Chinatown MRT Station

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The entrance to Chinatown MRT Station (NE4) at street level, which lies in the middle of Pagoda Street in the heart of Chinatown which is now closed to automobile traffic.

The platform of Chinatown MRT Station (NE4).One should notice the chinese calligraphy on the floor. These are part of the Art in Transit Scheme.

The Chinatown MRT Station (NE4) is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North East Line in Singapore. On the North East Line, it lies between the Outram Park and Clarke Quay MRT stations. It is directly below and serves the district of Chinatown. The construction of the station was considered an engineering achievement, due to the busy traffic on the roads above and a number of nearby historical buildings that had to be preserved during the construction.

The main entrance and exit of the station is situated in the middle of Pagoda Street within the heart of Chinatown, which is now closed to all automobiles but remains open to pedestrians and manual vehicles such as trishaws. One could note that the modern architecture of the station entrance could provide an uneasy contrast to the Victorian era shophouses surrounding it, although some may like the cultural fusion.

Located in the heart of Singapore's Chinatown, there are many cultural buildings surrounding it. The station also sometimes serves as a convenient shelter or meeting/resting place for patrons of the ethnic neighbourhoods who may not actually be taking the trains. This is probably due to the large space and air conditioning provided by the station.

Provisions were made during the initial construction of this station for future connections with the Downtown Line Phase 1, which will serve developments in the New Downtown area, especially the integrated resort. On the Circle line, the next station is Cross Street. This will be one of the two terminals on the anti-clockwise-bound Circle line track, the other being Dhoby Ghaut. There are Chinese calligraphy paintings in the station, titled The Phoenix’s-Eye Domain, the significance of Chinatown and is painted by renowned Singapore artist Tan Swie Hian.

The station has also been mentioned by LTA as the city terminus of the future Eastern Region Line, which will be an oblong shaped rail line in the eastern region of Singapore.

[edit] Construction

This station is said to be the most challenging station to build on the line, due to the large number of buildings above ground. Another feat was that they had to preserve Garden Bridge, a large overhead bridge, while building the station below. However, despite safety precautions, there was an accident during the construction.

[edit] Bus services

The following bus services pass by the bus stops along New Bridge Road:

Chinatown MRT Station

MRT stations in Singapore

North South Jurong East • Bukit Batok • Bukit Gombak • Choa Chu Kang • Yew Tee • Kranji • Marsiling • Woodlands • Admiralty • Sembawang • Yishun • Khatib • Yio Chu Kang • Ang Mo Kio • Bishan • Braddell • Toa Payoh • Novena • Newton • Orchard • Somerset • Dhoby Ghaut • City Hall • Raffles Place • Marina Bay East West Pasir Ris • Tampines • Simei • Tanah Merah • Bedok • Kembangan • Eunos • Paya Lebar • Aljunied • Kallang • Lavender • Bugis • City Hall • Raffles Place • Tanjong Pagar • Outram Park • Tiong Bahru • Redhill • Queenstown • Commonwealth • Buona Vista  • Dover • Clementi • Jurong East • Chinese Garden • Lakeside • Boon Lay • Pioneer • Joo Koon  Changi Branch Tanah Merah • Expo • Changi Airport North East HarbourFront • Outram Park • Chinatown • Clarke Quay • Dhoby Ghaut • Little India • Farrer Park • Boon Keng • Potong Pasir • Woodleigh • Serangoon • Kovan • Hougang • Buangkok • Sengkang • Punggol Circle Dhoby Ghaut • Bras Basah • Esplanade • Promenade • Nicoll Highway • Stadium • Mountbatten • Dakota • Paya Lebar • MacPherson • Tai Seng • Bartley • Serangoon • Lorong Chuan • Bishan • Marymount • Thomson • Bukit Brown • Botanic Gardens • Farrer Road • Holland Village • Buona Vista • one-north • Kent Ridge • West Coast • Pasir Panjang • Labrador Park • Telok Blangah • HarbourFront  Downtown Promenade • Bayfront • Landmark • Cross Street • Chinatown *The colour representing the Downtown Line is yet to be confirmed.