Dhoby Ghaut MRT station

NSL platforms of the station.

Contract 106 for the design and construction of Dhoby Ghaut and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) of tunnels between the Somerset and City Hall stations was awarded to a joint venture between French contractor Campenon-Bernard and Singapore Piling and Civil Engineering Company Limited at a sum of S$51.3 million (US$24.28 million) in October 1983.[5][6][7] Prior to the construction, tenants of Amber Mansions have to move out to make way for the construction of this station, with the land already gazetted for acquisition in 1978.[8]

Excavation works were hampered by the soft marine clay at the station site, and jet grouting was used in an effort to stabilise the soil.[9] The soft soil caused a tunnel cave-in in January 1985, which formed a 6-metre (20 ft) wide hole at Cathay Cinema.[10][11] A fatal accident happened on 17 June that year that led to the death of an engineer as crane fell into the work shaft and on the engineer.[12][13] Investigations revealed that the three pieces of timber meant to support the crane were not properly connected and hence unable to support the crane. The contractor was fined S$1,000 (US$474.84) for failing to ensure the stability of the crane and not maintaining a capacity chart.[14][15] Despite the incidents, structural works for the station were completed in September that year.[16]

The station had an open house on 6 December 1987,[17] with train services beginning on 12 December when the line extension to Outram Park station was officially completed.[18][19][20] The station then served the NSL to Marina Bay station after the system operational split on 4 November 1989.[21][22][23][24] In September 2000, works started for lift access to be added to the station.[25] Dhoby Ghaut was one of four stations which participated in Exercise Northstar V, a mock terrorist exercise held on 8 January 2006.[26][27][28]

NEL platforms

Plans were drawn up in 1986 for a possible line from Outram Park station via Dhoby Ghaut to Punggol station in the northeast,[29] which was eventually finalised as the North East line.[30] Contract C707 for the construction of the NEL station and the two commercial buildings above the station was awarded to Obayashi on 18 March 1996 at a contract sum of S$268 million (US$190.07 million).[31][32][33] Construction of the station began approximately in 1996,[32] and was completed in April 2002.[31] NEL services commenced on 20 June 2003.[34]

The NEL station was constructed with considerable difficulty. The site of the NEL station was situated only 3 meters (9.8 ft) from the existing NSL station, and the NEL tunnels were constructed just about 5 meters (16 ft) below the NSL tunnels. Detectors had to be set up to monitor the effects of the construction. The construction also involved removing a part of Mount Sophia, the hill above the station, to facilitate the station construction. The rest of the hill was supported by a 8-meter (26 ft) high sheet pile wall, restrained with ground anchors.[35]

Another difficulty was the irregular shapes and varying sizes of the five levels of the station, bound by space constraints.[36] This had made it difficult for the implementation of the temporary retaining walls for the site due to the many voids in between the station levels.[35] In addition, the Stamford Canal that bisected the station had to be rerouted to a temporary canal. The old canal box was then rebuilt and replaced by a new, larger canal box. The new box, which currently lies above the second level of the station, was supported temporarily by steel piles while the station box was being constructed.[36][37][note 1]

The station box for the Circle line had been put in place during the construction of the NEL station.[39] In the planning stages of the Marina Line (MRL), which will become the CCL Stage 1, the station was to be the terminus of one of the line's branches.[40] The Marina line was later confirmed to serve from this station to Stadium MRT station.[41][42]The station then became part of CCL Stage 1 when the MRL was incorporated into the CCL in 2001.[43][44]

Contract 825 for the design and construction of the CCL station and associated tunnels was awarded to Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co. (Singapore) Pte Ltd and a joint venture with Woh Hup and NCC at a sum of S$343.94 million (US$191.93 million) on 19 December 2001.[note 2][45][46] During construction, part of Orchard Road had to be temporarily realigned.[47] As the CCL station had to be built under the underpass linking the NEL and NSL platforms, support was needed to keep the underpass stable. Seven caisson piles were installed to enhance the support of the underpass and capping beams were then constructed to form the supporting system.[48] Along with the other stations on Stages 1 and 2,[note 3] the station started operations on 17 April 2010.[49][50]

The station, as the name suggests, is built in Dhoby Ghaut along the eastern end of Orchard Road, near the junction of Handy Road and Bras Basah Road.[51] It was built on a former Jewish cemetery which was in operation between 1841 and 1983.[52] The station name, Dhoby Ghaut, reflects the area's heritage as a traditional Indian laundry.[53][54]

The station is within walking distance to prominent landmarks such as The Istana, the MacDonald House, the Young Men's Christian Association building, the House of Tan Yeok Nee, Singapore Management University, the Cathay and the National Museum of Singapore. It is underneath Plaza Singapura and The Atrium@Orchard shopping mall.[55][56]

Dhoby Ghaut is the terminus for the Circle line branch to the station.

The station is served by the North South line, North East line and Circle line and is currently the only triple-line interchange on the MRT network. The station code is NS24/NE6/CC1 as reflected on official maps.[57] On the NSL, the station is located between Somerset and City Hall stations,[57] with a headway of 2 to 5 minutes in both directions.[58] On the NEL, the station is located between Clarke Quay and Little India stations[57] with a headway of 2.5 to 5 minutes, in both directions.[58] The station is the terminus of CCL, with the next adjacent station being Bras Basah station.[57] Train frequencies on the line generally range from 5 to 6 minutes, increasing to 2 to 3 minutes during peak hours.[58]

The station has five basement levels[59] and is the largest station on the network, serving three MRT lines.[4][20] The NSL station features brown and black geometric patterns that runs throughout the station.[60] The tiles at the platform also guide passengers to the platforms and indicate where the train and platform screen doors will open. The three-level station was designed by French architect Spielman and local partner Chok and Associates. The NSL platforms are 180 metres (590 ft) long and 22 metres (72 ft) wide.[61]

The NEL platforms are constructed 28 metres (92 ft) below ground, and at the time were the deepest on the network until the opening of Bras Basah station in 2010.[62][63] With the new NEL platforms, the station expanded to five levels, also integrating with the two-level office complex Atrium@Orchard above the station. The Atrium@Orchard is the first commercial development to be fully integrated with an MRT station.[4][59] Light wells allow natural light to penetrate deep into the station. In 2003, the interchange station garnered an "honourable mention" at the 7th Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA) Design Awards.[64]

Milenko's earthy mosaics on the walls of the linkway between the North South and North East lines as part of his and his wife's artwork Interchange.

"Man and the environment" by Baet Yeok Kuan sculpted on the pillars at the CCL concourse of the station.

The station showcases three artworks as part of the MRT network Art-in-Transit programme at the NEL and CCL stations. Milenko and Delia Prvacki's artwork Interchange is displayed on the walls of the linkway between the North South and North East lines.[65] The artwork is a fusion of Delia's ceramic works and Milenko's earthy mosaics spreading across walls, columns and the station floor and radiates from the foot of the escalators and four sets of column rings. To emphasise the fusion of their work, the artists discreetly adapted elements of each other's medium in their works. The artwork showcases the cultural richness and artistic heritage of Singapore and the region, the station's role as an interchange between the lines, as well as ideas of permanent movement.[66][67][68]

Another artwork for the NEL, “Universal Language” by Sun Yu-Li, comprises 180 individual works featuring motifs sandblasted on the station floor tiles, which spreads out through six routes in the station and guides commuters in the station. The symbols fuse into a large floor mural and a wall panel in the centre of the station at Basement 2. In addition, there are 14 additional glass murals placed at strategic points of the station. Reflecting his background as an architect, the artist created the artwork so as to guide commuters through the complex interchange station, using "a universal language of symbols" as wayfinding icons.[66][65][69]

At the CCL concourse, Singaporean artist Baet Yeok Kuan created a three-dimensional relief work "Man and the environment", with 36 white gypsum sculptures spread across the columns supporting the CCL station. The sculptures depict patterns that resemble lotus pods, lily pads, and footprints on the shore or shifting sands. Subtly catching the attention of commuters, the artwork is meant to urge commuters to be more aware of the little details in their surroundings.[67][70][71]

Additionally, the CCL station features two sets of Art Seats, designed to enhance the commuters' experience on the line.[72] Two entries were selected through the International Art Seats Design Competition in 2006. The first entry – Matrix, which received the top prize in the international competition, consists of a series of benches engraved with the station name in a dot-matrix style on the seat surface. The dot-matrix system was used as it was flexible enough to be used across stations and could be mass-produced. Another entry, Rain, showcases steel seats in the shape of water puddles, unlike the ordinary solid and stone seats in other MRT stations.[note 4][73]

An artwork by Tan Ping Chiang is suspended from the ceiling in the NSL concourse. Intended to convey the multiracial culture of Singapore, the artwork has three parts, with the largest part portraying the traditional and contemporary musical instruments of Singapore's different ethnic groups, and the other two smaller parts portray the dances of these ethnic groups and opera masks respectively.[74]

• Leong, Chan Teik (2003). Getting there : The story of the North East Line. Singapore: Land Transport Authority (LTA). ISBN 981-04-5886-X. OCLC 53383062.
• Tan, Su (2003). Art in transit : North East Line MRT - Singapore. Singapore: Land Transport Authority. ISBN 981-04-7384-2. OCLC 52771106.
• Zhuang, Justin (2013). Art in transit : Circle Line MRT - Singapore. Singapore: Land Transport Authority. ISBN 978-981-07-4982-8. OCLC 854958677.