Bukit Panjang station

Bukit Panjang MRT/LRT station ( BUUK-it PAHN-jahng) is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) interchange station on the Downtown Line (DTL) and the Bukit Panjang LRT line (BPLRT) in Singapore. Located in the namesake estate of Bukit Panjang, the station is at the junction of Upper Bukit Timah Road and Petir Road. The station serves the commercial buildings of Bukit Panjang Plaza, Hillion Mall, and Junction 10. It forms a part of the Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub (BPITH), which also contains a bus interchange. The LRT station opened on 6 November 1999 along with the other stations on the BPLRT. It later became an interchange station and the terminus of the DTL after the opening of DTL Stage 2 on 27 December 2015. Primarily serving the estate and other developments in the vicinity, the DTL station is not directly linked to the BPLRT station, with an unpaid link connecting the two stations. Nevertheless, it is recognised as a transfer within a 15-minute grace period.

The Bukit Panjang LRT line was first announced by Communications Minister Mah Bow Tan in December 1994 as a government pilot project that could "extend the reach and accessibility of the MRT network". In February 1996, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong announced that construction of the Bukit Panjang LRT would proceed, and was expected to be completed in three years at a cost of S$300 million. The contract for the design and construction of the 8-kilometre (5.0-mile) LRT line was awarded to a joint venture – Keppel Corporation, Gammon, and Adtranz – for S$285 million (US$202.12 million). The LRT station opened along with the Bukit Panjang LRT line on 6 November 1999. An LRT train had hit a switch beam at the Bukit Panjang station at about 5:40 pm on 29 August 2001, resulting in a power failure. As a result, 10,000 peak-hour commuters were stranded at the station the next morning for repair works to the LRT service. Service resumed at 10:15 am later on that day. In 2015, platform barriers were installed on the LRT platforms. The Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang stations were given priority for their installation due to projected high commuter traffic from the Downtown MRT line. These barriers were installed to prevent people from falling or trespassing on the tracks. However, unlike the MRT platform screen doors, these barriers have openings for train alignment rather than retractable doors. New ceiling fans were installed over the LRT platforms in 2018.

On 15 July 2008, when the station locations were revealed for Downtown line Stage 2 (DTL2), the DTL station for the Bukit Panjang area was initially called Petir as a working name. When questioned by the public if the station could be directly linked to Bukit Panjang LRT station instead, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) replied that there were technical constraints for the line to sharply turn towards the LRT station and back to Woodlands Road. Nevertheless, plans were made for connections between Petir DTL station and the Bukit Panjang LRT station. In the end, the station was located along Upper Bukit Timah Road and was not directly connected to the BPLRT. The DTL station name was eventually finalised as Bukit Panjang on 16 June 2009. Contract 912 for the design and construction of Petir station and its associated tunnels was awarded to Lum Chang Building Contractors Pte Ltd at approximately S$452.4 million (US$311.03 million) in June 2009. Construction was scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2009 and targeted to complete by 2015. Excavation works for DTL2 caused a sinkhole on Woodlands Road on 16 March 2013. The sinkhole, which was reported to be as wide as one lane, was patched up soon after. Investigations revealed that the construction works destabilised the soil, rupturing an unde

TrainStation data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).