Botanic Gardens MRT station facts for kids

Botanic Gardens MRT Station (CC19/DT9) is a very important train station in Singapore. It's called an "interchange" station because you can easily switch between two different train lines here. These are the Circle MRT Line and the Downtown MRT Line. It's one of only four stations where you can do this!

Where is Botanic Gardens MRT Station?

This station is located right next to the famous Singapore Botanic Gardens. That's how it got its name! The Botanic Gardens is a beautiful park and a special place listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The station is also close to the National University of Singapore's Bukit Timah campus. You can find it behind Serene Centre, at the corner of Bukit Timah Road and Cluny Park Road.

What Makes This Station Special?

The train track between Botanic Gardens and Caldecott is the longest on the Circle Line. This is because another station, Bukit Brown, isn't open yet. It will only open when the area around it is developed more.

Because the platforms for the Circle Line and Downtown Line are quite far apart, this station has special moving walkways called travelators. These help you get from one line to the other without walking too much! Botanic Gardens is the fourth station in Singapore to have travelators inside the paid area. The other stations with travelators are Dhoby Ghaut, Serangoon, and Bugis.

How Did Botanic Gardens Station Get Its Name?

The Downtown Line part of the station was designed by AEP Consultants and Geoconsult Asia. It was built by Sembawang Engineers & Constructors. Did you know that Botanic Gardens is one of only two MRT stations in Singapore with an official Malay name? The other one will be the future Gardens by the Bay MRT Station.

Choosing the Station's Name

Before the station opened, it was going to be called "Adam." But in January 2006, the public was asked for their ideas on names. Two names were chosen as finalists: Botanic Gardens and Cluny Road.

Why Botanic Gardens Was Chosen

"Botanic Gardens" was picked as the final name. This was because the station leads to the very popular Singapore Botanic Gardens, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name "Cluny Road" was also considered because there used to be a railway station called "Cluny Road" that closed in the 1930s. On September 12, 2006, the station was officially renamed Botanic Gardens.

Images for kids

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  Botanic Gardens Downtown Line Platform

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  Circle Line Platform at Botanic Gardens