Opened on 7 November 1987, Ang Mo Kio station is one of the five stations that collectively make up Singapore's oldest MRT stations. This station will become an interchange station along the Cross Island Line in 2030.
History
Exterior of Ang Mo Kio stationPlatform A of Ang Mo Kio station
In July 1983, the Provisional Mass Transit Authority has extended the line to Yio Chu Kang, and the Phase 1A extended from Outram Park via Tiong Bahru, Redhill, Queenstown, Commonwealth, Buona Vista and Clementi stations, easing the loads at Ang Mo Kio.
On 12 June 1984, the contract was shortlisted for the construction of a viaduct from San Teng MRT station to Yio Chu Kang, together with Ang Mo Kio and Yio Chu Kang stations under Contract 102. This contract also specified that the stretch of Ang Mo Kio Street 53 all the way to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 would have to be permanently closed in 1985 and levelled, so that the railway could be laid on the ground level.
Installation of noise barriers from Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 is completed.[1]
Cross Island Line Interchange
On 25 January 2019, LTA announced that Ang Mo Kio station would be part of the proposed Cross Island line (CRL). The station will be constructed as part of Phase 1, consisting of 12 stations between Aviation Park and Bright Hill, and is expected to be completed in 2030.[2][3][4] A second phase from Bright Hill to Jurong Lake District is targeted to open in 2032.
A contract for the design and construction of Ang Mo Kio CRL Station and associated tunnels was awarded to Gammon Construction and Engineering Pte. Ltd – Bachy Soletanche Singapore Pte. Ltd. Joint Venture on 20 July 2021 at a sum of S$644 million. Construction will start in the fourth quarter of 2021, with completion in 2030.[5]
Initially expected to open in 2029, the restrictions on the construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to delays in the CRL line completion, and the date was pushed to 2030.[6]
Incidents
Nitcharee Peneakchansak, a 14-year-old Thai, was seriously injured and lost both her legs after she fell onto the track and was hit by a train at Ang Mo Kio on 3 April 2011.[7] Peneakchansak left Singapore on 13 June that year after recuperating in hospital. SMRT had reportedly offered the family S$5000 as compensation. The victim's father, rejected the compensation as her prosthetic legs will cost around S$100,000 and must be changed every three to five years.[8] Her father sued SMRT for S$3.4 million the amount equivalent to the price for the 20 pairs of prosthetic legs that Peneakchansak will need in her lifetime.[9]
On 20 June 2011, SMRT clarified that the money offered to Peneakchansak was a gesture of goodwill and not compensation. The transport company said compensation would only be made after investigations had concluded. SMRT also said that the S$10,000 offered to her family to travel to Singapore when she was still in hospital was also a gesture of goodwill.[10] In its defence papers on 1 September that year, the SMRT reiterates that all the safety warnings and precautions – such as the yellow lines – were in place and that the distance which the train travelled after the driver slammed on the brakes were within "safety specifications" and argues that Peneakchansak's "negligence" contributed to her falling "onto the tracks at the MRT station on her own accord". It also claimed that the girl was "aware of the danger of the oncoming trains and that by standing behind the yellow safety line until the train had stopped", she would have been reasonably safe from falling onto the tracks and pointed out that the girl had failed to keep a proper lookout for the oncoming train and take reasonable care of her own well-being despite knowing the risks of falling. It adds that she had failed to stand behind the yellow safety line until the train had stopped despite clear warning signs displayed at the MRT station.[11]
Ang Hin Kee, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC announced that Ang Mo Kio station would be installed with the half-height platform screen doors on the platform by June, earlier than scheduled. Although it was announced to be completed by that month, it was delayed till 2 December that year before operations began.[12]
