Kallang MRT station

Kallang MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East West line in Kallang, Singapore. It is located next to the Kallang River and along Sims Avenue at the junction of Lorong 1 Geylang. Kallang station served as the nearest MRT station to the National Stadium and Singapore Indoor Stadium (now part of the Singapore Sports Hub), until Stadium MRT station on the Circle line opened on 17 April 2010. However, the station is still linked to the Singapore Sports Hub via a sheltered walkway.

Kallang  EW10  加冷 காலாங்
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station
Exit A of Kallang MRT station.
General information
Location	5 Sims Avenue Singapore 387405
Coordinates	1°18′41.29″N 103°52′17.04″E
Operated by	SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Line(s)	East–West Line
Platforms	2 (1 island platform)
Tracks	2
Connections	Lorong 1 Geylang Bus Terminal, Taxi
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Platform levels	1
Parking	No
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	4 November 1989; 35 years ago (1989-11-04)
Electrified	Yes
Previous names	Geylang
Passengers
June 2024	11,515 per day[1]
Services
Preceding station Mass Rapid Transit Following station Aljunied towards Pasir Ris East–West Line Lavender towards Tuas Link
Location Kallang Kallang station in Singapore

Kallang station is the last above-ground station on the eastern section of the East West line for trains travelling westwards. The Lorong 1 Geylang bus terminal is located across the station.

History

Station Platform

Kallang station was first included in the early plans of the MRT system as Geylang station in May 1982,^[2] later announced in October 1983 to be part of Phase II of the MRT as Kallang station.^[3]

There were several joint ventures between companies that prequalified for Contract 302 by May 1985, which detailed the construction for this station, Aljunied station, and a 115m long^[4] viaduct over the Kallang River as well as viaducts from the west side of the river to Paya Lebar station.^[5][6] 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.^[7] Kallang station opened on 4 November 1989 along with all other EWL segments from Bugis to Tanah Merah.^[8][9]

Safety

On 28 December 2005, a 32-year-old Indian man died within minutes after he fell onto the tracks and was subsequently hit by an oncoming west-bound train. The incident occurred at about 3 pm and disrupted train services heading towards Boon Lay for 50 minutes. 4000 passengers had their trips disrupted. The man is believed to have jumped to his death.^[10]

On 25 February 2021, a 31-year-old man died after intruding into the track and was hit by the oncoming east-bound train at around 9pm. The incident took place near a train tunnel 150 metres away from the station and disrupting train services between Bugis and Aljunied from 9pm until end of the service.^[11]

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.^[12] Half-height platform screen doors were eventually installed and commenced operations at Kallang station by August 2011.^[13]

Details

Kallang station is on the EWL with the station number of EW10, situated between Lavender and Aljunied stations.^[14] When it opened, it had the station number of E3^[15] before being changed to its current station code in August 2001 as a part of a system-wide campaign to cater to the expanding MRT System.^[16][17] As a part of the EWL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.^[18] Like many stations on the initial MRT network, Kallang has an island platform.^[19]

Kallang station is named after the area it serves, which may be a corruption of kelang, a Malay term for "factory" or "mill" as there used to be many saw and rice mills in the area. The term also refers to "a shipbuilding place".^[20] The station runs alongside Sims Avenue and is bounded by Lorong 1 Geylang. It has two exits primarily serving the Geylang Lorong 1 Bus Terminal, Upper Boon Keng Market & Food Centre, and the Sri Sivan Temple.^[21][22] Like many EWL stations in the East, Kallang station has a dome-shaped roof; it has been compared by The Straits Times to a caterpillar in one article^[23] and a rib cage in another article.^[24] The roof was an attempt by the MRT Corporation (MRTC) to give the stations on the EWL an "attractive look".^[25]