Plans for a circular line were conceptualised in November 1989, where Minister for Communications and Information Yeo Ning Hong stated that such a system would only be viable when Singapore's population reached 4 million. In October 1999, the
Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that the
Outer Circle Line, a rail line connecting
Paya Lebar,
Serangoon,
Bishan, and
Buona Vista stations, was under study as part of the LTA's plan to link regional places via rail by 2030. The rail line was expected to be operational after 2005. There were also plans for the
Marina Line, another planned rail line, to be extended from
Boulevard station to connect to the Outer Circle Line at Paya Lebar. The Marina Line and the Outer Circle Line would be merged to create the
Circle line (CCL) in April 2001 as part of the
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, and Bartley was announced in January 2003 to be part of CCL Stage 3, a stretch between this station and
Marymount. The segment was expected to cost . The contract for the construction of Bartley MRT Station was awarded to Wan Soon Construction Pte Ltd at a sum of S$63.5 million (2003) (US$36.45 million) by July 2003. Construction started for Stage 3 stations in the third quarter of 2003 with expected completion by 2008. Wan Soon's contract was novated by the LTA in June 2004, with taking over. However, the
Nicoll Highway collapse in April 2004 delayed operations for Stage 3 CCL stations to 2009; the LTA halted work at 16 of the 24 CCL excavation sites so these could be reviewed. In October, it was discovered that construction works for Bartley station caused the ground underneath
Maris Stella High School's gates to sink and cracks to form near the school's
electrical substation, with
Millennia Institute reporting tremors in one of its blocks a few months ago. The LTA monitored both schools and determined that there was no danger, according to Karamjit Kaur of
The Straits Times. Excavation works at Bartley were slated to begin in February 2005. Construction for Stage 3 stations restarted on 26 August 2005, with the LTA believing that Stage 3 would be constructed by 2008. By then, one-tenth of Bartley's excavation work was finished. Bartley was expected to be completed by December 2007, with the Stage 3 stations to be completed by early 2009. By September 2007, the Stage 3 stations were "in advanced stages of completion" according to Maria Almenoar of
The Straits Times, with architectural, engineering, and mechanical works under way and expected to finish by mid-2008; the Stage 3 stations' completion date was moved earlier from 2010 to mid-2009. In June, the LTA started conducting test runs on the Stage 3 stations, with construction expected to be completed by November, and for the section to start operations by June 2009. Construction for the Stage 3 stations was more than 90% completed by October 2008, according to Lim Yong and Desmond Wee of
The Straits Times. In February 2009, transport minister
Raymond Lim announced that CCL Stage 3 would open on 30 May, though it was later moved to 28 May. Bartley commenced operations alongside other Stage 3 stations on 28 May 2009. The station was the terminus for the Circle Line until the line was extended to
Dhoby Ghaut on 17 April 2010. ==Details==