Kranji MRT station is an elevated Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North–South Line (NSL). Situated in Sungei Kadut, Singapore along Woodlands Road, it serves the Singapore Turf Club and the Woodlands Wafer Fabrication Park. The station is operated by SMRT Trains.
Originally not part of the Woodlands MRT extension plans, Kranji station was later included in November 1992. Completed along with the other Woodlands extension stations on 10 February 1996, it is the largest among the stations, designed to handle a large volume of visitors to the Singapore Turf Club. Designed with a kampung-style roof, the station is integrated with other transportation modes and serves cross-border bus services to Johor Bahru.
History
Exterior of the station
After the Branch line (from the Jurong East to Choa Chu Kang stations) opened in 1990, the Woodlands MRT line was envisioned so as to connect between Yishun and Choa Chu Kang stations.[6][7] Initially not part of the first four stations announced for the extension,[8] the station was later included on 19 November 1992 to serve future housing estates in the area and the Singapore Turf Club,[9][10] which was to be relocated near the station to free up land at its original site in Bukit Timah.[11]
Prior to the construction, eight plots of land owned by the Jurong Town Corporation were acquired by the government in September 1991 to construct the segment between Yew Tee and Kranji.[10][12] In July 1992, part of a hill along Woodlands Avenue 3 had to be removed using explosives to make way for a viaduct connecting between Marsiling and Kranji. The removal of the hill slope took six months and cost S$1.5 million (1992) (US$920,829.16).[13][14] The contract for the construction of Kranji station, along with the adjacent Yew Tee station, 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) of track and two substations, was awarded to a joint venture between Penta Ocean Construction and Hexagon Construction Pte Ltd at S$131.5 million (1992) (US$80.73 million) in December 1992.[15]
Platform level of the station
In May 1993, then Communications Minister Mah Bow Tan made his first visit to the station site, along with the Marsiling and Sembawang stations.[14][16] Mah revisited the site on 28 April 1995 along with the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC) chairman Wesley D'aranjo and Minister of State for Communications Goh Chee Wee.[17] The station opened on 10 February 1996 along with the other stations on the Woodlands Extension.[18][19]
Kranji station was the last station to have half-height platform screen doors installed on 14 March 2012 as part of the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) programme to improve safety in MRT stations.[20][21][22] Between 2012 and 2013, high-volume low-speed fans were installed at this station as part of a network-wide programme to improve ventilation at the platforms of elevated stations.[23] As part of efforts to improve the overall accessibility of public transport, the overhead pedestrian bridge near Kranji and other stations[a] have lifts installed to improve barrier-free accessibility to major transport nodes.[24] The lifts were installed progressively in 2013.[25][26]
Station details
The spacious concourse level of the station
Kranji station serves the North–South Line and is situated between the Yew Tee and Marsiling stations. The official station code is NS7.[27] Being part of the NSL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[28] Situated along Woodlands Road, the station has four entrances.[29] Kranji station is linked to the nearby Singapore Turf Club via a sheltered walkway[30] and is close to Takeda Singapore Manufacturing Plant, the Kranji Water Reclamation Plant and the Woodlands Wafer Fabrication Park.[1][29]
Like all stations on the Woodlands Extension, it has a kampung-style roof.[31] The station is integrated with other transportation modes, with longer sheltered bus bays of 36 m (118 ft) that can accommodate up to three buses, alongside taxi stands and parking for 20 bicycles.[2] The station serves cross-border bus services to Johor Bahru.[32][33]
Designed to accommodate crowds visiting Singapore Turf Club during race events, Kranji station is the largest station on the Woodlands extension. The 1,300 m2 (14,000 sq ft) concourse level is three times larger than those at other stations with many fare gates to allow efficient crowd flow. The station has twice the number of escalators and stairs (four escalators and two stairs) and the direction of the escalators could be varied depending on the crowd flow.[30] Initially without shops due to the lack of residential developments,[34] there are now retail shops at the first level of the station as part of the SMRT Shop & Dine Concept.[35][36]
^ ab"Kranji MRT Station (NS7)". OneMap. Singapore Land Authority. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
^ abc"Step off the bus and into the MRT station". The Straits Times. 31 January 1996. p. 19.
^"LTA Completes Station Upgrading Project Making NSEW MRT Lines Barrier Free". lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
^"An Inclusive Public Transport System". lta.gov.sg. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^"Land Transport DataMall". Datamall. Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
^"MRTC considering extending line to Woodlands". The Straits Times. 11 March 1988. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020.
^"Woodlands MRT line | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. National Library Board. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
^"New MRT stations named". The Business Times. 20 November 1991. p. 4.
^"Another station added to Woodlands MRT line". The Straits Times. 19 November 1992. p. 1. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
^ abThulaja, Naidu Ratnala (11 November 2003). "Kranji MRT station". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. National Library Board Singapore. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
^"Turf Club to move to Kranji close to proposed MRT station". The Straits Times. 18 March 1993.
^"Sawmills to make way for MRT line". The Business Times. 30 September 1991.
^"Work on Woodlands MRT extension to start in July". The Straits Times. 11 June 1992.
^ ab"Woodlands MRT line ready by '96 as planned". The Straits Times. 8 May 1993.
^"MRT awards 4 contracts worth $365m". The Straits Times. 23 December 1992. p. 39. Retrieved 7 October 2022 – via NewspaperSG.
^"Woodlands MRT construction on track as planned". Business Times. 8 May 1993.
^"Woodlands commuters get real-time timetables". The Straits Times. 29 April 1995.
^Goh, Chok Tong (10 February 1996). "Speech by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the Opening of Woodlands MRT Line on Saturday, 10 February 1996 at 10.00 AM" (PDF). National Archives of Singapore. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
^"Crowds came from as far as Hougang and Jurong". The Straits Times. 11 February 1996.
^"Platform screen doors for all above-ground MRT stations by 2012". The Straits Times. 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 28 January 2008.
^"Speech by Mr Raymond Lim, Minister for Transport, at the Visit to Kim Chuan Depot, 25 January 2008, 9.00am". Ministry of Transport (Press release). 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
^"LTA completes installing elevated MRT station screen doors early". Channel NewsAsia. 14 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
^"Enhancing Connectivity and Comfort for Commuters". lta.gov.sg. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
^ ab"Improving Accessibility to Public Transport Network Lifts at Selected Pedestrian Overhead Bridges near MRT stations". lta.gov.sg. 8 March 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
^"LTA Installing Lifts at Pedestrian Overhead Bridges at Six MRT Stations". lta.gov.sg. 9 July 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013.
^"Installing Lifts at Pedestrian Overhead Bridges (POBs) Road & Commuter Facilities Projects Roads & Motoring Land Transport Authority". lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012.
^"MRT System Map" (PDF). lta.gov.sg. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
^"Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^ ab"Kranji – Map". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
^ ab"Kranji MRT station to handle race crowds". The Straits Times. 1 June 1995. p. 22.
^"Residents prepare for easier life with Woodlands MRT line". The Straits Times. 21 January 1996. p. 24. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
^"Cross Border Bus Services Between Singapore & JB". Causeway Link. 8 September 2020. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
^"Bus Service Information". SBSTransit. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
^"More retail spaces for Woodlands MRT stops". The Straits Times. 10 December 1992. p. 26.
^"SMRT Shops > Locate a Store > North-South Line". SMRT Shops. 4 February 2015. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
^"Kranji – Shop & Dine". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
External links
Official website
Media related to Kranji MRT Station at Wikimedia Commons