Tan Kah Kee MRT Station

DT8
Tan Kah Kee
陈嘉庚 | டான் கா கீ
Station exit A
Address 651 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 266268
Line Served   Downtown Line
Operator SBS Transit
Structure Underground
Platform Island
Opened 27 Dec 2015

Tan Kah Kee MRT Station (DT8) is an underground station along the Downtown Line (DTL) Stage 2, located at the boundaries of the Coronation Road and Hillcrest planning subzones. It is built underneath Bukit Timah Road, near the junction of Duchess Road, and serves part of the Bukit Timah corridor.

The station is located in the vicinity of upscale low-rise private homes and gated communities, and educational institutions in the ‘Bukit Timah belt’, such as Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Girls’ High School, Raffles Girls’ Primary School and National Junior College.

The station bears the name Tan Kah Kee, after the philanthropist and founder of Hwa Chong Institution. It was the first time that a person’s full name was used for to name a MRT station, and also first time that a MRT station name did not directly relate to the station’s geographical location.


First / Last Train Timings

Downtown Line – (DT8) Tan Kah Kee
Destination First Train Last Train
Weekdays & Sat Sun & Public Holidays Daily
DT1 Bukit Panjang 6:02am 6:22am 12:34am
DT35 Expo 5:44am 6:04am 11:48pm

Station Layout

L2 Overhead Bridge Across Dunearn Road & Bukit Timah Road
L1 Street level Bus stops, Taxi stand, Pick-up/drop-off point
B2 Concourse Faregates, Ticketing machines, Passenger Service Centre
B3 Platform A Downtown Line towards DT1BP6 Bukit Panjang
Platform B Downtown Line towards DT35CG1 Expo

Platforms

Downtown Line (B3):
MRT_rail (1)
Platform A: Downtown Line towards DT1BP6 Bukit Panjang via DT7 Sixth Avenue (→)
Platform B: Downtown Line towards DT35CG1 Expo via DT9CC19 Botanic Gardens (←)
MRT_rail (1)

Tan Kah Kee station has two platforms in an island platform arrangement, with both platforms utilized for trains travelling in either direction. Full-height Platform screen doors isolate the air-conditioned station from the tunnel environment, enhancing commuter safety and station comfort. With the concourse level wrapping around the platform, the ceiling is two floors high at platform level, conveying a spacious feel. A set of escalators, stairs and lifts connect to the concourse above.

Passenger Information Systems, which are plasma display screens located at each platform, display expected train arrival times and key messages. Tactile flooring helps to guide the visually-handicapped from the platform to the exits of the station.

Concourse

Faregates
Faregates

The concourse features faregates for automatic fare collection and provides access between paid and unpaid areas of the station, with at least one bidirectional wide-swinging gate for the benefit of passengers-in-wheelchairs and those carrying bulky items or travelling with prams.

General Ticketing Machines allow commuters to purchase tickets for single or multiple journeys, and along with Top-up Machines, offer contactless card transactions. A station office is staffed during operating hours, where commuters may make travel inquiries.

Art in Transit: “Resilience & Gratitude” by Hwa Chong Institution

Resilience and Gratitude are artworks commemorating the philanthropic legacy of Tan Kah Kee, composed of colourful handwritten text. When viewed from a distance, words dissolve into abstract scenes that depict the blazing sun and the flowing river.

Civil Defence shelter

Tan Kah Kee station is one of six stations along the Downtown Line 2 designated as Civil Defence (CD) shelters, which will be activated in times of national emergency. Apart from reinforced construction, the stations are designed and equipped with facilities to ensure the shelter environment is tolerable for all shelterees during shelter occupation. These facilities include protective blast doors, decontamination facilities, ventilation systems, power and water supply systems and a dry toilet system.


Station Amenities

  • Public Toilets at DTL concourse
  • Bicycle Racks at station exit

Exits

Tan Kah Kee MRT station has a two exits at ground level (A and B), each at either side of Dunearn / Bukit Timah Road. While Exit A is the surface level entrance to the underground station, Exit B is connected to it via an overhead bridge. Both ends of the overhead bridge are equipped with escalators, and lifts provide barrier-free accessibility for the disabled.

Exit Location Nearby
A Bukit Timah Road Coronation Arcade, Coronation Shopping Plaza, Crown Centre, Hwa Chong Institution, King’s Arcade
B Dunearn Road Bougainvillea Park, Nanyang Girls’ High School, National Junior College, Poh Ming Tse Temple, Raffles Girls’ Primary School, Watten Estate

Transport Connections

Tan Kah Kee 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 Tan Kah Kee station.

No. Bus stop Exit Bus Routes
B/s 1 41051 – Bt Timah Rd (Tan Kah Kee Stn) A 67, 74, 151, 154, 156, 157, 170, 174, 852, 961, 961M
B/s 2 41069 – Dunearn Rd (Opp Tan Kah Kee Stn) B 67, 74, 151, 154, 156, 157, 170, 174, 852, 961, 961M

Road

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

Exit Road Provisions
A Bukit Timah Road Taxi stand (F66), Pick-up/drop-off point
B Dunearn Road Taxi stand (F67), Pick-up/drop-off point

Rail Bridging Services

In the event of a MRT service disruption affecting Tan Kah Kee station, rail bridging services (also called MRT breakdown shuttle 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
DT1BP6 Bukit Panjang B/s 1: 41051 – Bt Timah Rd (Tan Kah Kee Stn) A
DT35CG1 Expo B/s 2: 41069 – Dunearn Rd (Opp Tan Kah Kee Stn) B

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


Passenger Usage Patterns

As a station along the Bukit Timah belt serving both low-density residential homes but multiple educational institutions, Tan Kah Kee station encounters low to moderate demand levels from residents but high demand from students who use the rail network to get to school.

Construction Trivia

Downtown Line Stage 2 (DTL2) Contract 918 for the Design and Construction of Tan Kah Kee station and tunnels was awarded to Alpine Bau GmbH (Singapore Branch), an engineering contractor from Austria, for approximately S$350.04 million in Sep 2009. However, the company filed for insolvency on 19 June 2013, halting progress on Contracts 917 and 918, both of which were awarded to Alpine Bau.

In Aug 2013, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) appointed SK Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd. (Singapore) to complete construction works for Tan Kah Kee station and associated tunnels. Referred to as “Contract 918A“, it was awarded for approximately S$222 million. Originally expected to be delayed till mid-2016, expedited construction work brought the opening of the Downtown Line 2 back on schedule to December 2015.

In May 2015, the LTA filed some S$500 million in claims against bankrupt contractor Alpine Bau for the incompletion of the two MRT projects, but was unlikely to recoup anywhere near the full amount.

The working name for Tan Kah Kee station was Duchess Station.

Future Developments


Major Incidents

Cracks appearing in homes

Between July and August 2012, at least 40 terraced and semi-detached houses in the vicinity of Tan Kah Kee were damaged as hairline cracks appeared in walls inside and outside their homes. Besides cracks, some car porch roofs and walls had shifted, and some gates could no longer open. Blamed on the Downtown Line construction, the Land Transport Authority found the homes to be structurally safe and took measures to repair the damage.


Gallery

dtl_dt8_mar16 (3)
Platform level

External Links & References

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