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Kranji MRT station

Kranji MRT station was built as part of the Woodlands Extension Line, connecting Choa Chu Kang to Yishun through Woodlands. This MRT 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. 

History
Kranji MRT station, which officially opened in 1996, stands between Yew Tee MRT and Marsiling MRT stations. The station was built to accommodate the new industrial, residential and recreational developments as outlined in the URA's 1991 Concept Plan. The concept plan intended to develop northern Singapore into an urban locale, with Woodlands as a regional centre. In 1991, the government acquired eight lots of land in the Kranji district to lay the Woodlands Extension Line. Occupied mainly by sawmills, the land spread over 58,500 sq. m and was owned by the Jurong Town Corporation (JTC). 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 mainly dealing in heavy industries.

The Kranji MRT station was built to serve a huge crowds that visit the Singapore Turf Club. The Club, relocated from Bukit Timah, is housed in spanking and sprawling new building about 300 m from the MRT station. The relocation was precede by the clearing of 81.5 ha of land which started around mid-1995. The earthworks involved the removal of trees, site drainage and filling work.

Expecting 8,000 punters to arrive on racing days, some special features were incorporated into the station's design when it was built. Its spaciousness of over 1,300 sq m makes Kranji MRT station the largest station on the Woodlands MRT Line. It 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 number ticket-vending machines than other MRT stations, and four escalators and two flights of stairs. Unique to Kranji, the flow of traffic may decide the direction of the escalators on race days; moving downward only before races to bring commuters from the elevated platform to the ground level, and upwards only after races. On the whole, the station is designed to handle a punters-filled crowd as huge as 50,000 throughout the day.

Description
The Kranji MRT station is fitted with electronic display boards, giving the schedule of trains. These electronic signboards are real-time timetables that also inform passengers of disruptions or diversions in services, and mobilisation exercises. Other facilities to enhance commuters' comfort include sheltered and longer bus bays, at 36 m, which accommodates up to three buses at a time, overhead bridges with escalators, conveniently located taxi-stands and a bicycle park with 20 stands. Kranji MRT station is the only station on the Woodlands extension route with no departmental stores or supermarkets. The station is a distinctive building with a kampung-style roof.



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References 
Kranji land acquired for Woodlands MRT line. (1991, September 30). The Straits Times, p. 25.

Leong, C. T. (1993, May 08). Woodlands MRT line ready by '96 as planned. The Straits Times, p. 30.

Leong, C. T. (1995, June 01). Kranji MRT station to handle race crowds. The Straits Times, p. 22.

Nadarajah, I., & Kee, J. (1996, January 21). Residents prepare for easier life with Woodlands MRT line. The Straits Times, p. 24.

Tan, C. (1992, November 19). Another station added to Woodlands MRT line. The Straits Times, p. 1. 

Tan, C. (1992, December 10). More retail space for Woodlands MRT stops. The Straits Times, p. 26.

Sawmills to make way for MRT line. (1991, September 30). The Business Times, p. 2.

Step off the bus and into the MRT station. (1996, January 31). The Straits Times, p. 19.

Williams, A. (1993, March 18). Turf Club to move to Kranji close to proposed MRT station. The Straits Times, Money.

Woodlands line tells train times. (1996, January 28). The Straits Times, p. 27.


Further Readings
Rashiwala, K. (1995, December 8). Work on racecourse at Kranji gets under way. The Straits Times, p. 68.

Woodlands commuters get real-time timetables. (1995, April 29). The Straits Times, p. 3.

Woodlands MRT construction on track as planned. (1993, May 9). The Business Times, p. 2.

Yeo, G. (1996, February 8). MRT shops: What works and why. The Straits Times, p. 43.

Yeow, P. L. (1996, January 3). Factory land along Woodlands MRT line to be acquired. The Straits Times, p. 3. 

Subject
Commerce and Industry>>Transportation
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>>Commercial Buildings
Local transit stations--Singapore
Local transit--Singapore
Urban transportation--Singapore
Business, finance and industry>>Industry>>Services>>Transportation and logistics
Law and government>>Safety administration>>Land transportation



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