SINGAPORE: Constructing the soon-to-open Hume station posed unique engineering challenges, including the need for workers to manually transport some construction materials 700m on a track trolley from the adjacent Hillview station. 

The station's integration into the Downtown Line (DTL) was further complicated by strict testing limitations. Engineers had only a narrow window between 1am and 3am - outside passenger service hours - to conduct tests with trains.

Hume station is the first underground station in Singapore built while trains continued running through the site. Located between the operational Hillview and Beauty World stations, it was initially constructed as a “shell station” - a structure with only the basic framework - during the DTL's second phase in 2015. 

The pace of developments and ridership growth in the area did not warrant its opening at the time, said then-Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary in 2019. 

Work to fully equip the station for operations began in January 2021, and Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat announced last month that the station will open ahead of schedule on Feb 28.

CIVIL ENGINEERING CHALLENGES 

Building an underground station without initial above-ground access presented logistical hurdles, according to a Land Transport Authority (LTA) factsheet. 

Lighter construction materials had to be transported manually from Hillview station 700m away, while heavier materials like structural steel were delivered via a special "engineer's train" from DTL’s Gali Batu depot.

Track access was limited to just two or three times a week, during engineering hours between 1am and 3.30am. These sessions included transit time from Hillview station to Hume and back.