Mattar MRT station

Mass Rapid Transit station in Singapore

DT25
Mattar
玛达
மாத்தார்

Preceding station	Mass Rapid Transit	Following station
Geylang Bahru towards Bukit Panjang		Downtown Line		MacPherson towards Expo

Preceding station

Mass Rapid Transit

Following station

Geylang Bahru

towards Bukit Panjang

Downtown Line

MacPherson

towards Expo

History

The station was first announced on 20 August 2010 when the 16 stations of the 21-kilometre (13 mi) Downtown Line Stage 3 (DTL3) from the River Valley (now Fort Canning) to Expo stations were unveiled. The line was expected to be completed in 2017.^[3]^[4]^[5] The contract for the construction of Mattar station and associated tunnels was awarded to Sato Kogyo (S) Pte Ltd for S$199.85 million (US$158.89 million) in April 2011.^[6] Tunnelling works for the DTL3 officially began at a ceremony held at Mattar station on 11 July 2012.^[7]

On 31 May 2017, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that the station would be opened on 21 October that year.^[8]^[9]^[10] Passengers were offered a preview of the station along with the other DTL3 stations at the DTL3 Open House on 15 October.^[11]

On the morning of 24 May 2024, a maintenance locomotive caught fire while works were carried out at Mattar Station. The tracks were closed from Fort Canning to Mattar as the Singapore Civil Defence Force put out the fire. Regular operations resumed at 7:16 am.^[12]^[13]

Details

Mattar station serves the Downtown Line and is located between Geylang Bahru and MacPherson stations. The station code is DT25.^[14]^[15] Being part of the DTL, the station is operated by SBS Transit.^[16] Situation near the junction of Mattar Road and Merpati Road,^[8] this station has two entrances which serve various landmarks including Canossian School, Canossa Convent, Church of Saint Stephen, Masjid Salim Mattar and Circuit Road Food Centre.^[17]

Designed by Ong&Ong, the three shades of brown of the station entrances allude to the Mattar tree. The interior also features an aluminium panel ceiling and staggered floor patterns.^[18]^[19] The station is wheelchair-accessible. A tactile system, consisting of tiles with rounded or elongated raised studs,^[20] guides visually impaired commuters through the station, with dedicated routes that connect the station entrances to the platforms or between the lines. Wider fare gates allow easier access for wheelchair users into the station.^[21]

Public artwork

The station features Agar Panel by Genevieve Chua as part of the MRT network's Art-in-Transit programme, a public art showcase which integrates artworks into the MRT network.^[22]^[23] The artwork depicts agarwood shavings interspersed with blue dots and white specks that seem to float above the platforms in a backdrop of grey and blue, creating a cosmic landscape while also symbolising the movement of commuters and trains.^[24] The title Agar Panel refers to the 133 vitreous enamel panels used and the scientific agar plate used in culturing microorganisms.^[25]

The work intends to depict Mattar's religious landscape composed of "tiny pieces accumulated over time".^[26] Agarwood has been used as incense in various religions and cultures due to its exquisite fragrance, and hence Chua photographed the pieces at a gemstone shop at Fortune Centre and transformed them into the grand landscape painting displayed over the platforms.^[27] Although unintentional, the agarwood pieces were seen by the Art Review Panel as resembling meteorites in a cosmic backdrop, a comparison embraced by Chua.^[25] Chua hoped the artwork would pique commuters' curiosity about its connection to Mattar, believing that engaging with the artwork often begins with a leap of faith.^[28]

References

^ "Downtown Line 3 Station Names Shortlisted for Public Polling". www.lta.gov.sg. 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
^ "Downtown Line 3 Station Names Finalised". www.lta.gov.sg. 19 August 2011. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013.
^ "Downtown Line 3 Station Locations Unveiled Faster Access for Residents in the East to the City and Marina Bay Area". www.lta.gov.sg. 20 August 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
^ "Alignment of DTL3" (PDF). www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
^ "DTL Station Locations" (PDF). www.lta.gov.sg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
^ "LTA Awards Contracts for Ubi and Mattar Stations | Press Room | Land Transport Authority". www.lta.gov.sg. 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016.
^ "Speech by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport, at DTL3 Tunnelling Works Ceremony". Ministry of Transport. 11 July 2012. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Factsheet: Downtown Line 3 to Open on 21 October 2017". Land Transport Authority. 21 October 2017. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
^ Alkhatib, Shaffiq Idris (21 October 2017). "Downtown Line 3 opens to public". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
^ "Opening of Downtown Line Stage 3". The Straits Times. 31 May 2017. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
^ "It's Rail Fun at the Downtown Line 3 Open House on 15 October!". Land Transport Authority. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
^ William, Whitney (24 May 2024). "Train service disrupted at six Downtown Line stations after maintenance locomotive catches fire". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
^ "Downtown Line service fully resumes after maintenance vehicle fire causes partial track closure". CNA. 24 May 2024. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
^ "MRT System Map" (PDF). Land Transport Authority. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
^ "System Map". TransitLink. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
^ "Getting Around – Public Transport – Rail Network". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^ "Train Service Information". SBS Transit. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
^ "DTL – Mattar MRT, Singapore". ONG&ONG. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
^ "Mattar MRT Station by ONG&ONG Pte Ltd". Architizer. 17 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
^ "Tactile Guiding System: Studs and Strips to Guide Your Way". Land Transport Authority. 30 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
^ Feng 2017, p. 100.
^ "LTA | Art in Transit". Land Transport Authority. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
^ "Art-in-Transit". SBS Transit. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
^ Zhuang & Soh 2022, pp. 140, 142.
^ ^a ^b Zhuang & Soh 2022, p. 142.
^ "The Light and Scent of Agar" (PDF). lta.gov.sg. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
^ Zhuang & Soh 2022, p. 140.
^ Zhuang & Soh 2022, p. 144.

Sources

Feng, Zengkun (2017). Downtown Line: Soaring to new heights (PDF). Singapore: Straits Times Press Pte Ltd. ISBN 978-981-4747-66-0. OCLC 1003852882.

Zhuang, Justin; Soh, Darren (2022). Art in Transit: Downtown Line Singapore. Singapore: Land Transport Authority. ISBN 978-981-18-3967-2. OCLC 1342054525.