside the station by 11:00 am.[27] At the opening ceremony, second deputy prime minister Ong Teng Cheong, who advocated for and commissioned the planning of the MRT system, attended the ceremony as a special Guest of Honour. Yeo Ning Hong, the Minister For Communications and Information, formally started MRT operations and announced it to be the "beginning" of the MRT system.[28] On the day, the emergency button was activated at Toa Payoh station just before 8:30 pm, which halted trains for about half an hour along one of the two tracks leading to the station.[27]

On 8 January 2006 Toa Payoh station was one of four MRT stations which participated in Exercise Northstar V, a mock counterterrorism exercise.[29] In July 2012, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) called for a tender to enhance the flood prevention measures (such as new flood barriers) at Toa Payoh station, along with eleven other MRT stations.[a][30][31] From July 2012 to 2014, the escalator at Exit D (the pedestrian underpass linking to Lorong 2 Toa Payoh) was replaced and upgraded.[32]

Station details

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Interior views of Toa Payoh station
 
Concourse level of the station
 
Platform of Toa Payoh station

Toa Payoh serves the North South line (NSL) and is between the Braddell and Novena stations. The official station code is NS19.[33] Like all the stations of the NSL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[34] The station operates between 5:41 am and 12:25 am daily.[35] Train frequencies vary from 2.5 to 5.0 minutes.[36]

The station has four entrances serving the Toa Payoh area.[37] Toa Payoh means "big swamp" in the Hokkien dialect. The name is a reference to the large swampy area which existed prior to the development of Chinese market gardens there.[38][39] Surrounding landmarks include the Toa Payoh Bus Interchange, HDB Hub,[40] Toa Payoh Public Library, Toa Payoh Stadium, Toa Payoh Swimming complex and the CHIJ Primary and Secondary Schools. The station is also next to two churches: the Church of the Risen Christ and Toa Payoh Methodist Church.[1][37]

The underground station has a concourse on the upper level and the platforms on the lower level.[41] Like many stations on the initial MRT network, Toa Payoh has an island platform.[42] Toa Payoh is also one of the few stations on the initial network to have a double-height ceiling. The wide platforms and entrances were designed to accommodate huge crowds.[43]

Toa Payoh station has a bright yellow colour scheme for the pillars and canopies.[44] Along the 50-metre (160 ft) concourse, the station features a "rainbow dressing" mural consisting of 15,000 tiles in various colours. The rainbow mural was intended to reflect the masses of people of various racial backgrounds moving together in harmony.[45]

As part of SMRT's Comic Connect, a public art showcase of heritage-themed murals, the station displays The Toa Payoh Story by James Suresh, Sayed Ismail and Suki Chong.[46] The 7 metres (23 ft) long artwork[47] depicts various landmarks of the Toa Payoh area, including the dragon playground, Shuang Lin Monastery, and the Toa Payoh Public Library.[48] The mural includes the depiction of Seah Eu Chin, a businessman and landowner of the area.[46] As Toa Payoh was the first town developed by the Housing and Development Board, the artists intended for the mural to tie the area's significance to major milestones in Singapore's history.[49] Furthermore, they used sepia tones to "take the mural back in time" as well as making the drawing as realistic as possible to draw attention to its tiny details.[47]

Notes

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  1. ^ The other stations are Braddell, Boon Keng, Somerset, Outram Park, Tiong Bahru, Bugis, Lavender, Bishan, Marina Bay, and Changi Airport.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Toa Payoh MRT Station (NS19)". OneMap. Singapore Land Authority. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Land Transport DataMall". Datamall. Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Proposed MRT stations". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 23 May 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 12 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  4. ^ "Where the 14 North–South MRT stations will be". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 30 November 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 31 July 2022 – via NewspaperSG.
  5. ^ "Exact locations of 14 stations". Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 30 November 1982. p. 1 – via NewspaperSG.
  6. ^ Annual report. Singapore: Provisional Mass Rapid Transit Authority. 1983. p. 5.
  7. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (29 August 1982). "North–south line off first". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  8. ^ Wee, Agnes (16 September 1983). "Japanese win first MRT civil engineering contract". Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  9. ^ Seah, Richard (6 September 1983). "Japanese likely to bag first two MRT jobs". Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  10. ^ John, Alan; Tan, Julie (23 October 1983). "Days of wine and promise". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Work begins on the first part of MRT system". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 29 October 1983. p. 17. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  12. ^ "The big dig starts in two months". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 4 August 1983. p. 7. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  13. ^ Mass Rapid Transit System: Proceedings of the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Conference. Singapore: Mass Rapid Transit Corporation. 1987. p. 264. ISBN 9971-84-636-5. OCLC 82363485.
  14. ^ "Toa Payoh MRT station first to be topped out". Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 6 August 1985. p. 2. Retrieved 15 June 2017 – via NewspaperSG.
  15. ^ "MRT nears half-way mark". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 31 July 1985. p. 8. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  16. ^ "Speech by Dr Yeo Ning Hong, Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Defence, at the topping out ceremony at the Toa Payoh MRT station on 5 August 1985 at 10.00 am" (PDF). National Archives of Singapore. Ministry of Communications and Information. 5 August 1985. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  17. ^ "MRT builder claims additional cost". Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 16 November 1985. p. 12. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  18. ^ "The first residents to ride MRT trains". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 14 January 1986. p. 12. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  19. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (16 September 1987). "MRT trains to roll on Nov 7". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1 – via NewspaperSG.
  20. ^ Soong, Martin (16 September 1987). "MRT trains may start runs a month early". Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 2. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  21. ^ Lim, Soon Neo (25 September 1987). "MRT to spend $1.5 m on educating public before trains roll". Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 2 – via NewspaperSG.
  22. ^ "MRT station tours from next month". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 4 September 1987. p. 19. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  23. ^ "Speech by Dr Yeo Ning Hong, Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Defence, at Toa Payoh MRT station open day on Saturday, 10 October 1987 at 9.00 am" (PDF). National Archives of Singapore. Ministry of Communications and Information. 10 October 1987. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  24. ^ "MRT tours for public start today at Braddell and Toa Payoh". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 10 October 1987. p. 16 – via NewspaperSG.
  25. ^ "57,000 visit two stations over the weekend". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 13 October 1987. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  26. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (11 October 1987). "Thousands turn up for first look at MRT stations". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 14. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  27. ^ a b Dhaliwal, Rav; Michael, Lim (8 November 1987). "All aboard for the Subway Age". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2017 – via NewspaperSG.
  28. ^ "Speech by Dr Yeo Ning Hong, Minister For Communications and Information And Second Minister For Defence (Policy), at the inauguration of public service of the MRT system at the Toa Payoh Station on Saturday, 7 November 1987 at 9.00 am" (PDF). National Archives of Singapore. Ministry of Communications and Information. 7 November 1987. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  29. ^ "Twenty-two agencies in Exercise Northstar V ready for action". Channel NewsAsia. Mediacorp. 3 January 2006. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  30. ^ Sim, Royston (30 July 2012). "Anti-flooding measures at 11 more MRT stations". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 1. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  31. ^ "Anti-flooding measures at 11 more MRT stations". Eco-Business. 30 July 2012. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  32. ^ "Upgrading of overhead bridges and underpasses". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  33. ^ "MRT System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2020.
  34. ^ "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Toa Payoh – First & Last Train". SMRT Journeys. SMRT Trains. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  36. ^ "LTA | Transport Tools | MRT/LRT". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  37. ^ a b "Toa Payoh – Exits". SMRT Journeys. SMRT Trains. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  38. ^ "Toa Payoh". Housing & Development Board. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  39. ^ Savage, Victor (2013). Singapore street names: A study of toponymics. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions. p. 632. ISBN 978-981-4408-35-6. OCLC 868957283.
  40. ^ "HDB Hub". Housing & Development Board. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  41. ^ Wee, Agnes (21 October 1983). "Designs of two MRT stations". Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 3. Retrieved 19 December 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  42. ^ 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.
  43. ^ Sajan, Chantal (29 February 2020). "Early stations' bare essentials". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  44. ^ Choo, Jonathan (12 December 1987). "Reflections of our lifestyle". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 4. Retrieved 10 September 2020 – via NewspaperSG.
  45. ^ Dhaliwal, Rav (1 March 1987). "Rainbow dressing at Toa Payoh station". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. p. 3.
  46. ^ a b Manoharan, Sabarna (23 June 2022). "SMRT unveils series of murals depicting history of neighbourhoods". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  47. ^ a b Tushara, Elisha (17 November 2024). "Art on the go: Singapore's rich heritage on display at MRT stations". The Straits Times (Interactive). Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  48. ^ "The Toa Payoh Story" (PDF). SMRT Corporation. 23 June 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  49. ^ "SMRT Trains engages local art community to produce wall murals showcasing Singapore's heritage in vicinity of train stations". SMRT Corporation. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
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External images
  The station interior under construction during its topping out ceremony Source: NAS
  Passengers on the opening day of the station Source: NAS
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