First announced in August 2012 as part of the Thomson line (TSL), the station was constructed as part of TEL Phase 3 (TEL 3) with the merger of the TSL and the Eastern Region line. The station opened on 13 November 2022 with only two out of five entrances completed due to construction difficulties at the site. Great World station features an Art-in-Transit artwork Great World, Great Times by Deanna Ng.
History
Construction progress of the station
Station site in April 2017
Great World MRT station Exit 4 under construction in November 2020
The station was first announced on 29 August 2012 as part of the Thomson line (TSL).[5][6] The contract for the design and construction of the station and associated tunnels was awarded to a joint venture between Tiong Seng Contractors and Dongah Geological Engineering (Singapore branch) for S$316 million (US$235.8 million) in May 2014. Construction started in 2014, with an expected completion date in 2021.[7]
With restrictions imposed on construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TEL3 completion date was pushed by a year to 2022.[15] On 9 March 2022, Transport MinisterS. Iswaran announced in Parliament that TEL3 would open in the second half of that year.[16] As confirmed during a visit by Iswaran at the Outram Park and Maxwell stations on 7 October 2022,[17][18][19] the station began operations on 13 November.[20]
Due to the presence of multiple steel beams and plates underground initially absent from historical records, contractors have to use the cut-and-cover method alongside micro tunnel boring to construct the Kim Seng underpass. The additional cut-and-cover works, including diverting traffic, delayed the opening of the other station entrances. The other entrances were expected to be completed by 2023, but are still not completed as of September 2024.[21]
Description
Platform level of Great World station
Great World station serves the TEL and is between the Orchard and Havelock stations. The official station code is TE15.[22][23] Being part of the TEL, the station is operated by SMRT Trains.[24] Train frequencies on the TEL range from 3 to 6 minutes.[25] The station is 176.77 metres (580.0 ft) long with a depth of 21 metres (69 ft).[26]
The station is near the eponymous Great World City,[27] connected via three entrances.[28] Situated along River Valley Green, the station serves various residential developments including Grand Copthorne Waterfront, Riva Lodge and The Trillium.[29] It also serves River Valley Primary School and Church of St. Bernadette.[30]
Great World, Great Times by Deanna Ng is displayed at this station as part of the Art-in-Transit programme, a showcase of public artworks on the MRT network.[31] The collage of advertisements, which includes old movie posters, reflects an era of the 70s when the Great World Amusement Park was still operating. Many of the advertisements were recreated using modern-day participants such as a choral troupe for cabaret girls,[32] while the movie poster was reproduced with permission from The Shaw Organisation.[31] Also included is Ng's parents' wedding photo taken near Great World Amusement Park, which inspired the artwork.[31][32]
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