Facilities on the Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

Concourse level of Queenstown Station, showing a Conrac plasma display, passenger service centre, and faregates

Exterior view of Jurong East station, showing a C151 Train approaching

Stations on the Mass Rapid Transit, the rapid transit system in Singapore, are either above-ground or underground, or just below ground level (in the case of the North-South Line side of Bishan MRT station). Most stations have a concourse level, where fares are paid based on the length of the ride, and a platform level, where passengers get on and off trains. Usually, the concourse is closer to ground level than the platform level is. Most stations have island platforms. Amenities include retail spaces, general ticketing machines, at least one passenger service centre, payphones, toilets, and LED and plasma displays that show the time until the next train.

Station layouts

Stations have two classifications of areas, paid and unpaid areas, which allow the rail operators to collect fares by restricting entry between the areas only through the fare gates, also known as access control gates. Commuters enter the paid area in order to board a train; and must enter the unpaid area in order to access the street, and must pass through the gates. These gates, connected to a computer network, are capable of reading and updating electronic tickets capable of storing data, and can store information such as the initial and destination stations and the duration for each trip, where fares are collected.

A typical station has a concourse level and one or more platform levels. The concourse level consists of the ticketing machines and the access control gates between the paid and unpaid areas. Tickets are presented at these gates in order to pass between the unpaid and paid areas. Escalators and stairs providing access to the platform level are located only within the paid area. The platform level is where passengers board and alight from the trains. Most of the time this consists of one actual island platform with two sets of tracks for opposite directions running on either side. Except for Changi Airport Station and Stevens Station, the concourse level and the platform levels are separate levels. Escalators and stairs between the concourse and platform levels, as well as the concourse level to the street level if necessary. Most stations have only one platform level. However, cross-platform interchange stations have two or more platform levels, one for each train line. These extra levels, together with the linkways connecting between them, make interchange stations to have more levels than a typical station that serves only one line.

In above-ground stations where trains run on viaducts, the concourse level can be either located on the ground level or on the second level, with the platform level above it. When the concourse level is on the second level, a pedestrian overpass may sometimes link the unpaid area of this level to another prominent building nearby, such as a polytechnic. In underground stations, the concourse level is typically an underground level, with the platform levels below it. For most underground stations where the concourse level is underground, there will be pedestrian underpasses that lead to street access on top of the station area or basement levels of neighbouring buildings, such as a shopping centre. Some stations, particularly interchange stations, are deep enough to be shielded from conventional bomb attacks from the air and act as bomb shelters. This status is enhanced by the fact that underground MRT systems have prebuilt ventilation systems with air-conditioning to ensure a degree of comfort in the unlikely event of a conventional air assault.

Most stations have island platforms, although Braddell, Dover, Telok Ayer, Chinatown DTL, MacPherson DTL, Stevens DTL and Downtown are side platforms. This is because island platforms are seen to be less costly than side platforms, or possibly to make it convenient for passengers to transfer to another train on the same line but running in the opposite direction. Also, all stations are made to be as straight as possible because the degree that trains would turn at when approaching and leaving a station would be too great if curved stations were built..

Facilities and services

All stations have lifts, general ticketing machines, at least one passenger service centre, payphones, toilets, LED and plasma displays (showing the time, date, train service information, safety messages and commercials), located within the unpaid area of the concourse level. Some stations however, such as the underground Somerset MRT station, have toilets located at street level instead. Most stations have commercial space set aside for supermarkets, convenience stores, kiosks, automatic teller machines, and self-service automated kiosks for a myriad of services where selected stations are rebranded as Xchanges.

3G service is deployed at the MRT tunnels since 14 June 2011, whereas 4G services were deployed since 11 April 2016.

Singapore Press Holding's The New Paper is distributed at most stations every weekday morning and Saturdays.

Wireless @ SG is also deployed at many of the stations including some in the modern North East, Circle and Downtown lines.

Piped in music was initially played at station concourses from 1996 to 2000. Some stations also have advertising billboards which advertise artiste albums. These billboards are usually accompanied with a DVD set which also play musics. It was re-introduced for Downtown Line Stage 1 since 22 December 2013. Buskers were deployed to various crowded MRT stations in order to ease overcrowding on the MRT, which has been started at City Hall and Raffles Place during the mornings.

Escalator announcements were also put up in Simei and Tanjong Pagar, and charging points were put up at City Hall and Kent Ridge.

A Plasma Display by ADV shows train service information at the North East Line (NEL) Dhoby Ghaut Station Platform Level

Passenger information systems

Initially, the MRT system used green coloured flip dot electronic displays on the North-South Line and East-West Line from 7 November 1987 until September 2001. They were progressively replaced from 1 July 2001 to September 2001 into plasma displays which is easier for elderly and wheelchair passengers. The displays announced a train's terminating station when it arrives (or otherwise, a "Do Not Board" warning), although the disadvantage was that it could not tell the duration of a train's arrival time (e.g. the train will arrive at Jurong East Station in 2 mins). The second generation of such displays installed at stations along the Woodlands Extension featured a slightly updated version where the time till the next train arrival would be displayed from 3 minutes prior to the train's arrival.

Singapore utilises plasma displays in metro stations to display train service information. Critics have opposed the use of plasma displays as they are considerably more expensive to install and are susceptible to the problem of screen burn. However, the rail operators see this as a medium to earn advertising revenue from commercials shown on these displays. At the same time, they are able to display all the train service information, safety messages and time and date on these screens clearly. Using the flip dot system previously, only a limited amount of information could be displayed. 2 plasma displays are installed at the single location per platform. In the North South and East West lines, they show 3 train arrivals and maximum of 12 minutes.

Liquid Crystal Displays

6 liquid crystal displays are installed in each train car. These only show "Welcome to SBS Transit" and is only available on C751As. However, the station LCD displays are installed at the entrances and the concourse level of the stations, where they show the estimated arrival times of next two trains per platform, safety messages and train service disruptions. Wei Long Electronics LCD displays are installed at the North South Line and East West Line, whereas for other lines, LCD displays by Advanced Systems Asia are also installed.

Passenger screen systems

The VPIS displays that displays green, red and orange in colour are installed in all C751A and C830s. In addition, the Dynamic Train Route Map is being installed on C151C, R151, C751C and C830C trains. These displays show the name of the next station, current station, door closing messages, interchange messages and occasionally the date and the time. However, the displays in the C751B trains were already replaced by the STARIS's VFDs, where it is a new rail travel information system developed in-house by SMRT Corporation and has been a standard for all trains with the exception of C830s and it shows blue text.

Barrier-free facilities

All stations on the North South Line (NSL) & stations constructed before 2001 on the East West Line (EWL) initially did not have barrier-free facilities and wider AFC faregates such as lifts, ramps & tactile guidance systems for the elderly and disabled, thus preventing disabled persons from entering the buses or trains, and they rely on their cars, taxicabs or vans. Their stations undergone their retrofitting programme between 2002 and completed in 2008 which is either under Otis for Changi Airport MRT Station, North East Line and Downtown Line, whereas Toshiba elevators is for the remaining stations, in a bid to encourage their commuters to take public transport.

References

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