Outram Park MRT station

Outram Park MRT station (/ˈuːtrəm/ OO-trəm) is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station in Singapore. The station is on the East–West, North East and Thomson–East Coast lines, and is located near the junction of Outram Road, Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge Road on the boundary of Bukit Merah and Outram planning areas. It is the closest MRT station to Singapore General Hospital, the Police Cantonment Complex, Outram Community Hospital and the Health Promotion Board. The station was included in the early plans of the MRT network in 1982; it was constructed as part of the Phase I MRT segment from Novena, and was completed in December 1987.
Before the line was planned to be extended to the World Trade Center, the station was originally the terminus of the North-East line. When the Thomson–East Coast Line opened on 13 November 2022, Outram Park station became a triple-line interchange.
Outram Park station was included in early plans of the MRT network in May 1982. It was to be constructed as part of the Phase I MRT segment from Novena station, due to be completed by December 1987; The segment was given priority because it transits areas with 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 was intended to relieve traffic congestion on the Thomson–Sembawang Road corridor.
The contract for the construction of Outram Park station and 4 km (2.5 miles) of tunnels between the Tiong Bahru and Maxwell (now Tanjong Pagar) stations was awarded to a Japanese joint venture Ohbayashi-Gumi/Okumura Corporation in November 1983 at a cost of S$73.85 million (US$95 million in 2020).
In 1984, Outram Primary School had to close down and merge with Zhangde Primary School to make way for construction works. The tunnel from Outram Park to Tiong Bahru was expected to be completed in September 1984. Train services commenced on 12 December 1987, when the line extension to the station was officially completed. The station was part of a line service that continuously ran from Yishun station in the north to Lakeside station in the west. From 28 October 1989, Outram Park station began to serve the East–West Line (EWL) with the operational split of the MRT system.
Preliminary studies for the North East Line (NEL) in 1986 included plans to terminate that line at Outram Park station rather than HarbourFront station. By 1995 the planned line had been extended to include an additional new stop, the World Trade Centre MRT station (now called HarbourFront). In March 1996, communications minister Mah Bow Tan confirmed the station would interchange with the NEL.
The site of the NEL station was the site of a prison complex demolished to make way for Housing and Development Board (HDB) developments. To construct the station, the contractor had to design and execute a major traffic diversion at the cross-junction of Eu Tong Sen Street, Outram Road, Cantonment Road and New Bridge Road, with construction taking place as close as 10 metres away from EWL tunnels. Contract 710 for the construction of Outram Park NEL platform and associated tunnels was awarded to Shimizu-Dillingham-Koh Brothers Joint Venture
In order to link both the NEL and EWL stations, a passageway opening up under the EWL platform was built. Construction of the passageway lasted from March 2001 to December 2001. Shimizu-Dillingham-Koh Brothers Joint Venture had to "hack away the platforms to create openings in the [linkway] structure". A steel structure was also used to construct the linkway. To facilitate the construction of the NEL station, nine stages of traffic diversion was carried out. To handle the varying soil conditions along the route of the NEL tunnels, a dual-mode tunnel-boring machine was used to construct them, a first in Singapore. Hoardings were built near the site of the NEL station to minimise construction noise. The NEL station has four underground levels, with the second one being out-of-bounds and the first one intended for a public underpass.
In September 2000, construction of lift access in the station began. EWL station upgrades were completed on 12 October 2002. On 14 August 2017, two meeting points designated for assistance from commuters called Heart Zones were designated near the EWL and NEL exits as part of a trial to better assist the elderly, frail and disabled commuters. The trial was done as Outram Park station served a hospital.
On 29 August 2012, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced Outram Park station would interchange with the proposed Thomson Line. At the same time, the Singapore Land Authority announced the acquisition of Pearls Centre, a residential-commercial building, giving residents three years to vacate the premises to facilitate tunneling works under the complex.
On 15 August 2014, the LTA announced the Thomson Line would be integrated into the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL). The TEL platform at Outram Park would be constructed as part of Phase 3, a section of the TEL consisting of 13 stations between Mount Pleasant and Gardens by the Bay. On 9 March 2022, Transport Minister S Iswaran announced in Parliament Phase 3 (Caldecott to Gardens by the Bay via Napier) would open in the second half of 2022. Following the opening of the Thomson–East Coast Line on 13 November 2022, Outram Park station became a triple-line interchange, joining Marina Bay and Dhoby Ghaut stations.
Contract T222 for the construction of Outram Park TEL platform and associated tunnels was awarded to Daelim Industrial Co. Ltd (now DL E&C) at a cost of S$301 million in May 2014. Construction was expected to start in the second quarter of 2014 with completion expected in 2021. To facilitate the construction of the TEL station, a temporary pedestrian overhead bridge had to be removed and a road had to be diverted. The TEL train tunnels were built near existing EWL tunnels; they were tested and monitored for structural integrity during construction. In the near future, a new underpass was opened to allow commuters to cross Outram Road.
On 7 October 2022, during a visit by Transport Minister S. Iswaran to Outram Park and Maxwell stations, it was announced the TEL platform would begin operations on 13 November that year.
On 6 March 2008 in the NEL section of the station, a police officer shot a man who had threatened him with a knife. The man had already stabbed a person to death at a coffee shop in Jalan Kukoh. A coroner's inquiry into the man's death ruled the shooting as a case of justifiable homicide and a district judge ruled the shooting as with no criminal intent. On 10 January 2025, a drunk man urinated on the moving handrail of an escalator near Exit 3 of the station. He was later charged on the 13th for causing public nuisance.
Outram Park MRT station is located near the junction of Outram Road, Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge Road on the boundary of Bukit Merah and Outram planning areas. The station serves several health facilities, such as Singapore General Hospital, the National Cancer Centre, the Health Sciences Authority, National Dental Center, Outram Community Hospital and the Health Promotion Board.
Outram Park station is an interchange station on the EWL, the NEL and the TEL. Its code is EW16/NE3/TE17. When it opened, it had the station code of W2 before being changed to the current alphanumeric style in August 2001 as a part of a system-wide campaign to cater to the expanding MRT System. On the EWL, the station is located between Tanjong Pagar and Tiong Bahru stations.
As of October 2024, EWL trains operate in both directions every 2–5 minutes from 5:39 a.m. (6:09 a.m. on Sundays and public holidays) to 12:10 a.m. On the NEL, the station is located between HarbourFront and Chinatown stations. NEL trains operate in both directions every 2–5 minutes from 5:30 a.m. to 12:15 a.m. On the TEL, the station is located between Havelock and Maxwell stations, with headways of 3–6 minutes from 5:30 a.m. to 12:35 a.m.
Public artworks at Outram Park station includes Memories by Wang Lu Sheng, which uses bold colours inspired by the area's cultural heritage, especially Chinese culture. One of the pieces depicts Chinese opera and law or medicine, and represents visual memories of the surrounding area. When creating Memories, Wang wanted to "create lively, vibrant images" that can grab the eyes of the commuters, even if they "only have 30 seconds to spare". He also was "led by the nature of the station spaces", as well as the history around Outram Park station. He worked with historical images of the area, which included old images of Singapore General Hospital and policemen, as well as indulging in the aspects of life at Outram Park and consulting clan association leaders and members of musical and cultural groups. These images were implanted using x-rays onto nine medallions modelled after the human head. Canadian wall panel manufacturer PG Bell helped fabricate Wang's designs in silkscreen on vitreous enamel.
Commuters by Teo Eng Seng consists of 69 engravings of surreal human forms that represent commuters' states of mind. Teo focused on the commuters' sentiments and thoughts going through the MRT system, homing in on the "public nature" of the Art in Transit programme. The human forms appear to blend into or emerge out of the wall, making them discernible at any point in time, enticing commuters to interact with them. One form, a child traveling to see a sick family member, represents Teo's ability to "[pick] out life's little quirks and foibles and getting a chuckle out of it".. During the creation of Commuters, Teo had to work six days a week for nine months, with Andrew Mead, then-manager of the Art in Transit programme saying that "it was back-breaking work but [Teo] always had a smile on his face". Teo also took the advice of architects and the project team. He initially was hesitant, but he valued their different perspectives and came to an understanding together, allowing the work to proceed.