Marina Bay MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit interchange station on the North South line and Circle line, operated bySMRT Trains. The station is located on the boundary of the Downtown Core and Straits View planning areas in Singapore and was built alongside Bayfront Avenue. As the name suggests, it is located near Marina Bay. Marina Bay station was one of the last stations to be completed in the early phases of the MRT network, opening on 4 November 1989. It was the terminus of the North South line until the line's extension to Marina South Pier in 2014. The station became an interchange station with the Circle line upon the completion of the two-station branch extension to this station from Promenade in January 2012. The station will become a triple-line interchange when Stage 3 of the Thomson–East Coast line opens in 2021.
History
North South Line
The civil Contract 310 for the construction of the cut-and-cover tunnels as well as Marina Bay MRT station was awarded to Gammon-Antara Koh joint venture at a value of S$96.16 million. The construction of the tunnel to the station was rather challenging at the time, as the tunnel went below the Telok Ayer Basin and the station and tunnels were to be built in soft soil. Due to the soft marine clay, open excavation was not possible. Divers had to cut the trenches, where the MRT tunnels were to be laid, in zero visibility and very muddy water. A concrete base for the tunnels was then laid with the water pumped out for the tunnels and the station to be built on. The tunnels were then covered with another layer of concrete before the seabed was refilled. During the construction, a World War II-era bomb was found at the work site. The Singapore Armed Forces Bomb Disposal Unit was called and the bomb was safely detonated elsewhere. The station opened on 4 November 1989 and was the southern terminus of the North South line, until the NSL extension to Marina South Pier station opened in 2014. On 8 January 2006, this station was one of the four stations that participated in Exercise Northstar V.
A two-station extension from Promenade to Marina Bay station was announced on 28 November 2011. The Contract 901 for the construction and completion of Marina Bay CCL station was awarded to Hock Lian Seng Infrastructure Pte. Ltd. for S$348.4 million in February 2008. The scope also included addition and alteration works to the existing North South line Marina Bay station, localised diversions of the East Coast Parkway and Marina Street and the demolition of a vehicular underpass. Construction of the station has started in February 2008 and was completed on schedule by January 2012. During the construction, the entrance to the station had to be relocated for construction works for the Circle line station. The station opened on 14 January 2012, with an opening ceremony the day before.
Circle Line Stage 6
The station was announced on 29 October 2015 as part of Stage 6 of the Circle line. It is one of the two stations, the other being HarbourFront, that will be connected to Stage 6 of the Circle Line, completing the "circle". The Contract 886 for the construction of cut and cover tunnels at Marina Bay Area between the Prince Edward and Marina Bay stations was awarded to Koh Brothers Building & Civil Engineering Contractor Ltd. at a sum of S$255.35million in September 2017. Construction began in 2017, and is expected to be completed by 2025.
On 15 August 2014, LTA announced that Marina Bay station would be part of the proposed Thomson East-Coast line. The station will be constructed as part of Phase 3, consisting of 13 stations between Mount Pleasant and Gardens by the Bay, and is expected to be completed in 2021. The Contract T226 for the design and construction of Marina Bay TEL Station and associated tunnels was awarded to Taisei Corporation at a sum of S$425 million in February 2014. Construction started in 2014, with completion expected in 2021. The scope involves the demolition of the East Coast Parkway and Marina Station Road, which also affects Shenton Way MRT station. Ground freezing was applied for the first time in Singapore rail construction when building the Thomson–East Coast line part of this station, where it crosses underneath the existing North South line and Circle line tunnels.
Incidents
On 15 June 2015, train services between Marina Bay and Marina South Pier Stations was disrupted after a train fault at this station.
On 7 October 2017, a small fire was spotted trackside in the tunnel between this station and Raffles Place MRT station, but it died down by itself. Its cause is not clear, but it might have been linked to a tunnel flood that occurred further up the line.
Station details
Design
The Circle line station was designed by Aedas, Quarry Bay & Aedas Pte Ltd. Visibility, integration and efficiency were the focal points when designing the CCL part of the station, as the station entrances need to integrate into the park where the station is located. The design also has provisions for a future underground pedestrian network and connections to future developments. The translucent canopy acts as a skylight to allow natural light into the underground hall. The large entrance also allows large amounts of natural light to enter the station. To limit the visual impact of the station to the surrounding park landscape, only the lift, escalators, the lightweight ETFE canopy and the reflective pool are visible from street level, giving users a full view of the park from the station entrance. The reflective pool also provides a smooth transition between the exits and the park. The station design was the winner of the Small Project Award at the World Architecture Festival in 2012. Other awards includes the Land Transport Excellence Awards 2012, the 2013 UIPT Asia-Pacific Grow with Public Transport Award and honourable mention for the Singapore Institute of Architects Architectural Design Awards 2012.
Art-in-Transit
The station showcases two artworks as part of the Art-in-Transit programme. The artwork Flowers in Blossom II by Tay Chee Toh was originally hung in Orchard station and was re-commissioned as homage to the legacy of art in Singapore’s MRT train stations. The artwork displays hanging delicate sculptures which resembles flowers. Another artwork, Train Rides on Rainy Days by Nah Yong En, is displayed at the platform level of the station. Fourteen raindrop pictures represent scenes normally seen by commuters as they gaze out of the window from a train during rainy season.
Services
On the North South line, the station is located between Raffles Place and Marina South Pier stations. North South line trains operate every 2–5 minutes from approximately 6:00am to 11.30pm for both directions. On the Circle line, the station is currently the terminus of the Circle line extension, with shuttle services from the station terminating at Stadium MRT station. The shuttle service operates with a frequency of 5–7 minutes on both peak or non-peak hours from 6:00am to 11:25pm.
