The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has adjusted the fares system to allow commuters who enter the wrong platform at Stevens MRT station to exit and re-enter the correct platform within ten minutes without being charged. This grace period will take effect from 2 January 2016, when paid passenger service for the Downtown Line 2 (DTL2) commences.

Station Location Required Different Design Solution

2   Located near the Wayang Satu Flyover and the wide Bukit Timah Canal, Stevens station is the smallest station on the DTL. Because of the land constraints, Stevens station was designed as a ‘stacked station’, with one platform above the other. As a result, unlike typical MRT stations which have a common set of fare gates to the train platforms, Stevens station has separate sets of fare gates for its two platforms. Commuters who enter the wrong platform at Stevens station and wish to take the train in the opposite direction thus have to tap out and re-enter at the correct platform. Within the grace period, commuters will not be charged for doing so. LTA has also added more signs within the station and deployed more staff to guide commuters to the correct platform.

3   LTA Chief Executive, Mr Chew Men Leong, said: “The flyover and canal posed exceptional challenges to building a station. To enable a station to be constructed at all within the site constraints, our engineers built what we call a ‘stacked station’. Without this solution, it would be near impossible to provide a service to the residential, student and commercial population in this area. The stacked platforms resulted in different entry points for northbound trains to Bukit Panjang and southbound trains toward the Central Business District. This situation is currently unique to Stevens station and we will help commuters get accustomed to the design.”

4   As the rail network grows increasingly dense, more stations may be located within tight corridors. LTA will continue to seek innovative ways of designing and building stations to make commuting as convenient and user-friendly as possible.