City Hall MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North South line (NSL) and East West line (EWL). Situated in the Downtown Core district of Singapore, it is underneath Stamford Road near the road junctions with North Bridge Road and St Andrew's Road. The station is near landmarks such as the City Hall, Raffles City, the Padang, St Andrew's Cathedral and The Cenotaph. Initially named St Andrew's MRT station, the station was part of the early plans for the original MRT network since 1982. Construction of the tunnels between the City Hall and Raffles Place stations required the draining of the Singapore River. The station opened on 12 December 1987 with the MRT extension to Outram Park station. Cross-platform transfers between the NSL and EWL began on 28 October 1989, ahead of the opening of the MRT eastern line extension to Tanah Merah station on 4 November which split the MRT network into two lines. The station has three levels and is a designated Civil Defence shelter. The station features a mural by Simon Wong, depicting government buildings in the area. History The station, then named St Andrew's, was included in the early plans of the MRT network in May 1982. It was renamed to City Hall in November that year for historical reasons and to better reflect the area served. It was to be constructed as part of the Phase I MRT segment from the Novena to Outram Park stations; this segment was targeted to be completed by December 1987. This segment was given priority as it passes through areas that had a higher demand for public transport, such as the densely populated housing estates of Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio and the Central Area. The line aimed to relieve the traffic congestion on the Thomson–Sembawang road corridor. The contract for the construction of four tunnels between the City Hall and Raffles Place stations was awarded to a joint venture between Kajima Corporation and Keppel Shipyard in October 1983 at S$35.65 million (US$ million in ). Another contract for the construction of the station was awarded to a joint venture between Nishimatsu and Lum Chang at S$77.65 million (US$ million in ) in May 1984. Construction of the station began on 7 September 1984 with a Christian ceremony near the St Andrews' Cathedral. The gathering prayed for the safety of the cathedral