Paya Lebar MRT station is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the East West line (EWL) and Circle line (CCL) in Geylang, Singapore. Despite the name, this station is not located in Paya Lebar but rather along Paya Lebar Road, near the junction with Sims Avenue. It is located among the developments of the Paya Lebar Central commercial hub and near the Geylang Serai district.
The station opened on 4 November 1989 as part of the MRT eastern line extension to Tanah Merah station. The EWL station exterior has the characteristic dome-shaped segmented roof also seen on other elevated EWL stations. The station later interchanges with the Circle line on 17 April 2010, and was the first MRT station to serve both an elevated line and an underground line.
History
East-West Line
East West line platforms
Paya Lebar station was first announced in May 1982 in the initial MRT plans.[2] It was later announced that the station would be part of Phase II of the MRT system in October 1983.[3]
There were several joint ventures between companies that prequalified for Contract 303 and Contract 302 by May 1985. Contract 303 initially detailed the construction of Paya Lebar station as well as a viaduct from Paya Lebar to Eunos station whilst Contract 302 detailed the construction of the station's viaducts.[4][5] Ultimately, Contract 302 was awarded to Lee Kim Tah Ltd. at a contract sum of S$59.52 million in November 1985. The contractor had partnered with a French company Societe Generale D'Enterprises Sainrapt Et Brice (SGE) for the construction. The contract also included the construction of the Kallang and Aljunied stations.[6] Contract 303 was awarded to a Japanese-Singaporean joint venture between the Okumura Corporation and Oh Teck Thye for S$60 million (1985) (US$27.27 million) in December 1985,[7] with Okumara having 60% interest in the contract whilst Oh Teck Thye having 40%.[8] By then, the contract expanded to include the construction of Eunos station as well as viaducts to Kembangan station.[7] Work began in the same month.[8] However, on 30 December 1986, the joint venture for Contract 303 was terminated, with the Okumura Corporation undertaking all the responsibilities of Contract 303 and Oh Teck Thye to cease all interests in said contract.[9] It was later found out that Oh Teck Thye owed S$3 million (1987) (US$1.42 million) to the United Overseas Bank (UOB) and was placed under receivership when it failed to repay its debts.[10] Meanwhile, Okumura requested to take over Oh Teck Thye's part of the contract. It was described to have been "the first case of a joint-venture split in the MRT Project".[8] By February 1986, 41% of the contract has been completed.[10] The station had an expected opening date of 18 November 1989[11] but was opened on 4 November 1989.[12][13][14]
As with most of the elevated stations along the East-West line, the station was initially built without platform screen doors. Following a rise in track intrusions as well as commuters slipping when rushing for the train, the LTA and SMRT decided to install platform screen doors.[15] After several successful tests at Jurong East, Yishun and Pasir Ris, half-height platform screen doors were eventually installed and commenced operations at Paya Lebar station by March 2012.[16] In addition, high-volume low-speed fans were installed and started operations since 14 July that year together with Kembangan station.[17] Privacy screens were installed at some parts from Paya Lebar Road all the way to Geylang East Central, to minimise the noise impact from residents since October 2016 and completed in May 2017.[18]
Circle Line
Circle line platforms
Contract 823 for the construction of Paya Lebar station was awarded to Lum Chang Building Contractors Pte Ltd-Nishimatsu Construction Co. Ltd. joint venture at a contract sum of S$322 million. The contract also includes the construction of the Mountbatten and Dakota stations. Construction of the station started in August 2002.[19][20][21][22]
On 16 March 2003, several roads around the station, including Paya Lebar Road, Eunos Avenue 5 and Tanjong Katong Road, were converted to one-way traffic to facilitate the construction. A bus stop was also temporary relocated in front of Singapore Post Centre.[23] A stretch of Sims Avenue was also temporarily realigned from 26 August 2003 until two months later.[24] When the roads were reinstated, an extra lane for each direction of Paya Lebar Road was added.[25]
The Circle line station faced a major civil engineering challenge with regard to the underpinning of two existing EWL viaduct pillars.[26] The pillars foundations were obstructing the construction works needed for the station.[22] This was the first time such an operation was conducted in Singapore, especially on a live, heavy-capacity MRT line. A concrete wall, a concrete beam and a powerful jacking device were used to transfer the load of the viaduct to other structures. It was followed by the removal of the old piles and construction of new piles to support the viaduct. Many monitoring devices were installed and key engineers looked out for any potential breaches. Additional materials and tools were on standby if the pillars start to tilt when the piles were cut, and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) worked out emergency procedures with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).[26] The underpinning works were carried out successfully.[22]
The Circle line station opened on 17 April 2010 when the line extended to Dhoby Ghaut station.[27][28][29]
Incidents
On 4 April 2007, a man died after being hit by a train along the East West line sector at about 10:20 am. Police said the victim, a 52-year-old Chinese man, was pronounced dead by paramedics at 10:45 am. East-bound services were disrupted for 41 minutes but resumed by 11:02 am.[30]
Station details
Services
The station serves the EWL between the Eunos and Aljunied stations, and the CCL between the Dakota and MacPherson stations.[31] Being part of both the EWL and CCL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[32] On the EWL, the station operates between 5:47am (6.13am on Sundays and public holidays) and 12:22am. On the CCL, the station operates between 5:40am (6.07am on Sundays and public holidays) and 12:26am.[33][34]
Design
The EWL station exterior before the construction of the surrounding developments.
Like most EWL elevated stations on the eastern segment on the line (after Kallang station), Paya Lebar station has the notable feature of the dome-shaped roof, segmented like a caterpillar, over the platform level. The design was an attempt by the MRT Corporation (MRTC) to give the stations on the EWL an "attractive look".[35]
The CCL station design, like all stations on the line, takes into account certain factors such as safety, comfort and convenience, in addition to giving them a stylish modern outlook. The standardised layouts for the stations also make it simpler for commuters to navigate around. Paya Lebar station is also among the few stations with Y-shaped columns supporting the station structure.[36] In addition, there are barrier-free transfers between the EWL and CCL. The CCL station itself, like the other stations on the line, has features such as lifts and wider faregates to make them accessible for wheelchair users.[37]
A train for Caldecott that is about to arrive at the CCL middle platform.
The CCL station contains three platforms, however only the two outer platforms are in active operation. The middle platform is used by terminating trains before they return to the depot or occasionally trains turning back in the opposite direction. This arrangement is similar to Ang Mo Kio MRT station.[38]
Public art
Art Seats Matrix at the Paya Lebar CCL platforms.
The artwork The Signs of Times by Salleh Japar is showcased at the concourse level of the CCL station as part of the Art-in-Transit programme. The artwork showcases abstract pictographs reflecting the varying periods of Paya Lebar's developments from a rural village to a satellite town. Some icons used includes pigs in a pig sty and an aeroplane taking flight from a nearby airport.[39][40]
The station also features Art Seats, which have creative design to enhance the commuters' experience on the line.[41] Two entries were selected through the International Art Seats Design Competition in 2006. The first entry – Matrix, which received the top prize in the international competition – consists of a series of benches engraved with the name of the station in a dot-matrix style on the seat surface. Another entry, Rain, showcases steel seats in the shape of water puddles. These seats are also displayed in the other CCL interchange stations.[42]
The station is linked directly by underpass to multiple shopping malls in the area, including Paya Lebar Quarter and Paya Lebar Square. Malls and other building in the vicinity that are not linked directly by underpass include SingPost Centre and Lifelong Learning Institute.[45] Exit C provides access to Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery, Sri Sivan Temple and Masjid Wak Tanjong. Exit D provides access to City Plaza, Geylang Road and Wisma Geylang Serai.[46]
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