All you need to know about the Tan Kah Kee MRT

Tan Kah Kee MRT station is an underground MRT station on the Downtown Line in Bukit Timah, Singapore (DTL). This station is next to Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) and gets named after its founder, Tan Kah Kee. Other educational institutions in the area include Nanyang Girls’ High School, Raffles Girls’ Primary School, and National Junior College HCI. It was previously known as Duchess MRT station but was renamed Tan Kah Kee after a public vote in 2009. The name has been chastised for being “misleading” and inaccurately describing the place. Tan Kah Kee MRT station was one of three affected by the untimely dissolution of Alpine Bau, the company that gets contracted to build these stations. The station with the DTL Stage 2 stations opened on December 27, 2015, far ahead of schedule. Two murals painted by HCI students as part of the network’s Art-in-Transit initiative adorn the station: Gratitude and Resilience.

Platform:

• Platform A: Downtown Line through DT7 Sixth Avenue to DT1–BP6 Bukit Panjang 
• Platform B: Downtown Line through DT9CC19 Botanic Gardens to DT35CG1 Expo 

Tan Kah Kee station has two platforms in an island platform configuration, with trains running in both directions using both platforms. The air-conditioned station is isolated from the tunnel environment by full-height Platform screen doors, which improve commuter safety and station comfort. The platform level ceiling is two levels high due to the concourse level looping around it, giving it air. The concourse gets reached through escalators, stairs, and elevators. Expected train arrival times and dominant messages get shown on Passenger Information Systems, which are plasma display panels positioned at each platform.

Concourse:

The concourse has faregates for automatic fee collection and access between the station’s paid and unpaid sectors, with at least one bidirectional wide-swinging gate for passengers in wheelchairs, those carrying heavy objects, or those traveling with prams. Commuters can buy tickets for single or many travels from General Ticketing Machines like Top-up Machines, which accept contactless card transactions. During working hours, passengers can make travel queries at a station office.

Art in Transit:

Resilience & Gratitude by Hwa Chong Institution

Resilience and Gratitude are colorful handwritten, word artworks celebrating Tan Kah Kee’s considerate legacy. Words disintegrate into abstract sceneries that portray the blazing sun and the flowing river when viewed from a distance.

Shelter for Civil Defense:

Tan Kah Kee station is one of six Civil Defence (CD) shelters along the Downtown Line 2 that will activate in the event of a national emergency. The stations are constructed and supplied with facilities to guarantee that the shelter environment is comfortable for all shelters during their stay. Protective blast doors, decontamination facilities, ventilation systems, power and water supply systems, and a dry toilet system are among the features available.

Station Amenities:

• Public Toilets at DTL concourse
• Bicycle Racks at the station exit