The Kranji Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station was built as part of the Woodlands extension line, which connects Choa Chu Kang to Yishun through Woodlands.1 This station is the largest on the Woodlands MRT Line and is designed to handle thousands of people, mostly punters visiting the nearby Singapore Turf Club.2
History
Kranji MRT station, which officially opened in 1996, stands between Yew Tee and Marsiling MRT stations.3The station was built to accommodate the new industrial, residential and recreational developments outlined in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) 1991 Concept Plan.4 The plan aimed to develop northern Singapore into an urban locale, with Woodlands as a regional centre.5
In 1991, the government acquired eight lots of land in the Kranji district to lay the Woodlands MRT Line. Occupied mainly by sawmills, the land spread over 58,500 sq m and was owned by the Jurong Town Corporation (JTC).6 In 1996, 15 plots of land at the Sungei Kadut Industrial Estate were further acquired. At the time of the acquisition, this stretch of land, lying between Yew Tee and Kranji MRT stations, was home to 15 factory operators dealing mainly in heavy industries.7
At the time of construction, the Kranji MRT station was built to serve the huge crowds visiting the Singapore Turf Club. The club, relocated from Bukit Timah Road, is about 300 m from the MRT station.8
Features
With 8,000 punters expected to arrive every half hour during the first few races on race days, some special features were incorporated into the station’s design. One major feature is its size. At over 1,300 sq m, the station is sufficiently spacious to accommodate such a huge crowd. In fact, Kranji MRT station is the largest station on the Woodlands MRT Line. The station has 20 automatic fare-collection gates – twice more than the usual number – to speed up passenger flow. Other features include a bigger entrance lobby, a covered walkway linking the station to the turf club, more ticket-vending machines, four escalators and two flights of stairs.9
In the early days, the flow of traffic decided the direction of the escalators on race days. As punters arrived before the races, all the escalators were programmed to move downwards only to bring commuters from the elevated platform to the ground level. After the races, the escalators would move upwards only. On the whole, the station is designed to handle a crowd as huge as 50,000 throughout the day.10
In 2012, the station was installed with half-height screen doors to enhance commuter safety and to reduce the incidences of track intrusion.11
Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja
References
1. Leong, C. T. (1991, February 26). Work on Woodlands MRT line to begin later this year. The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. Leong, C. T. (1995, June 1). Kranji MRT station to handle race crowds. The Straits Times, p. 22. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. Tan, C. (1992, November 19). Another station added to Woodlands MRT line. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
4. Four centres to ease pressure on business hub. (1991, September 12). The Business Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
5. More than just new towns. (1993, August 14). The Straits Times, p. 3; Abdul Hadhi. (1997, March 21). Woodlands to be made a regional centre. The Business Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. Sawmills to make way for MRT line. (1991, September 30). The Business Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
7. Yeow, P. L. (1996, January 3). Factory land along Woodlands MRT line to be acquired. The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. Leong, C. T. (1995, June 01). Kranji MRT station to handle race crowds. The Straits Times, p. 22. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
9. Leong, C. T. (1995, June 01). Kranji MRT station to handle race crowds. The Straits Times, p. 22. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
10. Leong, C. T. (1995, June 01). Kranji MRT station to handle race crowds. The Straits Times, p. 22. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
11. Screen doors now up at all MRT surface stations. (2012, March 15). Today. Retrieved from Factiva via NLB’s eResources website: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/
Further resources
Rashiwala, K. (1995, December 8). Work on racecourse at Kranji gets under way. The Straits Times, p. 68. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
Woodlands commuters get real-time timetables. (1995, April 29). The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
Woodlands MRT construction on track as planned. (1993, May 8). The Business Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
Yeo, G. (1996, February 8). MRT shops: What works and why. The Straits Times, p. 43. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
Yeow, P. L. (1996, January 3). Factory land along Woodlands MRT line to be acquired. The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
The information in this article is valid as at 2016 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
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