Bras Basah MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Circle line (CCL) located in the Museum planning area, Singapore. It is underneath Bras Basah Road, bordering Waterloo Street and Queen Street. Located next to the Singapore Management University (SMU), this station is in proximity to the National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore Art Museum, Peranakan Museum and the Singapore School of the Arts. The station is connected to the nearby Bencoolen station on the Downtown line (DTL) via an unpaid link.
Initially announced as Museum MRT station as part of the Marina MRT line, it was later incorporated into the CCL Stage 1. Along with the other stations on Stages 1 and 2 of the CCL, the station started operations on 17 April 2010. The design of the station by WOHA was commissioned through the Marina line Architectural Design Competition and was awarded the "Best Transport Building" in 2009 at the World Architecture Festival. The CCL station features an Art-in-Transit video work The Amazing Neverending Underwater Adventures! by Tan Kai Syng.
History
The station was first announced as Art Museum station in November 1999 as part of the Marina MRT line (MRL). The MRL consisted of six stations from the Dhoby Ghaut to Stadium stations. In 2001, the station working name was revised to "Museum" and would be part of CCL Stage 1 when the MRL was incorporated into the CCL. Contract 825 for the design and construction of Bras Basah 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 on 19 December 2001. The contract also included the construction of the Dhoby Ghaut, Esplanade and Promenade stations.
To facilitate the construction, on 10 June 2002, part of Bras Basah Road had to be temporarily realigned. On 15 March 2003, the junctions of Queen Street/Bras Basah Road and Waterloo Street/Bras Basah Road were temporarily closed and the service road adjacent to Oxford Hotel was converted into one-way road in the direction from Queen Street to Waterloo Street. In 2007, the diverted roads have been reinstated as the station undergoes architectural, electrical and mechanical works. On 17April2010, the station opened as part of Stages 1 and 2 of the CCL.
Station details
Etymology
The name Bras Basah (Modern Spelling: Beras Basah) means "wet rice" in Malay – beras means harvested rice with husk removed, and basah means wet. The station initially had the working name "Museum", which was subsequently changed to its current name in 2005 through a public poll.
Services and location
The station serves the Circle line, situated between the Dhoby Ghaut and Esplanade stations. The official station code is CC2. The station operates daily between 5:39am (6:06am on Sundays and Public Holidays) and 12:03am. Train frequencies varies from 5 to 7 minutes depending on peak hours. Bras Basah station has an unpaid link to the nearby Bencoolen station on the DTL.
The station is located underneath Bras Basah Road between the Singapore Art Museum and the Li Ka Shing library of the Singapore Management University. As its working name suggests, the station serves various museums including the Peranakan Museum, the China Cultural Centre, the Philatelic Museum and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts National Museum, and various cultural landmarks such as Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Fort Canning, Chijmes, Bencoolen Mosque and Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple. Other surrounding developments include Bras Basah Complex, Carlton Hotel, Fairmont Hotel, Peace Centre and the Rendezvous Hotel.
Architecture
The station is below ground and was the deepest station when it first opened until the completion of the DTL platforms at Promenade station in 2013, which has a depth of . The station was constructed deep underground as the line has to cross underneath the East West Line beneath Victoria Street to reach the station. It is also the station with the longest escalator in the MRT network at , stretching from the ticket concourse to the transfer level and takes approximately one minute to travel.