Tanah Merah MRT Station

Train frequencies on the Changi Airport Branch line are 7 – 9 mins during peak hours, and 12 mins during off-peak hours. Commuters are advised to take note of last train timings for the Changi Airport Branch, for the last Airport train departs before the last Eastbound train arrives at Tanah Merah.

Station Layout

Platforms (L2):

The station is built with a modified barrel vault roof design used at many other stations along the Eastern side of the East West Line. The curved roof spans three platforms and is supported by two rows of pillars on each island platform.

Mid-2030s:

Platform A: East West Line towards EW1 Pasir Ris via EW3 Simei (→) Platform B: Thomson-East Coast Line towards TE1 Woodlands North via TE34DT35 Expo (→)

Platforms C & D: Thomson-East Coast Line towards TE1 Woodlands North via TE34DT35 Expo (→)

Platform E: Thomson-East Coast Line towards TE1 Woodlands North via TE34DT35 Expo (→) Platform F: East West Line towards EW33 Tuas Link via EW5 Bedok (←)

Concourse

The station has a ticket concourse located at ground level. It features faregates for automatic fare collection and provides access between paid and unpaid areas of the station.

Retail shops and toilets are located at ground level, within unpaid areas of the station concourse. Escalators, stairs and a lift connect the ticket concourse level to the basement underpass, which leads to exits on either side of New Upper Changi Road.

Station Amenities

• Retail shops and Public toilets at Concourse level (unpaid areas)
• ATMs and Self-service machines at Concourse level (unpaid areas)
• Bicycle Racks at station exits

Exits

Built in-between two carriageways of New Upper Changi Road, Tanah Merah MRT station has two exits on either side of the road. Both exits offer barrier-free accessibility.

2 new exits (Exits 3 & 4) are currently under construction as part of the Tanah Merah Modification Project.

Exit	Location	Nearby
1 (Former Exit A)	New Upper Changi Road (Westbound)	APSN Katong School, Bedok View Secondary School, Bedok South Secondary School, Bedok Ria, Bedok Rise, eCO condominium, Limau Estate, Man Fatt Lam Buddhist Temple, Stratford Court
2 (Former Exit B)	New Upper Changi Road (Eastbound)	Bedok Shopping Complex/Market Place, Anglican High School, Sepak Tekraw & Silat Centre, Tanah Merah Kechil, The Tanamera, Optima @ Tanah Merah, East Meadows, Casa Merah, Urban Vista, HDB Vista 8 Bus Services to: ITE College East, Changi Village, Changi Prison, Changi Chapel & Museums, Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, Changi Ferry Terminal, Changi Jetty, Changi Airfreight Terminal

Transport Connections

Tanah Merah station connects to several bus stops in the vicinity, as well as taxi stands and passenger pick-up points.

Bus

There are two bus stops linked to Tanah Merah station.

Taxi stands and pick-up/drop-off points are located near station exits:

MRT Bus Bridging Service

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

In the event of a large-scale rail disruption affecting multiple stations, a special bridging bus service may be activated in addition to the usual bus bridging services.

• Outram Park – Tanah Merah – Expo – Changi Airport

In addition, passengers can board free regular bus services at Bus Stops 85091 & 85099 when activated.

Passenger Usage Patterns

Serving schools and residential areas in the vicinity, Tanah Merah station encounters moderate demand from students and residents in the area. More people use the station for transfers between the mainline and Changi Airport branch.

Construction

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Brief History

The station opened on 4 November 1989 in its present form, with two island platforms for East West Line services in both directions and an unused middle track. Train services on the Changi Airport Branch line began on 10 January 2001 between Tanah Merah and Expo, as a shuttle service.

When Changi Airport station was opened on 25 February 2002, through services from Boon Lay commenced after the full opening, with alternate Eastbound trains terminating at either Pasir Ris or Changi Airport. Due to substantially lower demand on the Branch line as compared to Simei, Tampines and Pasir Ris, Changi Airport Branch Line train services were reverted to a shuttle service between Tanah Merah and Changi Airport since July 2003.

Tanah Merah Modification Project

A third platform and fourth track were constructed at Tanah Merah station to improve waiting times on the Changi Airport branch line. Previously, Changi Airport bound services operated out of the middle track. A fourth track was constructed north of the station for Eastbound East West Line services, leaving the middle two tracks for train services to Changi Airport, hence allowing trains to arrive and depart at the station at shorter intervals.

The project was first announced by LTA on 25 August 2014, with a scheduled completion date of 2024. This was later delayed to 2026.

In addition to the new platform, a new underpass underneath New Upper Changi Road on the East end of the station is also being constructed, leading to 2 new Exits (Exit 3 near Tanah Merah Kechil Avenue & Exit 4 near the Glades Condo).

Contract T315 – Addition and Alteration Works to Existing Tanah Merah Station and Existing Viaducts was awarded to Lum Chang Building Contractors Pte Ltd for S$325 million in October 2016. The reconfigured viaducts will connect the East West Line to the East Coast Integrated Depot.

This will be the second MRT station in Singapore to have tracks added to its original configuration, the first being Jurong East. Enhancement works commenced in 2016, and were originally expected to be completed in 2024.

Additional Gallery at Page 2.

Future Development – Thomson-East Coast Line Extension

Announced in the Land Transport Master Plan 2040 in May 2019, the present East West Line Changi Branch Line from Changi Airport to Tanah Merah will be converted to be part of the Thomson-East Coast Line Extension by around 2040. This was later revised to Mid-2030s.

Main Article: Changi Branch Line to become part of Thomson-East Coast Line

Modification works would be done under Contract T3206 – Addition and Alteration to Changi Airport Line.

Major Incidents

On 15 December 2020, a 29-year-old Bangladeshi worker was killed at the construction site which was part of Contract T315 – Addition and Alteration Works to Existing Tanah Merah Station and Existing Viaducts. The man and his co-workers were extracting sheet piles when a part of a sheet pile broke and fell on him. He was pronounced dead at the scene by attending paramedics.

Gallery

External Links & References

• Bangladeshi worker dies in accident at LTA construction site next to Changi MRT depot – Straits Times