Napier MRT station

History

Napier Station was first announced on 29 August 2012 as part of the then-planned Thomson Line (TSL). Contract T217 for the design and construction of Napier Station and associated tunnels was awarded to Sinohydro Corporation Ltd. (Singapore Branch) at S$189 million (US$ million) in November 2013. Construction started in 2014, with an expected completion date of 2021. Despite alternatives proposed in a naming poll, Napier retained its name on 27 June 2014.

On 15 August 2014, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that the TSL would merge with the Eastern Region Line to form the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL). Napier station, part of the proposed line, would be constructed as part of TEL 3, consisting of 13 stations between Mount Pleasant and Gardens by the Bay. With restrictions imposed on the delivery of material and manpower for the station's construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TEL3 completion date was delayed by one year to 2022.

On 9 March 2022, S Iswaran, Transport Minister, announced in Parliament that TEL 3 would open in the second half of that year. As confirmed during a visit by Iswaran at the and stations on 7 October 2022, the station began operations on 13 November.

Description

Napier station serves the TEL and is between the Stevens and Orchard Boulevard stations. The official station code is TE12. Being part of the TEL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains. Trains on the TEL run approximately every 3 to 6 minutes.

The station is located at the junction of Napier Road and Cluny Road. Surrounding landmarks include: Gleneagles Hospital, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Australian High Commission, British High Commission, United States Embassy, INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation and the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Due to the site's space constraints, the station has a stacked side platform layout. To reflect its proximity to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the station features a garden wall of indoor plants. The curvilinear ceiling above the column-less upper platform was inspired by a folding leaf. This curved motif is echoed on the walls of the lower platform. The station was fully designed by the LTA.

An Art-in-Transit artwork Botanical Art by the National Parks Board depicts various species of plants, including gingers, orchids and legumes. The artwork is adapted from the drawings by the de Alwis brothers (William and George), who were botanical artists commissioned to help Henry Nicholas Ridley, the then Director of the Gardens from 1888 to 1912. Besides educating the public on plants, the artwork is intended to show that plants can be "aesthetically pleasing" pieces of natural art.

References

References

1. "Napier MRT Station (TE12)". [[Singapore Land Authority]].
2. "Land Transport DataMall". [[Land Transport Authority]].
3. Sim, Royston. (29 August 2012). "New Thomson MRT line to open from 2019, and have 22 stations".
4. (30 August 2012). "Thomson Line to open from 2019 with 22 stations".
5. (29 November 2013). "LTA Awards Two Contracts for Thomson Line's Woodlands North and Napier Stations".
6. Zaccheus, Melody. (29 November 2013). "LTA awards contracts for two Woodlands North and Napier stations along the Thomson Line". [[Singapore Press Holdings]].
7. "LTA {{!}} News Room {{!}} News Releases {{!}} Public Poll for Thomson Line Station Names".
8. "LTA {{!}} News Room {{!}} News Releases {{!}} Thomson Line Station Names Finalised".
9. (19 August 2014). "Joint News Release by the Land Transport Authority & Singapore Land Authority – Thomson–East Coast Line: New MRT Links in the East".
10. (13 February 2020). "Thomson–East Coast Line".
11. "Written Reply by Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung to Parliamentary Question on Updates on Thomson East Coast Line, Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line".
12. (9 March 2022). "11 more Thomson–East Coast stations to open in the second half of 2022; more 'inclusive' changes for vulnerable commuters".
13. Yong, Clement. (7 October 2022). "11 new TEL stations, from Stevens to Gardens by the Bay, to open on Nov 13; free rides on Nov 11". [[Singapore Press Holdings]].
14. "Factsheet: Thomson – East Coast Line Stage 3 to Open for Passenger Service from 13 November 2022".
15. (7 October 2022). "11 Thomson–East Coast Line stations to open on Nov 13; free rides available on Nov 11". [[Mediacorp]].
16. (13 November 2022). "Stations buzzing on first day of operations for third stage of Thomson–East Coast Line". [[Singapore Press Holdings]].
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20. Lee, Nian Tjoe. (5 March 2024). "TEL Stage 4 from Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore to open for passenger service on June 23".
21. "Napier – Exits". [[SMRT Corporation]].
22. Yong, Clement. (25 October 2022). "From tunnelling 1.8m under a live MRT line to diverting a canal: LTA sets out TEL3 engineering challenges".
23. (25 November 2022). "10 Reasons the TEL is an Engine-ious Development".
24. "LTA {{!}} Thomson–East Coast Line".
25. "More City Adventures with TEL3".
26. (29 October 2022). "Charcoal drawings, quirky book titles: 7 art works in Thomson–East Coast Line stations you should not miss".
27. "LTA {{!}} Art in Transit".