Mayflower MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL) in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore. Situated underneath Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, the station serves various landmarks including the Kebun Baru Heights Estate, Kebun Baru Community Centre, and CHIJ Saint Nicholas Girls' School.
First announced in August 2012 as part of the Thomson Line (TSL), the station was constructed as part of TEL Phase 2 (TEL2) with the merger of the TSL and the Eastern Region Line (ERL). Building the station required multiple traffic diversions while having to construct the station along the slope. Opening on 28 August 2021 along with the TEL2 stations, Mayflower station features a unique honeycomb motif and is decorated with bird sculptures as part of the Art-in-Transit artwork in the station.
History
Exit 6 of the station nearing completion during its construction
Mayflower station was first announced as part of the 22-station Thomson Line (TSL) on 29 August 2012.[4][5] In October 2013, the contract for the design and construction of Mayflower station was awarded to Gammon Construction Limited Singapore Branch at S$174 million (US$137.3 million). The station's construction began in 2014, with a scheduled completion date of 2020.[6][7]
On 15 August 2014, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that the TSL would merge with the Eastern Region Line to form the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL). Mayflower station, along the proposed line, would be constructed as part of TEL2, consisting of six stations between Springleaf and Caldecott.[8][9] Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong inaugurated the station's groundbreaking ceremony on 6 September.[10]
Since the station is directly underneath Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, its construction required traffic to be diverted in 15 phases.[11][12] The sloping topography created height differences, which made it difficult to position the working platforms for the boring rigs and cranes to be used for the construction. Barriers were installed to minimise noise pollution, with workers draping noise curtains on heavy machinery.[13]
With restrictions imposed on construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TEL2 completion date was pushed to 2021.[14] On 14 December 2020, it was further announced that the opening of TEL2 was delayed to the third quarter of 2021 so the rail system software for the line could be reviewed.[15][16][17] As announced during a visit by Transport Minister S. Iswaran at Caldecott station on 30 June 2021,[18] the station began operations on 28 August 2021.[19]
Station details
Station Interior
Concourse level
Bird sculptures at the platform level as part of the Art-in-Transit artwork
Mayflower station serves the TEL and is between the Lentor and Bright Hill stations. The official station code is TE6.[20] Being part of the TEL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[21] Train frequencies on the TEL range from 3 to 6 minutes.[22] Mayflower station has seven entrances, the most among the TEL2 stations.[23] These entrances connect to the various landmarks nearby, including Kebun Baru Community Club, Mayflower Market & Food Centre, Ang Mo Kio Joint Temple and Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church. Educational institutions around the station include CHIJ Saint Nicholas Girls' School and Mayflower Secondary School.[24]
Designed by Ong&Ong, the linkways, roof panels and the entrances feature hexagonal motifs inspired by the honeycomb.[25][26] The entrances are barrier-free, allowing easier access for elderly residents in the area.[11] Reflecting the area's heritage as a songbird-watching community, the station is decorated with 22 bird sculptures as part of an Art-in-Transit artwork by Song-Ming Ang. The bird sculptures depict the seven species of birds that are kept as pets in Singapore, including the Oriental white-eye, the red-whiskered bulbul and the zebra dove.[27]
Mayflower 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.[28]
References
^"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.
^"LTA | News Room | News Releases | Thomson Line Station Names Finalised". LTA. Archived from the original on 6 January 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
^"Land Transport DataMall". Datamall. Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
^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.
^"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.
^"LTA Awards Four Contracts for Thomson Line". LTA. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 7 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
^"Project Details". Gammon Construction Limited. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
^"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.
^"Thomson–East Coast Line". LTA. 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
^"PM Lee Hsien Loong at the Groundbreaking Ceremony of Mayflower MRT Station". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
^ ab"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.
^Tan, Christopher (1 July 2021). "Second stage of Thomson-East Coast line to start running on Aug 28". The New Paper. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
^Wei, Toh Ting (16 August 2021). "Treading a fine line in building Thomson-East Coast Line stations". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
^"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.
^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.
^"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.
^"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.
^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.
^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.
^"MRT System Map" (PDF). LTA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
^"Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". LTA. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^"LTA | MRT/LRT". www.lta.gov.sg. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
^Lim, Adrian (5 November 2014). "Get in and out more easily at MRT stations on new line". MyPaper 我报. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
^"Mayflower – Exits". SMRT Journeys. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
^"TEL – Mayflower MRT, Singapore". Ong&Ong. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
^Sajan, Chantal (29 February 2020). "Mayflower station: Inspired by residents watching songbirds". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
^"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.
^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.
External links
Media related to Mayflower MRT Station at Wikimedia Commons