Tan Kah Kee MRT station

Construction site of the station as of March 2015

On 19 June 2013, the main contractor for the station Alpine Bau went bankrupt.[12][13][14] The sudden insolvency caught the LTA by surprise, as the contractor had assured that it would finish the construction. The progress was reported to be going well by then.[13][14] Described to be an "unprecedented situation",[14] the LTA immediately took action to salvage the situation.[15] A security firm was employed to protect the sites and the incomplete structures, while the LTA worked with experts to preserve the tunnel boring machines and recharge wells. As the LTA seek for a new contractor, the contractor for Beauty World station, McConnell Dowell South East Asia, was temporarily appointed as the caretaker contractor to carry on tunnelling works. 400 workers affected were reassigned or sent home through engagement with the Ministry of Manpower.[15]

On 29 August 2013, the LTA announced the appointment of two new contractors for Tan Kah Kee and the two other stations.[16] The contract for the completion of Tan Kah Kee station and associated tunnels was awarded to SK E&C (Singapore) at a contract sum of $222 million (US$177.6 million).[16][17] The contractors were appointed just eight weeks after the insolvency, whereas usually, a tender needed at least six months for evaluation and processing. The quick appointment was to reduce the delay for the completion of DTL2.[18]

To speed up the construction as much as possible, manpower for the construction of these stations was raised by 25%, with workers taking up additional graveyard shifts so that works could keep going throughout the day and night.[19] To reduce inconvenience to residents, wire saws were utilised, rather than conventional breakers, to break up the concrete struts as they were quieter.[19]

Concourse level of the station

On 28 June 2015, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew announced that the DTL2 would be opened earlier,[20] with works completed by 95%.[19] The LTA managed to bring forward the completion as the staff worked through many weekends and "sleepless nights". The engineers were reported to be "equally proud and relieved" of the achievement and they were credited for their cooperation and hard work.[19] In August that year, Lui announced that the DTL2 segment will open on 27 December 2015.[21][22]

At the DTL2 open house on 5 December 2015,[23] the LTA was informed by netizens that the Tamil translation of the station was incorrect. An apology was issued for the error and spelling was rectified.[24] The station opened on 27 December along with the other DTL Stage 2 stations.[25][26]

Exit A of this station, which is directly outside Hwa Chong Institution

The station was provisionally named Duchess, after a road nearby. In August 2008, when the LTA was seeking suggestions for the DTL2 station names, there was an online campaign for the station to be named "Hwa Chong" after the school, although LTA stated that station names should not be named after public structures. While some HCI students and the surrounding residents have criticized the campaign as being too "narcissistic" and "unfair", it has the support of the students of HCI and the other surrounding schools, as they agreed the school has been there for about 80 years throughout Singapore's history.[27]

Following the consultation exercise, the LTA shortlisted two other names in addition to the holding name – "Watten" and "Kah Kee".[3] "Kah Kee" was eventually chosen through the public poll and subsequently changed to its current name "Tan Kah Kee" after the HCI's founder and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee. This comes after the school board suggested adopting the full name, as they felt "Kah Kee" does not reflect the "historical significance" of the founder and added that it sounded too similar to kaki, a Malay word for leg.[28][29] Then principal of the school Ang Wee Hiong congratulated the station name as a "tribute" to their founder and many HCI students felt the station name was something to be "proud of".[29] The name was also praised for recognising of Tan's selfless contribution to the local education and the Chinese community as a businessman, community leader and philanthropist.[28] A road within the school was also named after the founder.[28]

The name, however, has attracted criticism. Ang Swee Hoon, an associate professor at the NUS Business School, said that the station might not be meaningful to those who do not graduate from Hwa Chong, and unlikely to foster any "appreciation" to the philanthropist's contributions. He added that an MRT station should be named after the location it is, like how a name should be reflective of the quality of a product in marketing parlance. He also indicated that the name might be even more perplexing should Hwa Chong move from its current location.[30] A journalist from the Straits Times and student from HCI, Jeremy Au Yong, has also criticised station name and the new system of naming stations, saying that there is now no direct link to the station name and its location. Au Yong has also warned that the name could set the precedent for stations being named after "glamourous cities", "aspirational goals", "abstract ideology" and "corporate sponsors".[31] In response to such criticism, the LTA defended the naming of the station, stating that the name was one of the shortlisted names able to reflect the history and heritage of the area and garnered the most votes through the voting system. However, it agreed that station names should be "commuter-friendly" and pledged to consider public feedback and seek more meaningful names in subsequent naming exercises.[32]

The station is located along Bukit Timah Road[1] and is partly underneath the HCI campus.[33] In addition to HCI, the station serves other schools such as Nanyang Primary School, St. Margaret's Secondary School, Nanyang Girls' High School, National Junior College and Raffles Girls' Primary School.[34] It is also close to the two retail centres of Coronation Plaza and Crown Centre, and the two other landmarks of Poh Ming Tse Temple and Kuan Yin San Temple.[34]

Tan Kah Kee station serves the Downtown line (DTL) and is situated between the Sixth Avenue and Botanic Gardens stations. The station code is DT8 as reflected on official maps.[35] The station operates between 5:44 am and 12:34 am daily,[34] with headways of 2 to 5 minutes.[36]

A pedestrian overhead bridge linking to Exit B of the station

Designed by the architectural firms of SAA Architects and Ong & Ong, the station was intended to be a grand yet compelling structure, to reflect the youthful ingenuity of the students while keeping in mind the historical background. Additionally, the station is to accompany the existing greenery in the area.[37] The station has an "open, park-like" setting with clear geometric lines and green geometric panels giving the station a contemporary impression.[38][39] The entrances are designed with an overarching canopy to highlight the design theme of "nature and flow". The critical structures of the station - the pedestrian bridge, ventilation shafts and covered linkway - converge at the main entrance rotated around a pivot. Vertical plants and planter boxes around the station bring nature to it. A well-known game Jenga inspires the forms and textures of the station, which has random and orderly patterns of the blocks.[37]

Comissioned as part of the MRT network's Art-in-Transit Programme,[lower-alpha 2] Tan Kah Kee station features two murals – Gratitude (named 饮水思源 in Chinese) and Resilience (自强不息) created by HCI students.[40] The artwork consists of handwritten text regarding determination (for Resilience) or appreciation of those of the past and present (for Gratitude).[41] The texts for Resilience, when viewed from afar, dissolve into bands of white and yellow, creating a "blazing sun" that shines throughout any circumstances.[40][41][42] Gratitude, characterised by its motifs of stormy waves,[40][42] was intended to reflect the principle of giving back to society,[43] "connecting" everyone to the rich history and cultural heritage of the area.[41]