Kallang MRT station

Kallang MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East–West line (EWL) in Kallang, Singapore. Operated by SMRT Trains, the station primarily serves the Kallang area as well as Lorong 1 Geylang bus terminal. Prior to the opening of Stadium station, this was the closest MRT station to the National Stadium. Like many stations in the eastern portion of the EWL, it has a domed roof, which was done to make the station look "attractive"

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

First announced in May 1982, it commenced operations on 4 November 1989 along with other stations on the eastern stretch of the line. Half-height platform screen doors were installed at the station in 2012, along with high-volume-low-speed fans that following year.  

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] In order to build the viaducts between the tunnel and the station, parts of the Kallang River had to be drained in sections for piling works, though the rest of the works was done similar to how it would be done on land. By May 1988, the viaducts in the Kallang River were already up.^[8] Kallang station opened on 4 November 1989 along with all other EWL segments from Bugis to Tanah Merah.^[9][10] The station was installed with high-volume low-speed fans by the first quarter of 2013.^[11]

Safety

On 16 August 1997, a 48-year-old Caucasian-Singaporean man died after jumping into the path of an oncoming train, which ran him over.^[12] 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.^[13] 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.^[14] Half-height platform screen doors were eventually installed and commenced operations at Kallang station by August 2011.^[15]

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.^[16]

Details

Kallang station is on the EWL with the station number of EW10, situated between Lavender and Aljunied stations.^[17] When it opened, it had the station number of E3^[18] 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.^[19][20] As a part of the EWL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.^[21] Like many stations on the initial MRT network, Kallang has an island platform.^[22]

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".^[23] 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, National Stadium, and the Sri Sivan Temple.^[24][25] Prior to the opening of Stadium MRT station, it was the closest MRT station to the National Stadium, though it was a considerable distance away.^[26] It is still connected to the stadium via a sheltered linkway.^[24] 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^[27] and a rib cage in another article.^[28] The roof was an attempt by the MRT Corporation (MRTC) to give the stations on the EWL an "attractive look".^[29]