Operated by SBS Transit DTL Platforms Island Structure type Underground Phone +65 6225 5582 Connections Bus, Taxicab | Line(s) Downtown Line Tracks 2 Opened 27 December 2015 Level 2 | |
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Location 651 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 266268 Address 266268, 651 Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore Similar Sixth Avenue MRT Stati, King Albert Park MRT Station, Botanic Gardens MRT Stati, Farrer Road MRT Station, Hillview MRT Station | ||
Tan Kah Kee MRT Station (DT8) is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the Downtown Line in Bukit Timah, Singapore. The station serves the Bukit Timah corridor just north of the junction between Bukit Timah Road and Duchess Avenue, and is within walking distance to several schools in the area, including Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Girls' High School, Raffles Girls' Primary School, Methodist Girls' School and National Junior College.
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The station is named after Tan Kah Kee.
Naming
As part of the Downtown Line Stage 2 land Transport Authority (LTA) survey in July 2008, suggestions for the name of the station was open to public. Students from nearby Hwa Chong Institution suggested for the station to be named Hwa Chong as the station was to be built in Hwa Chong compounds. A Facebook group has been set up to promote their cause. Despite this, LTA did not include Hwa Chong as one of the options for the public to select, reasoning that stations should not be named after landmarks or buildings. Instead, Watten (after nearby Watten Estate) and Kah Kee (after the founder of Hwa Chong Institution, Tan Kah Kee) were proposed by the LTA alongside the working name Duchess in October 2008.
It was believed the students and staff of Hwa Chong Institution wanted the option Kah Kee to be chosen and Facebook groups were used to promote their cause.
On June 16, 2009, LTA announced the station's name was to be Tan Kah Kee, marking the first time that a person's full name is used for the name of an MRT station and also marking the first time that a MRT station name does not relate to where the station is located.
Cracks appearing on homes near the station
The Land Transport Authority has taken steps to repair damages to at least 40 Watten Estate homes, believed to be linked to the construction of the Downtown Line. Residents of the terraced and semi-detached houses at Bukit Timah complained that they began noticing hairline cracks in walls inside and outside their homes between July and August 2012. They added that cracks began widening in those weeks. Besides cracks, some car porch roofs and walls had shifted, and some gates could no longer open. The houses in the upscale neighbourhood where home prices start in the millions, are across from the site of the upcoming Tan Kah Kee MRT station. Checks were made by LTA and the houses were found to be structurally safe.
Incorrect Tamil name
During the Downtown MRT Line Stage 2 open house on 5 December 2015, LTA was informed by netizens that the Tamil translation of the station was incorrect and issued an apology in the evening for the error and said: "We apologise for the error in the Tamil translation of Tan Kah Kee station and would be taking immediate action to have the station name replaced. This was done before the stations opened for passenger service on Dec 27, 2015."
Art in Transit
The Tan Kah Kee MRT station features two murals created by students of the Hwa Chong Institution, titled Gratitude or 饮水思源 and Resilienceor 自强不息. Gratitude was designed to reflect the principle of giving back to society. Resilience was designed to resemble the sun, while Gratitude resembles stormy waves.