Wikipedia

Lentor MRT station

Lentor MRT station (/ˈlɛntɔːr/ LEN-tor) is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL). It is situated in northern Ang Mo Kio, Singapore, underneath Lentor Drive. The station serves various residential estates such as Lentor Estate and Teacher's Estate, as well as landmarks such as Anderson Primary School and the Saint Thomas Orthodox Syrian Cathedral.

 TE5 
Lentor
伦多
லென்ட்டோர்
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Platform level of Lentor station with the featured artwork
General information
Location1 Lentor Drive
Singapore 789361
Coordinates1°23′05″N 103°50′12″E / 1.3846°N 103.8368°E / 1.3846; 103.8368
Owned byLand Transport Authority
Operated bySMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Line(s)
  Thomson–East Coast Line
Platforms2 (1 island platform)
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Platform levels1
AccessibleYes
History
Opened28 August 2021; 2 years ago (2021-08-28)
ElectrifiedYes
Previous namesLentor Green, Teacher's Estate[1][2]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station
Springleaf
towards Woodlands North
 Thomson–East Coast Line Mayflower
towards Gardens by the Bay
Location
Singapore MRT/LRT system map
Singapore MRT/LRT system map
Lentor
Lentor station in Singapore

First announced in August 2012 as part of the Thomson line (TSL), the station was constructed as part of TEL Phase 2 (TEL2) after plans for the TSL and the Eastern Region line (ERL) were merged. The station was built using the top-down method; the works had to avoid damaging the major telecommunication cables at the working site. Along with the TEL2 stations, Lentor opened on 28 August 2021 and features an Art-in-Transit artwork Interlude by Tan Guo-Liang.

History edit

 
Station entrance under construction prior to opening

Lentor station was first announced as part of the 22-station Thomson line (TSL) on 29 August 2012.[3][4] In October 2013, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) awarded Contract T209 for the design and construction of Lentor station and associated tunnels to China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group Co. Ltd (Singapore Branch) at S$247 million (US$197.4 million). The station's construction began in 2014, with a scheduled completion date of 2020.[5]

On 15 August 2014, the LTA announced that the TSL would merge with the Eastern Region line to form the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL). Lentor station, part of the proposed line, would be constructed as part of TEL2, consisting of six stations between Springleaf and Caldecott.[6][7] The station was constructed using the top-down method to minimise impact to the surrounding developments. The workers conducted an extensive survey to locate the network of utility services at the construction site. This prevents disruption affecting the area.[8] Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong inaugurated the station's groundbreaking ceremony on 6 September.[9]

In the early morning of 1 March 2018, a 48-year-old construction worker died after falling from a working platform, 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) above the ground, while working in a tunnel leading to the station.[10] Prior to the incident, four other workers were dismantling components of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) after finishing tunneling works.[10] A component of the TBM, a man-lock chamber, was being lowered using chain blocks when it abruptly swung, striking the platform that the worker was standing on.[10][11][12]

With restrictions imposed on construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TEL 2 completion date was pushed to 2021.[13] On 14 December 2020, it was further announced that the opening of TEL 2 was delayed to the third quarter of 2021 so the rail system software for the line could be reviewed.[14][15][16] As announced during a visit by Transport Minister S. Iswaran at Caldecott station on 30 June 2021,[17] the station began operations on 28 August 2021.[18]

Station details edit

Station interior
 
Station concourse
 
Station linkway to Exits 4 and 5

Lentor station serves the TEL and is between Springleaf and Mayflower stations. The official station code is TE5.[19] Being part of the TEL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[20] Train frequencies on the TEL range from 5 to 9 minutes.[21] The station is located underneath Lentor Drive near the junction with Yio Chu Kang Road.[22] The five entrances of Lentor station serve the surrounding residential areas of Lentor Estate and Teacher’s Estate,[8] as well as landmarks such as Anderson Primary School, First Evangelical Reformed Church and Saint Thomas Orthodox Syrian Cathedral.[23]

Designed by SAA Architects, the station design is inspired by the greenery covering Yio Chu Kang Road. The station columns resemble tree structures branching out to support the roof, with timbre panels that allow natural light into the station, similar to rainforest canopies.[24] The station is a designated Civil Defence (CD) shelter and contains a reinforced structure with blast doors. During a chemical attack, the air vents of the station can be shut to prevent the circulation of toxic gases. The CD shelter has dedicated cubicles for chemical decontamination alongside dry toilets.[25]

Lentor station features an Art-in-Transit artwork: Interlude by Tan Guo-Liang.[26] The work, created using mesh fabric, depicts musical notes and calligraphic scripts. Tan intended for his work to be viewed as a "visual poem", and he was inspired by the streets named after prominent poets, such as Rabindranath Tagore, According to the artist, the curved lines on the artwork added further significance to the piece, as the station name "Lentor" means "flexible" in Malay.[27]

References edit

  1. ^ "LTA | News Room | News Releases | Public Poll for Thomson Line Station Names". LTA. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  2. ^ "LTA | News Room | News Releases | Thomson Line Station Names Finalised". LTA. Archived from the original on 6 January 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  3. ^ Sim, Royston (29 August 2012). "New Thomson MRT line to open from 2019, and have 22 stations". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Thomson Line to open from 2019 with 22 stations". Channel NewsAsia (CNA). 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  5. ^ "LTA Awards Four Contracts for Thomson Line". LTA. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 7 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Joint News Release by the Land Transport Authority & Singapore Land Authority – Thomson-East Coast Line: New MRT Links in the East". LTA. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Thomson–East Coast Line". LTA. 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Factsheet: Progress Update on Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 2". LTA. 17 January 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  9. ^ "PM Lee Hsien Loong at the Groundbreaking Ceremony of Lentor MRT Station". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Lim, Adrian (2 March 2018). "Worker killed in Lentor MRT worksite accident". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Construction worker killed in accident at Lentor MRT station worksite". CNA. 1 March 2018. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  12. ^ "LTA Media Statement: Incident at Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) Lentor Station Worksite". LTA. 1 March 2018. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Second stage of Thomson-East Coast Line to open early 2021 after delays due to COVID-19: Ong Ye Kung". CNA. 4 September 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  14. ^ Ho, Grace (14 December 2020). "Stage 2 of Thomson-East Coast Line to be delayed by another six months to Q3 2021: LTA". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  15. ^ "Stage 2 of Thomson-East Coast Line to be delayed by another six months". The Business Times. 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  16. ^ "Second stage of Thomson-East Coast Line further delayed to third quarter next year". CNA. 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  17. ^ Abdullah, Zhaki (30 June 2021). "Second stage of Thomson-East Coast Line to begin operations on Aug 28". CNA. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  18. ^ Begum, Shabana (28 August 2021). "Commuters on first trains at new TEL2 stations reminisce about inaugural 1980s MRT rides". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  19. ^ "MRT System Map" (PDF). LTA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". LTA. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  21. ^ Toh, Ting Wei (27 August 2021). "Thomson-East Coast Line stage two opens on Aug 28; trains to arrive every five minutes at peak hours". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  22. ^ "Lentor MRT Station (TE5)". OneMap. Singapore Land Authority. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Lentor – Exits". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Lentor Station – SAA Architects". SAA Architects. Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  25. ^ Yong, Clement (28 August 2021). "3 new TEL train stations to serve as emergency shelters". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  26. ^ Wei, Toh Ting (20 August 2021). "Unique designs, seats with backrest among features at new Thomson-East Coast Line stations". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  27. ^ "Banyan trees and bulbuls: How Thomson-East Coast Line Stage 2 stations were inspired by nature". CNA. 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.

External links edit

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