Chinatown MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North East (NEL) and Downtown (DTL) lines in Outram, Singapore. It serves the ethnic enclave of Chinatown. Situated at the junction of Eu Tong Sen Street, New Bridge Road and Upper Cross Street, the station is near several landmarks, including the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Masjid Jamae (Chulia), Chinatown Point and People's Park Complex. First announced as People's Park MRT station in March 1996, the NEL station was one of the most challenging projects undertaken during that line's construction. It involved multiple diversions of the main roads and the Eu Tong Sen Canal, in addition to the preservation of the Garden Bridge. The NEL station was completed on 20 June 2003. In March 2007, it was announced that the NEL will interchange with the DTL at this station. The DTL platforms of the station opened on 22 December 2013 as part of Stage 1 of the line. Each of the six entrances has glass structures, with the Pagoda Street entrance having a pavilion-style transparent roof structure and the DTL entrance having an elliptical shape. The station features two artworks as part of the MRT network's Art-in-Transit programme. The NEL concourse and platforms feature calligraphy as part of The Phoenix's-Eye Domain by Tan Swie Hian, while the DTL concourse walls feature artworks of clothes lines as part of Flying Colours by Cheo Chai Hiang. History North East line station (1996–2003) Chinatown station was first announced as People's Park station, along with the 15 other North East line (NEL) stations, by Communications Minister Mah Bow Tan on 4 March 1996. The contract for the design and construction of the station – Contract 709 – was awarded to a joint venture between Gammon Construction and Econ Piling in June 1997 at S$141.5 million (US$ million in ). The construction of the NEL station was one of the most challenging projects on the line. Arterial roads like New Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street, and connecting streets had to be rerouted, closed and reinstated several times. These closures took place through seven major phases and numerous sub-stages from December 1997 to March 2002. The bus stops had to be shifted accordingly. As a result of the rerouted roads and the construction barriers, pedestrians had to take longer routes around the construction site to their desired destinations. In addition, businesses in