Call outs to the public to take part in naming exercises rarely end well (Boaty McBoatFace, Mister Splashy Pants, etc). Yet here we are.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has invited members of the public to suggest new names for three MRT stations on the Circle Line — namely (hur hur) because they need new permanent designations for the current working titles of Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward stations.
No trolling allowed, sadly, as LTA requires station names to fulfil a couple of criteria:
- Help commuters easily identify where the station is located; illustrate the history and heritage of the station’s location; and/or reflect Singapore’s multi-racial and multi-cultural identity.
They can’t be named after public structures or commercial and residential developments either, because we all know no building is sacred in Singapore, where everything gets knocked down and re-built every now and then.
The decision to determine the final MRT station names will fall on the public, who will vote in a polling exercise later this year. That’ll be fun.
The three stations are pretty significant, considering that they’ll be (finally) closing the loop for the Circle Line, connecting the Harbourfront and Marina Bay MRT stations. Come 2024, the Circle Line will officially be a complete, squiggly circle featuring a total of 33 stations and 12 interchange stations with other MRT lines.
You have till June 18 to send in your suggestions, and please don’t make them boring AF.
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