Bayfront MRT opens...

Another new train station opens!

The Bayfront MRT Station opened over the weekend. It's part of the Circle Line.  Or rather the incomplete Circle Line which you need to change trains two times if you want to go a full circle. ;-)

I took it today and found it super convenient for those who wants to go to Marina Bay Sands!
You literally walk out to the basement of the Hotel side.




Looking at the photo, I like the lamp posts!
Kind of artistic isn't it?

SMRT Carnival @ Holland Village Station

The Circle Line fully opens today and there's a carnival at the Holland Village station.
These two photos were taken in the evening.



Some time ago, when the authorities said that there's going to be a "Real" park instead of a "car" park, many people wondered how is it possible to have a park? Isn't the area too small?

By the looks of it yesterday, it seems it is a good idea to have a park there! It's not that big, but the greenery's a good change. Looking at trees and grass does makes the place more pleasing.



Earlier in the day, a group of "makan kakis" went for a Circle Line makan trail. It was fun to eat and also meet some 'twitter' friends in person!

Let's hope more lines and stations will be built. I am waiting for the station that's being constructed near by home to be ready. 5 more years of waiting!

Botanic Garden Wavy Design Overhead Bridge

Have been noticing the wavy design of the new Botanic Garden overhead bridge spans across 2 major roads, the Bukit Timah Road and Dunearn Road. It connects to the new Botanic Garden MRT Station that will open in October 2011.



The wavy design catches the eye. Probably the nicer one along Bukit Timah Road!

A notice on the bridge says it will open in a few days time. I think it's either the 3 or 11 September, I forgot to write it down or take a photo of it.

For old folks and parents with children on prams, who can't climb the stairs, this overhead bridge has a lift at both ends. (Finally, they are listening and installing new overhead bridges that will make people use it).

Stadium Station at night.

This is the Stadium MRT Station at night.

It is kind of unique don't you think?
It's like a huge hangar and it looks like an airplane can park in there!




The entrance to the station is so bright, it's as if the folks I was with was like fireflies attracted to the lights!

Orchard MRT

I think structures that is made out of glass are really gorgeous and catches people's attention.
Err.... Maybe only mine. Some people are oblivious to their surroundings, don't you think so? ;-p

Have you thought about it? It looks so simple, yet each piece of glass has to be specially moulded so that it can be assembled nicely to look like this. Glass is really versatile eh? Look at the curves for each piece of it.





I think this is the most interesting entrance to any MRT stations in Singapore. (It's the entrance to the Orchard MRT Station)

Do you think it looks like an octopus head?

MRT trains need to sleep, but they sleep really early....

It's night time as you can see. It was around 11 PM.
Most trains have returned 'home' to their 'beds' to rest till the next morning.
Trains sleep early in Singapore.




I wonder when will Singapore get almost 24 hours of train service. We were told the tracks needs maintenance. Probably when the new lines open next year, they could try operate 24 hours but during say the 2 to 5 am hours, the system only runs 75% of the lines.

Commuters can still get around by going the 'long route'. They can traveling a longer route by circling around the lines or transferring between lines. Eg Buona Vista to Outram Park on the Green Line can be close for maintenance. Commuters can take the Yellow Line to get to the same destination. Those planners can think of the timing of closure right?

It's just like how the Underground in London always have closures of certain lines, but commuters still can get around by transferring around.

Digging and drilling 24 hours.....

I walked past Beauty World Plaza and saw this machine piling. Look! It's so near the building!
Oh.. the poor folks working or staying in that building, all the inconvenience and the noise.



Work on this Beauty World Staion on the Downtown Line is on 24 hours shifts too!
They do take a break though. They rest on Sunday nights.

Usually for huge projects like this, either Discovery Channel or National Geographic Channel will be filming the project progress. I wonder which company is doing it for this Downtown Line project?

I enjoy watching them on TV. Eg Extreme Engineering on Discovery or National Geographic's Megastructures.  For this project, I wonder how long is the wait before it's finally aired on TV.

CC2 Bras Basah Station

Many people do not know that this "pool of water" just opposite the Singapore Arts Museum is the 'roof' of the Bras Basah Station below!




It lets natural light in to the station below. It will definitely save on lighting cost for this station!
As the sun's ray passes through the water, it creates a rippling effect below.




Bras Basah translated into English means Wet Rice. Do you think the lines in the water feature resembles a 'modern look' paddy/rice field in the first photo above?




This station won the World Architecture Festival - World Transport Building of the Year under the Transport category in 2009.

CC6 on the Circle Line - Stadium Station

On the Circle Line MRT Line, most stations are BORING!
There are exceptions though. One of the nicer station is "CC6 - Stadium".

Doesn't it look really sleek from the outside?




The long curvy structure and the choice of materials used, don't you think it looks like some modern art gallery?




It's also one of the few stations with really high ceilings.

Does the prints on the tall glass looks familiar?
I thought they look similar to the ones on Nestle Milo tins, do you also think so?




View from the train platform to the entrance of the station.




The view from the top. I like the natural light that flows in.
Is it able to handle the crowd when there are events at the stadiums outside?At least with lots of people inside, you won't feel claustrophobic. :-)




I don't think I will use the Circle Line often. I am waiting for the Downtown Line to be ready.

Light at the end of the 'circle line' tunnel

Two days ago, there was a sneak peak of the 11 stations along the Circle Line that will be open on 17 April 2010. The event was called the Circle Line Discovery.

I was there with thousands of curious people, all wanting to see how the stations will look like. We also got to see how the tunnels looked as the tunnel lights were switched on.

This photo is taken inside the first/last carriage of the train.



We saw light at the end of the tunnel! (ya I hear you say that's so corny...)

This is at the Dhoby Ghaut station, which is the first station of the line, and it has the station code "CC1".

Boring... Digging holes in the ground is called Boring!

Digging big holes in the ground is boring.
I mean digging holes in the ground is called boring.




Sorry, but I can't help not taking the photos and posting it up. haha..
Just hope they can speed up the process and finish the Downtown Line as soon as they possibly can!

Orchard Road MRT Entrance

The alien shell like thing looks nice eh?

Humans are all attracted to it and are going into it. Why?

Aliens have made the call and all these humans have been hypnotized and marching into the alien spaceship. LOL



It's the entrance to the Orchard MRT Station.
I think it looks very nice ;-)

Haw Par Villa Station

Was passing by the overhead bridge to Haw Par Villa. Saw that the construction has progressed a lot.

They look like they are at the top most level and might cover up this huge hole they have created.



Most probably the road diversion might end and it will be a straight road again. ;-)

Beauty World Station

Beauty World is one Singapore musical written about a Malaysian girl from Batu Pahat coming to Singapore to search for her father in the 1960s. But that's the musical.

Beauty World also refers to two 'archaic' shopping centre at Upper Bukit Timah in Singapore. There's Bukit World Plaza and Bukit World Shopping Centre. When you step into it, you might think you stepped into the 60s or 70s (or maybe 80s) Singapore. LOL...



Now there's an additional Beauty World. Beauty World MRT Station. It's suppose to be ready in 2015. With the new MRT lines having beautifully designed stations, I wonder how this station will look like.

Raffles Place MRT Station - EW14 / NS26

This is one of the many entrances / exits at the Raffles Place MRT Station (Station Code: EW14 / NS26). Raffles Place Interchange is one of the main interchange in the Singapore train system, and also one of the busiest too.



This photo is of the main entrance/exit, which has the colonial style architecture, and facing the Raffles Gardens.

Do you know how many entrance/exits are there in this station? Hint here.


If you have a Mass Rapid Transit system in your city, which is the busiest station?

MRT Station in the Jungle (yes, those with trees)

No, Singapore is not all concrete jungle. There are real green trees, and there is even a MRT station (Dover) built right in the middle of the jungle! Yes, you can go take a train, get off and you are right in the rain forest. haha...

It's hazy these few days, so the pictures are not as clear and crisp that it is suppose to be. Wait for the haze season to be over, and I shall retake the picture.

You can read more about the Singapore Train System at www.smrt.com.sg and www.sbstransit.com.sg