Fort Canning MRT Station

DT20
Fort Canning
福康宁 | ஃபோர்ட் கெனிங்
Fort Canning MRT Station - Exit A
Fort Canning MRT Station – Exit A
Address 170 River Valley Road, Singapore 179038
Lines Served   Downtown Line
Operator SBS Transit
Structure Underground
Platform Island
Opened on 21 Oct 2017

Fort Canning MRT Station (DT20) is an underground station along the Downtown Line (DTL). It is built underneath River Valley Road, near the intersection with Clemenceau Avenue.

The station is named after Fort Canning Hill, the small hill just north of the station that carries a historical significance. It took on a military role in 1859 and was named after then Governor-General Charles Canning. It is still referred to as Fort Canning to this day.

Apart from serving the Fort Canning Hill, the station is located in the vicinity of the Clarke Quay entertainment district and River Valley, with its shopping malls, offices, hotels and residential homes.

Architecture:

The architecture of the station has considered two historical elements of the locality – Fort Canning Park and the former National Theatre which was located just a stone’s throw from the station location. The natural and green theme is amplified in the curved ceiling inside the station, with various green accents peppered around the walls and vent shafts. Abstract motifs of the National Theatre are also etched into the concourse stone walls and repeated on the glass fitting at ground level.

The work has garnered multiple awards including the Top 50 Engineering Feats, International Tunnel Association Tunnelling and Underground Space Awards and Singapore Concrete Institute’s Excellence Awards.


First / Last Train Timings

Downtown Line – (DT20) Fort Canning
Destination First Train Last Train
Weekdays & Sat Sun & Public Holidays Daily
DT1 Bukit Panjang 6:08am 6:26am 12:11am
DT35 Expo 6:10am 6:30am 12:11am

Station Layout

L1 Street level Bus stops, Taxi stand, Pick-up/drop-off point
B1 Concourse Faregates, Top Up Kiosks, Passenger Service Centre, Retail Shops
B2 Platform A Downtown Line towards DT1BP6 Bukit Panjang
Platform B Downtown Line towards DT35CG1 Expo

Platforms

Downtown Line (B2):
Platform A: Downtown Line towards DT1BP6 Bukit Panjang via DT19NE4 Chinatown (→)
Platform B: Downtown Line towards DT35CG1 Expo via DT21 Bencoolen (←)

Fort Canning station has two platforms in an island platform arrangement, with both platforms utilized for trains travelling in either direction.

Hidden from the platform, a pair of cripple sidings are located parallel to the running tracks, separated by a concrete wall.

Concourse

Fort Canning MRT Station - Art In Transit 'Through His Eyes'
Fort Canning MRT Station – Art In Transit ‘Through His Eyes’

Art in Transit: “Through His Eyes” by Lim Tze Peng

From the hill.
He, who built his home upon the hill,
witnessed not just the busy river flowing,
but also, the hustling of the trading port down,
by the river.

Fort Canning Hill was where Sir Stamford Raffles built his residence when he arrived in 1819 and established Singapore as a trading port. ‘Through His Eyes‘ brings commuters on a reminiscent journey back to the time when the Singapore River was a bustling port.

To Lim, the sights along the Singapore River is worthy of our remembrance and memories. Hence, he welcomes all to experience it ‘Through His Eyes‘.


Station Amenities

  • Public Toilets at DTL concourse
  • Retail Shop at DTL concourse

Exits

Fort Canning MRT station has two exits at ground level (A and B).

Exit Location Nearby
A River Valley Road / Clarke Quay Clemenceau Ave, Liang Court, Merchant Court, Novotel S’pore Clarke Quay, Robertson Quay, Robertson Walk, Shell House, Singapore Repertory Theatre, UE Shopping Mall / Square, ITS Centre
B River Valley Road / Fort Canning Park Clemenceau Ave, Church of the Sacred Heart, Fort Canning Arts Centre, Hotel Fort Canning, SHRM College, The Foothills, The Legends, Sri Thendayupathani Temple, Teochew Building

Recognition & Awards

Top 50 Engineering Achievements in Singapore

dtl3_fortcanning_bencoolen
Extracted from IES released documents

The Downtown Line tunnel between Fort Canning and Bencoolen MRT stations on the Downtown Line was recognised by the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES) as one of the top 50 engineering achievements with the greatest impact on Singapore since 1965.

Linking the Fort Canning and Bencoolen MRT stations, LTA engineers had to build tunnels just 1m above the existing North East Line (NEL) tunnel – the closest two lines have run on Singapore’s rail network. Built over nine months between 2013 and 2014, they also cross below the North South Line and Circle Line tunnels, at 8m and 3m respectively.

In addition, the Downtown Line tunnel between Fort Canning and Chinatown stations also made it to the top 50 list, cutting underneath the Singapore River and built in close proximity to the existing Central Expressway tunnel.

Source: Straits Times and IES

International Tunnel Association Tunnelling and Underground Space Awards

As Singapore’s underground space becomes more congested with various competing needs; such as underground basements, utilities tunnels and metro infrastructures, the construction of new underground metro lines has correspondingly become more challenging, complex and pushing the boundaries of engineering. This tunnelling project encountered many challenges such as cutter head interventions to remove foundations of buildings, close proximity to national monuments and in-service metro lines with only 1m separation. The tunnelling at such close proximity to the ’live’ tunnels, which carry hundreds of thousands of commuters daily, poses exceptional high risk. This project has since been successfully completed with no disruption to any community partners.


Transport Connections

Fort Canning station connects to two bus stops in the vicinity, as well as taxi stands and passenger pick-up points.

Bus

There are two official bus stops linked to Fort Canning station.

No. Bus stop Exit Bus Routes
B/s 1 04331 – River Valley Rd (Bef Fort Canning Stn) A 32, 54, 195, 195A
B/s 2 04339 – River Valley Rd (Fort Canning Stn Exit B) B 32, 54, 195

Road

Taxi stands and pick-up/drop-off points are located next to the following station exits:

Exit Road Provisions
A River Valley Road Taxi stand (C28), Pick-up/drop-off point
B River Valley Road Taxi stand (C29), Pick-up/drop-off point

MRT Bus Bridging Service

In the event of a MRT service disruption affecting Fort Canning station, MRT Bridging Buses may be activated to ply affected stretches of the Downtown Line. In which case, the buses can be boarded from the following bus stops:

Towards Bus stop Exit
Downtown Line (DTL Bridging Bus)
DT1BP6 Bukit Panjang B/s 2: 04339 – River Valley Rd (Fort Canning Stn Exit B) B
DT35CG1 Expo B/s 1: 04331 – River Valley Rd (Bef Fort Canning Stn) A

In addition, passengers can board free regular bus services at Bus Stops 1 & 2 when activated.


Passenger Usage Patterns

As a Central region station serving both commercial and entertainment districts, Fort Canning station encounters moderate to high demand levels owing to its close proximity to Clarke Quay. Complementing relatively weak bus connections in the area, the station brings about better accessibility to this unique corner of Singapore.

Construction

Downtown Line Stage 3 (DTL3) Contract 937 for the construction and completion of Fort Canning Station and associated tunnels was awarded to Korean contractor GS Engineering & Construction Corp. for approximately S$255.05 million.

The working name for Fort Canning station was River Valley Station.


Gallery


External Links & References

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