This station serves as the southern terminus of the Downtown Line from 22 December 2013 till 2017, where it would be replaced by Expo as the third stage of the line opens.
History
Downtown Line label in Chinatown Station's Downtown Line in Singapore
The Downtown Line part of this station commenced on 12 February 2008 and opened on 22 December 2013, as part of the six-station Stage 1 of the Downtown Line. It is also called Hong Lim MRT Station. The Downtown Line station and tracks are built beneath Cross Street, above and perpendicular to the North-East Line station and tracks. Construction of the Downtown Line station also added a new entrance near Hong Lim Complex which enhances the connectivity to Hong Lim Complex instead of taking the MRT to Raffles Place and struggling with a walk.
Before the North-East Line part of this station opened, the Singapore Civil Defence Force conducted the second ever Shelter Open House on 15–16 February 2003, together with Farrer Park, Serangoon and Hougang stations.
Station layout
The main entrance and exit of the station is situated in the middle of Pagoda Street within the heart of Chinatown, which is now closed to all automobiles but remains open to pedestrians and manual vehicles such as trishaws. One could note that the modern architecture of the station entrance could provide an uneasy contrast to the Victorian era shophouses surrounding it, although some like the cultural fusion between the two different architectures.L1
| Street Level | ||
| B1 | ||
| DTL Concourse | Faregates, Ticketing Machines, Passenger Service Centre | |
| B2 | ||
| NEL Concourse | Faregates, Ticketing Machines, Passenger Service Centre | |
| Side platform, doors will open on the right | ||
| Platform D | Downtown Line towards DT1 BP6 Bukit Panjang via DT18 Telok Ayer (←) | |
| Platform C | Downtown Line towards DT1 BP6 Bukit Panjang via DT18 Telok Ayer (←) | |
| Side platform, doors will open on the left | ||
| B3 | Platform A | North East Line towards NE1 CC29 HarbourFront via NE3 EW16 Outram Park (→) |
| Island platform, doors will open on the right | ||
| Platform B | North East Line towards NE17 PTC Punggol via NE5 Clarke Quay (←) | |
| Transfer Linkway | Paid link to Downtown Line Platform C | |
Exits
- A: Chinatown Complex (Market & Food Centre)
- C: People's Park Complex
- D: People's Park Centre
- E: Hong Lim Park
- F: Fook Hai Building, Hong Lim Complex
- G: Chinatown Point, Hong Lim Complex
Transport connections
Rail
| Destination | First Train | Last Train | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon - Fri | Sat | Sunday & Public Holiday |
Daily | ||||
| North East Line | |||||||
| to NE1 HarbourFront | 6.10am | 6.11am | 6.32am | 11.55pm | |||
| to NE17 Punggol | 5.50am | 6.05am | 6.25am | 12.00am | |||
| Downtown Line | |||||||
| to DT1 Bukit Panjang | 6.10am | 6.10am | 6.28am | 12.10am | |||
While there are a few ordinary hotels, the most interesting accommodation options in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar are in renovated shophouses.
- Beary Best! Hostel, 16 & 18 Upper Cross St (Chinatown MRT Exit E), ☎ 62224957 (bestreservations@abearygoodhostel.com), . checkin: 2PM; checkout: 12 noon. Largest of the Beary Hostels in Chinatown. Spacious dorm rooms that accommodates 6, 8, 9 and 10 people. Also has a female dorm room with ensuite showers. Large lounge, very clean and easy going.
- Burrow Hostel @ Smith, 46B Smith St (Chinatown MRT Exit A), ☎ +65 68160290 (lunny@burrowhostel.com), . checkin: 2PM; checkout: 12 Noon. Located on Chinatown Food Street, 3 min from Chinatown MRT Exit A. Feel at home with the apartment-styled layout. Elevator access. Separated male/female restrooms. Lounge area available. Dedicated female dorm available. (8-11 beds per dorm). Bunk beds from $29 inclusive of breakfast and all taxes.
- Sentosa View, 105 Spottiswoode Park Road (Near KTM railway station), ☎ +65-91009123 (book@sentosaview.com). Small but clean hostel located on the 23rd floor of a public housing block, the location is reasonably handy if you're coming from Malaysia by train but inconvenient for anything else, about 10 minutes walk (or a short bus trip) to Chinatown. Living room with TV, PC, free wifi, basic breakfast. No lockers.
- Home Sweet Home II, Tiong Bahru Estate, ☎ +65-62225168 / 65 93440224. Started as "H.S.H", a full-fledged 3 Guest rooms backpackers place since Aug,1985. As of Xmas eve 2007 use ONLY 1 Room for max 4 persons (as an Appreciation Room) to host foreign friends and in between hosting, will let out to travelers to experience the Nostalgic atmosphere in this Government-gazetted historical area and she will help with local information to make any visitors feel at home. Located in a residential area southwest of Chinatown (a short bus ride from OUTRAM Mrt <local subway> St.) Run by the friendly Ros, an ex-backpacker
- Hotel 1929, +6663471929 (Outram Park MRT). TIME Asia's Boutique Hotel of the Year in 2004, this renovated super-stylish shophouse is best known for its extraordinary collection of chairs, covering the gamut from designer masterpieces to a barber's chair a century old. Head and shoulders above the other hotels in Keong Saik, the rooms feature all mod cons including flat-panel TVs and free broadband internet in every room, but the "superior" rooms are tiny and steeply priced for what you get; you might want to consider splurging on one of the rooftop suites complete with outdoor hot tub.
- Inn at Temple Street, 36 Temple Street. 1 minute walk from MRT and Chinatown shopping. Feels slightly shabby and uncared for: cramped rooms, peeling wallpaper, antiquated air conditioning. The upside is a great location.
- Keong Saik Hotel, 69 Keong Saik Rd, ☎ +65-62230660. Now called Naumi Liora,probably the least bad of the midrange shophouse lot, the main draws here are pricing and location. All rooms have air-con and attached bathrooms (shower only). Ask to see your room before you check in though, as some of the cheapest ones are windowless and dank.
- Hotel Re!, 175A Chin Swee Road (8 min from Outram Park MRT), ☎ +65-68278288, checkout: 1200. Former primary school repainted with eyeball-blistering flourescent shades and thus now a 12-story, 140-room "retro boutique" hotel. Located on a hilltop (Pearl's Hill Park) and a 5-10min walking distance to Outram MRT station. Restaurant offers a variety of international cuisine and daily international-themed set meals at $18.80++. Go to the bar if you want a laugh. Alternative breakfast option, check out ananas cafe on the way to Outram Park station
- Amara Hotel, 165 Tanjong Pagar Rd, ☎ +65-6879-2555. Classy, modern business hotel with its own large shopping mall.
- Berjaya Hotel Singapore, 83 Duxton Road, ☎ +65-62277678 (fax: +65-62271232). Uluru, 36 Duxton Hill (behind Berjaya Hotel), ☎ +65-62233654. Noon-2 PM, 6-10 PM weekdays, Sat/Sun from 10 AM. Now closed $55. Faded grand old lady of a colonial hotel: rather in need of a renovation, but if you squint hard enough, it does look a bit like a pre-renovation Raffles. Central location, but rooms facing the bar strip in front may be noisy. No pool.
- M Hotel, 81 Anson Rd (Tanjong Pagar MRT), ☎ +65-6421-6120. Stylish business hotel in the commercial heart of Tanjong Pagar. The gym features a miniature climbing wall.
- New Majestic, 31-37 Bukit Pasoh Rd (Outram Park MRT, exit H), ☎ +65-65114700. By the people who brought you Hotel 1929, this too is a refurbished shophouse, but the 30 rooms comes in four themes: mirror, hanging bed, aquarium and loft. Nice pool (although in shade for much of the day), small gym, free wifi, good restaurant with views of the pool — from underneath!
- The Scarlet, 33 Erskine Rd (next to Maxwell Hawker Centre), ☎ +65-65113333. Beyond mere boutiqueness, this "personality hotel" in a stretch of converted shophouses is stuffed with more red plush and gold trim than a Parisian boudoir and does its best to encourage all 7 deadly sins with restaurant Desire, bar Bold, spa Sanctum and gym Flaunt. Rooms are small but comfortable, good location right next to Maxwell Food Centre and the heart of Chinatown.
