A first look inside Hume MRT station before Feb 28 opening

SINGAPORE – In a nod to granite quarries at the nearby Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the soon-to-open Hume MRT station on the Downtown Line (DTL) will feature a yellow granite facade.

The colour palette of the station’s interior – green, yellow and white – pays homage to the greenery of the nearby Rail Corridor, the yellow of the quarries, and the white of the Former Ford Factory, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

“Some of the station’s features are inspired by these points of interest,” LTA said at a media preview on Feb 12, ahead of the station’s opening on Feb 28 at 3pm.

Hume station began to take shape in 2021, when work started to fit out the long-empty station after years of lobbying by residents.

But it was not until several months later, when flood barriers were put up on the station’s perimeter and excavation work began, that it became obvious that the station was finally coming to life.

Hume station will serve more than 20,000 residents in the area between Hillview and Beauty World MRT stations. It began as an underground shell structure that was completed in 2014.

The station has two entrances, one facing Upper Bukit Timah Road and the other facing Hume Avenue.

Work on the station began underground, as there was no above-ground entrance when works began. LTA said workers accessed Hume station by entering Hillview station and walking for 700m along the track.

Heavy construction materials were delivered to Hume by an engineering train from the Gali Batu Depot, off Woodlands Road, which serves the DTL.

Lighter materials were loaded onto a track trolley at Hillview station. Workers then pushed the 120kg trolley, loaded to between 100kg and 200kg, about 700m down the track to Hume, LTA said.

Workers had to modify the station’s fire compartment “to isolate the shell station... from DTL operations”, LTA said. This was done to protect the tracks in case of a fire in the construction zone.

Only then could work begin above ground.

Flood barriers were put up on the station’s perimeter, and excavators brought in to dig down 2m to 3m to reach the roof of the underground structure, parts of which were removed to allow workers and materials to enter the station from street level.

As part of LTA’s Art in Transit programme, local artist Andre Wee was commissioned to create an installation for Hume station. The programme aims to celebrate local history and community by incorporating art into the architecture of train stations.

Titled Continuity, Wee’s two artworks depict past and present impressions of the Former Ford Factory, which is close to Hume station. Built in 1941, the building, now a war museum, was gazetted as a national monument in 2006.

LTA said the main challenge was integrating Hume station with the rest of the DTL. “Complex technical works were required to ensure that the integration would not disrupt passenger service,” LTA said.

For example, high-voltage and traction power equipment, which supplies electricity to trains, was added at Hume station, which had to be done carefully because it is located in between two “live” stations – Hillview and Beauty World. Other systems, such as signalling and tunnel ventilation, also had to be modified to include Hume station.

The station in Upper Bukit Timah Road is surrounded by several condominiums, with the entrances of Hume Park 1 and Hume Park 2 a stone’s throw away from one of the station’s entrances.

The station will make it more convenient for residents to travel to the city centre, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat wrote in a Facebook post on Jan 24, when he announced the station’s opening.

He said a trip from Hume station to Downtown station in Central Boulevard will take around 30 minutes, down from about 45 minutes. The station will also connect residents to Botanic Gardens station in 15 minutes, half the time it now takes to get there by bus.

It will also be easier for passengers to visit attractions such as the Former Ford Factory and the Rail Corridor in Bukit Timah.

The station is the last on the second stage of the line that has not opened yet.

DTL Stage 2 started operations in December 2015.

The Government had previously said developments in the area and ridership growth did not warrant the station opening. This changed after plans to redevelop the Rail Corridor and the former Bukit Timah Fire Station, which will be turned into a mixed-use development featuring co-living spaces and other offerings.

Correction note: LTA has clarified that the shell structure of Hume station was completed in 2014, not 2015.