Expo MRT station gets new naval theme to raise awareness of Singapore’s maritime heritage
Passengers taking the Downtown Line (DTL) will be able to learn more about Singapore’s maritime defence story when they alight at Expo MRT station, which has been decked out in a naval theme that includes a physical 3D model of a submarine.
Besides naval-themed installations, visitors can scan QR codes at the MRT station for augmented reality (AR) elements such as Instagram filters that bring a picture of a submarine to life and animations of divers in the background.
These QR codes have also been placed in three DTL trains, which feature information about the Singapore Navy Museum in its cabins for passengers on the go.
The naval-themed station and trains are a tie-up between SBS Transit and Defence Collective Singapore (DCS), which owns and runs the navy museum and the Singapore Discovery Centre.
The year-long initiative at Expo station is meant to raise awareness of Singapore’s maritime heritage, give passengers a preview of the navy museum, and encourage more people to visit its galleries at 112 Tanah Merah Coast Road.
SBS Transit and DCS signed a memorandum of understanding on March 15 to collaborate over three years on “delivering a unique and educational travelling experience for the public”.
SBS Transit group chief executive Jeffrey Sim said the partnership is a “win-win” for both parties as it allows SBS Transit to make its transport network more vibrant, while DCS can bring Singapore’s defence story to commuters.
The tie-up provides a unique and different way for commuters to learn about the navy’s history, and helps raise awareness about the need for total defence, he said.
Mr Sim said there are “many different Singapore stories that we can share on our network which we are working on”, and that SBS Transit plans to introduce defence themes to more MRT stations and bus interchanges.
DCS CEO Joseph Tan said the initiative allows the collective to reach out beyond its museum galleries and give the public a glimpse of the displays there, adding: “Having access to spaces like this is really, really precious because it allows us to reach out to people who don’t visit museums.”
Members of the public can take a free shuttle bus service from Expo MRT station to the navy museum on weekends from 10am to 1pm. Admission to the museum is free for Singapore citizens and permanent residents.
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