Bishan MRT Station

Infobox Station
name=Bishan MRT Station
碧山地铁站
பீஷான்
type=Rapid transit

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image_size=300
image_caption=A view of the new Bishan MRT Station's southbound platforms
address=200 Bishan Road
Singapore 579827
coordinates=coord|1.351236|103.848456
line=North South, Circle (U/C)
other=Bus, Taxi
structure=At-Grade/Underground
platform=Island/Side
depth=
levels=3, 1 (U/C)
tracks=4, 2 (U/C)
parking=
bicycle=
baggage_check=
passengers=
pass_year=
pass_percent=
pass_system=
opened=7 November 1987 (North South Line)
closed=
rebuilt=
electrified=
ADA=Yes
code=NS17/CC15
owned=
zone=
former=
services=s-rail|title=SMRT
mpassengers=
map_locator=MRT locator map|Bishan|px=300

Bishan MRT Station (NS17/CC15) is a Singapore Mass Rapid Transit station along the North South Line that serves the Bishan community, especially that of Bishan East. The station is located in Central Singapore. It is located along Bishan Road, close to the town centre of Bishan. It is often filled with students on weekdays in the afternoon as it serves the Ministry of Education Language Centre, a faculty of the Ministry of Education that allows secondary school and junior college students to study their second or third languages that are not available in their own schools. Some trains from Bishan depot arrive at platform B of the station to travel southbound towards Marina Bay for evening peak period services. Bishan is the only MRT station in Singapore that lies at grade; all others are either elevated or underground.

Cultural impact

The station is the only station in the MRT system to completely rest on "terra firma" and is represented by the middle section of the SMRT logo. Even so, the station is below sea level. One can, however, see the surroundings from the station since it is open-air, unlike other underground stations.

The station is also rumoured to be haunted, and has been the subject of several Singaporean urban legends, as well as the site for allegedly true encounters of ghosts. A local newspaper, "The Sunday Times", once ran an article debunking an urban legend associated with the station, but it also ran alongside the article an account by a passenger who claimed that, while riding on a train passing through the station one morning in the early 1990s, she was groped by several unseen hands before passing out. She was later revived by fellow passengers. There are also other alleged encounters of ghosts and other entities by several passengers in and around the station, such as headless figures, footsteps being heard coming from the roof of the train, and passengers that did not cast any reflections on the train windows.

Circle Line linkage and changes to current station

Construction is currently underway for the station to be linked to the Circle Line. When complete, the station would serve the North South and Circle lines. This would enable passengers to travel to the North-East region of Singapore by train without traveling to the city. The future Circle Line Station will be perpendicular to the current North South Line station. The station is adjacent to the Junction 8 Shopping Centre and will be linked altogether through future expansion.

A new air-conditioned southbound platform to serve the southbound train (heading towards Marina Bay Station) was opened on 27 July 2008. The original platform is now dedicated to serving northbound trains (heading towards Jurong East via Woodlands) only. A temporary barricade is installed at the northbound platform preventing passengers from boarding the southbound train from the northbound platform, and southbound train doors no longer open towards the old platform. Eventually a wall will separate the tracks from the old platform edge. The northbound platform will also be upgraded and be fully air conditioned and platform screen doors will be installed.As of 27 February 2007, air-conditioning ducts were in the process of being installed and the lift serving the platform and the concourse level is operational.

Current Station Layout

tation vicinity

* Junction 8 Shopping Centre
* Bishan Community Library
* Catholic High School
* Raffles Institution
* Raffles Junior College
* Whitley Secondary School
* Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School
* Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School
* Ministry of Education Language Centre
* ITE College Central (Bishan)

Incidents

2002 Accident

On Nov 7 2002, a 10-year-old boy was taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital in the evening, after being dragged by a southbound MRT train along the platform at Bishan MRT station. The child, Moses Tan, had a fractured right leg, a fractured right shoulder, bruises on his limbs and chest, and lacerations on his head after the incident.

2004 Accidents

A 31-year-old Chinese man Mr Joseph Tan, a resident of Kim Keat, was found trapped under a train and died after falling on the track in front of an oncoming train in Bishan MRT station at about 1pm on Jul 28 2004. The tragedy disrupted the northbound service between Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio MRT stations for about an hour.

The second fatal accident at this station happened when a 74-year-old man, who was a resident of Toa Payoh died when he fell and was hit by an oncoming northbound train at Bishan MRT station in the afternoon of Sep 15 2004. [ cite news | title = MRT Accidents | publisher = GetForMe Singapore | date = 2006-03-25 | url = http://www.getformesingapore.com/homepage2003/communityissues_singaporemrtaccidents.htm ]

2007 Accident

On 4th March 2007, a man fell onto the tracks of the MRT station. A commuter on the platform pressed the emergency stop plunger and the train driver also braked in time. It was later reported that the man in question was high on drugs and slipped onto the tracks as a result.

References