Expo MRT Station

CG1  DT35  Expo 博览 எக்ஸ்போ Expo
Rapid transit
Unique structure of Expo MRT station.
Location	21 Changi South Avenue 1 2 Expo Drive Singapore 486065/485985
Coordinates	1°20′7.69″N 103°57′42.36″E / 1.3354694°N 103.9617667°E / 1.3354694; 103.9617667
Operated by	SMRT Trains (SMRT Corporation) (Changi Airport Branch Line) SBS Transit DTL (Downtown Line)
Line(s)	East West Line   Downtown Line
Platforms	Island
Tracks	2
Connections	Bus, Taxi
Construction
Structure type	Elevated (East West Line) Underground (Downtown Line)
Depth	25m
Platform levels	2
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	CG1  DT35
History
Opened	10 January 2001 (East West Line) 21 October 2017 (Downtown Line)
Previous names	Somapah
Location

A C751B train at Platform A before HHPSD was implemented.

Construction area of DTL Expo station.

Expo MRT Station (CG1/DT35) is a Mass Rapid Transit station part of the Changi Airport Branch Line (CAL) of the East West Line in Tampines planning area, Singapore. It sports a space age architecture designed by world-renowned architect Sir Norman Foster. The roof is clad in titanium, steel, and glass, and its design enabled the platform to be columns-free, invoking a sense of spaciousness. The station is built to handle fluctuating passenger volumes due to events at the adjacent Singapore Expo, and has the large spaces needed to facilitate smooth traffic flow.

The section of underground track between this station and Changi Airport station is the longest underground track between any two MRT stations in Singapore.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has announced that this station will be an interchange with the future Downtown Line. When this station is ready, it will be the third station in Singapore that serves both an above ground line and an underground line after Paya Lebar and Buona Vista, together with Tampines.

Architecture

The station's shell-shaped roof is derived from the section of a torus, as the eventual shape of the roof resembles a cylindrical cut perpendicular to the torus, while the shell roof is supported by two pairs of "Y" shaped twin columns separated by a 70-metre span in between. These columns are unique in that they are built outside the station platform and behind the train tracks.

Another distinctive feature is the large disc situated at the top of the glass elevator shaft, as seen in the photo on the right. The disc overhangs and terminates one end of the toroidal curved roof form, and contains an elevator shaft for the usage of the handicapped or needy. Its unusual shape lead some people to comment that it looked like a spaceship or UFO. This unique disc is the first of its kind in Singapore, although it was also used for the New Supreme Court building in downtown Singapore, which was opened in 2006.

History

Train services to Expo station were initially operated as a 2-station shuttle service from Tanah Merah when the station first opened and it was first denoted by code E13 for a short while until the MRT map was revamped in 2001 by former cabinet minister Yeo Cheow Tong (who was then Transport Minister). It was then converted to a through service from Boon Lay Station when the other station on the Changi Extension, Changi Airport, opened. However, to cut costs due to ridership falling below expectations, the service was reverted into shuttle mode on 22 July 2003.

The initial numbering of this station was EW28, until 20 June 2003 when it was changed to CG1. The same numbering is now used for Pioneer Station.

The station has a high passenger traffic whenever there are major events occurring in the Singapore Expo. The recent expansion of Singapore Expo helped increase the passenger traffic in the station. However, traffic is still rather low at certain times of the year when there are not many events held. However, this changed in the 4th quarter of 2011 when a new shopping mall called Changi City Point opened at the south of the station and linked to the station by an underpass, bringing more crowds to the station. A business hotel, Park Avenue Changi, is located next to the station.

As with most of the above-ground stations built in the past along the East West Line, it was built without platform screen doors that prevent commuters from falling onto the train tracks. Installation of the half-height screen doors started on 20 June 2011 as the last station of the East West Line. On 31 August 2011, all of the screen doors have been installed and began operating, marking the completion of the installation of all the Platform Screen Doors along the East West Line.^[1][2] However, on 1 February 2014, an elderly man was hit by a train and treated in hospital for multiple injuries - it is believed he gained access to the track by climbing over the platform screen door and therefore the half-height Platform screen doors may need upgrading it to full-height platform screen doors.^[3]

On 28 November 2011, LTA marked the start of construction of Downtown Line 3 (DTL3) with a groundbreaking ceremony at this station.^[4] On 31 May 2017, LTA announced that the station, together with the rest of DTL3, will be opened on 21 October 2017.^[5]

To facilitate the construction for the Downtown Line 3 Expo Station and it tunnels, part of Changi South Avenue 1 towards Somapah Road and Changi South Avenue 2 will be temporarily closed to traffic from 1 September 2012 to the end of construction in 2017. ^[6]

References

External links

• Official website
• Expo to Changi Airport MRT station route

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Expo MRT Station.