Buangkok MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the North East line (NEL) in Sengkang, Singapore. Located underneath Sengkang Central near the junction with Compassvale Bow, Buangkok station is one of the two MRT stations located within the Sengkang planning area and serves the town of Buangkok. The station is operated by SBS Transit.
First announced in March 1996 and beginning construction in April 1997, Buangkok station was one of two stations on the North East Line to not open when the line began service on 20 June 2003. It eventually opened on 15 January 2006, and developments around the station have increased since. Buangkok station features an Art-in-Transit artwork Water, Nature and the Contemporary by Vincent Leow.
History
Construction
The North East line (NEL) project, which was first proposed in 1984, received government approval in January 1996. Buangkok station was among the sixteen NEL stations announced by communications minister Mah Bow Tan in March that year.
Contract 702 for the construction of Sengkang and Buangkok stations was awarded to Sato Kogyo-Hock Lian Seng Engineering Joint Venture on 26 April 1997. The S$166.4 million (US$ million) contract included the construction of connecting tunnels between the stations and reception tunnels to Sengkang Depot.
The station was constructed in a forested area slated to serve an important new town in the future. After the forest was cleared and the vacated warehouses demolished, the station was constructed using the "open-cut" and "bottom-up" methods. The site was dug to a depth of up to before the station was constructed upwards. Following the station's construction, roads were built to connect the station with existing roads.
Delay in opening
Just days before the opening of the NEL, operator SBS Transit announced on 17 June 2003 that two stations – Woodleigh and Buangkok – would not open along with the other NEL stations. Due to the lack of developments in their respective surroundings, the operator said keeping the stations closed would reduce operating costs by S$2–3 million. Residents around the system were upset by the sudden decision to keep Buangkok station closed, having been previously assured by MPs and grassroots leaders that the station would be opened. The government initially stood by SBS Transit's decision to keep the station closed, with plans to open the station only in 2006 when there were more residential flats built in the area. It was further pushed to 2008, following projections for the housing development plans for the area.
With the first development being ready at Compassvale Arcadia in April 2005, the station was opened on 15 January 2006. To prepare for the station's opening, the programming had to be updated to include Buangkok. Residents had said they would be willing to walk 400 metres to the station every day.
The station opened with much fanfare on that day, two and a half years after it was first built. SBS Transit had expected around 3,500 commuters using the station daily, which would be the lowest among all the stations along the line, resulting in the station making a loss.
Since its opening, however, the station only had 1,386 daily riders on average, as opposed to the expected 6,000 daily riders. Many residents still traveled to the adjacent stations of Sengkang and Hougang due to the amenities around these stations. Nevertheless, SBS Transit, after stating that it was still "too early to draw a conclusion" on the ridership, remained committed to keeping the station open so it could serve future developments nearby.