Featured Article Summary #73

The City Hall MRT station is an underground interchange station in Singapore that connects the North-South line and the East-West line. It is located in the Downtown Core district near landmarks such as Raffles City and St Andrew's Cathedral. Initially named St Andrew's MRT station, it was part of the original plans for the MRT network in 1982. The station opened in 1987 and features a mural by Simon Wong showcasing government buildings in the area. It is also designated as a Civil Defence shelter. The City Hall MRT station was initially planned in May 1982, named St Andrew's at the time. It was later renamed City Hall in November of that year to reflect the area it served. The construction of this station was part of the Phase I MRT segment, which aimed to provide better public transport access to densely populated housing estates and alleviate traffic congestion in the area. The construction of the City Hall MRT station involved the construction of tunnels between City Hall and Raffles Place stations. The Singapore River had to be drained to accommodate the construction, and a joint venture between Kajima Corporation and Keppel Shipyard was awarded the contract for the tunnels. The construction process faced challenges such as boulders in the river and monitoring the historical monuments nearby. The construction was completed in two stages, with a delay in the first stage and the subsequent stage using fewer piles. During the construction of City Hall MRT station, there was a collapse of a supporting wall which caused a landslip. Nearby St Andrew's Cathedral was evacuated, but later declared safe. The construction also had a fatal accident when a Japanese foreman miner fell through a shaft. City Hall MRT station opened in 1987 as part of a route from Yishun to Lakeside. It became an interchange station in 1989 for the East-West and North-South lines. In recent years, the station has seen the construction of new underpasses and entrances to connect with the Capitol Singapore and Funan Centre developments.