Ah, the MRT. For years, Singaporeans have sustained their love-hate relationship with the Mass Rapid Transport system. Whether it’s skipping out on a Chagee grand opening to attend the unveiling of a new station, or hopping onto social media to complain about the latest breakdown, the MRT is undeniably a major part of our lives.
But beyond the rush-hour crowds and that really long announcement jingle, have you ever stopped to wonder why our MRT names are what they are? Here are some funny MRT names in Singapore and their origins.
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At first glance, the origin of Punggol may leave you a little confused. It actually comes from the Malay word “punggur”, which refers to dead wood, or my personal favourite, the act of “hurling sticks at fruit trees” to knock down their fruit.
Sounds a little quirky when fitted into the context of modern-day Punggol. Although, to be fair, travelling from Pasir Ris to Punggol by MRT makes me want to hurl sticks at fruit trees too.
Another tale behind Punggol’s name points to its founder, Wak Sumang, who started Kampung Wak Sumang, one of the oldest fishing villages in Singapore. Legend has it that a punggur landed smack on his house, which inspired the village’s name.
Image credit: Housing & Development Board
Bedok drum kinda has a ring to it, or should it just be drum? The word “Bedok” likely originates from the Malay word “bedoh”, which refers to a large wooden drum used in traditional Malay culture.
The instrument was used back in the olden days before loudspeakers were a thing – mosques would use the drum to signal prayer times to the Muslim community.
So instead of that overused joke about your heart going Bedok Bedok, maybe it should be Be-dok tss instead – sorry I tried.
Turns out, Paya Lebar and Toa Payoh have more in common than we thought. Originating from Malay words, “paya” and “lebar” mean “swamp” and “wide” respectively. Back in 1828, the area was home to plantation estates and sat near the Kallang River, so the name checks out.
Toa Payoh sees a mix of 2 languages, Hokkien and Malay, where “Toa” in Hokkien means “big” and “Payoh” is derived from the Malay word “paya” – thus the excellent name “Big Swamp”. Makes sense since maps produced in the 1800s show the area as a swamp land.
Now, Paya Lebar and Toa Payoh residents can unironically yell at relatives to “Get out of my swamp” as they bid their farewells after family dinners – fun!
Image credit: banana siong via Google Maps
one-north definitely sticks out like a sore thumb among the other MRT names, but it’s actually a reference to Singapore being 1 degree north of the equator – you can thank the universe for all that lovely heat and humidity.
There’s no official statement on why the MRT naming committee decided to pepper in that random scientific fact on our station map. However, rumour has it that it’s meant to mirror the techy landscape of one-north, which is home to other futuristic-sounding names like Mediapolis, Fusionopolis, and Biopolis.
Fun fact: it’s the only MRT station name that starts with a small-case – perhaps to make it look a little cooler, but my guess is as good as yours.
Apologies to my LRT line friends, I hadn’t even heard of Pending until writing this article. It has to be at least a little funny when you hear the train announcement go, “Next stop, Pending” – like the whole station’s still buffering.
Image credit: Imgflip
Funnier still, it’s not the only part of our rail system that sounds like it’s still in progress. There are actually a couple of MRT plans that never made it to the tracks, including an MRT station that was supposed to take you straight to Coney Island.
Just like many other MRT stations, “Pending” is a Malay word that translates to “belt buckle”. Unfortunately, not much is said about why it’s actually called Pending, other than it being built along Pending Road.
If anything, it sounds like something out of an Enid Blyton book, “I have to head back to Belt Buckle lane for supper” – could be fun to type out when entering your address into the Grab app.
I present to you 2 versions of Bukit Batok MRT’s origin.
The first is derived from Malay, where “bukit” means hill, and “batok” means cough. A possible explanation could be the cold air in the area that caused coughs. My preferred one is the blasting of granite quarries in the area back then, which sounded as though the hills were coughing, resulting in the name “Coughing Hill”.
Creativity: 7/10
Whimsy: 5/10
The second is half derived from Javanese, where “batok” means coconut, probably a shoutout to the coconut trees that used to grow in the area – hence the name “Coconut Hill”. Sounds like some version of a Mario Kart race track, and with the neighbourhood being home to the ComfortDelGro Driving Centre, I guess it isn’t too far off the mark.
Creativity: 6/10
Whimsy: 7/10
Bras Basah might sound atas today, but it takes the cake for being one of the more unfortunate ones on this list. It can be traced to the Malay words “beras basah”, which means “wet rice”, and suddenly I’m getting flashbacks of soggy leftovers clogging the sink after washing up.
The name could also be a possible reference to Sungei Brass Bassa, where rice was dried on its banks and inevitably made wet again by the rising tides.
Image credit: Yen-1972 via Google Maps
Technically, Sentosa isn’t an MRT station, but it does have a monorail, so it counts in our books.
Sentosa, also known as “tranquillity” in Malay, was chosen by the then Singapore Tourist Promotion Board to reflect its status as a transformed tourist attraction, bringing to mind white sandy beaches and peaceful sunsets.
But we think its original name does it more justice. Formerly known as “Pulau Blakang Mati” by the locals, which means “the island behind which lies death” in Malay, it was speculated to be a reference to piracy that ran rampant around the island back in the day.
This section isn’t so much a commentary on funny MRT station names, more so my petty grievances about MRT names and associated malls that don’t make sense. Here’s to hoping you share my sentiments.
I spent the majority of my childhood mistaking Raffles Place for Raffles City, then City Hall for Raffles City, only to find out that there is no such thing as a City Hall mall or a Raffles Place mall. If that sentence confuses you, you’re not alone.
Turns out, the mall, Raffles City, sits above City Hall MRT, while Raffles Place MRT is located a good 6-minute drive away. It took me way too long to figure that out.
Here’s another puzzle: instead of leading to Marina Bay Sands, Marina Bay MRT actually takes you to Marina One. Granted, they both have “Marina” in their names, but chances are some poor unsuspecting tourist will have to walk the brutal 18 minutes to reach MBS after alighting at Marina Bay MRT – talk about a tourist trap.
Image credit: Alan Chew via Google Maps
Another tourist attraction that should be made more transport-logical is the Esplanade.
A no-brainer would be to alight at Esplanade MRT station to get to the Esplanade. That’s where you’re wrong, the station instead leads you to Suntec, or for some exits, South Beach – both of which take around 10 minutes to reach the Esplanade.
Sitting above Beauty World MRT is the ultimate gathering of plazas and centres: Beauty World Plaza, Beauty World Centre, Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, and Bukit Timah Plaza. I don’t know about you, but that just sounds like a misunderstanding waiting to happen.
I’ve mixed up Bukit Timah Centre and Beauty World Centre more times than I can count – it’s probably a me problem at this point, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be frustrated about it.
Our MRT station names may seem pretty ordinary, but they actually give a fascinating look into Singapore’s history. So the next time you’re taking the MRT to get from Big Swamp to Wide Swamp, sit and reflect on the wonderful names of our MRT stations instead of just plugging in those earbuds.
More interesting things about Singapore’s MRT:
Cover image adapted from: National Parks, Lea Zaleha (Ninja Six5) via Google Maps
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