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. It was expected for the rail line to be operational by 2006. There were also plans for the
Marina Line, another planned rail line, to be extended from
Stadium 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. In January 2003, it was announced that Lorong Chuan station, which would be near Serangoon Avenue 3 and Lorong Chuan, would be part of CCL Stage 3, a stretch between
Marymount and
Bartley stations. The segment was expected to cost . Sato Kogyo was awarded the contract in June 2003 to build Lorong Chuan station. Construction started for Stage 3 stations in the third quarter of 2003 with expected completion by 2008. 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 July 2005, the LTA announced that the Street and Buildings Name Board approved the station's name to be "Lorong Chuan". On 26 August 2005, construction for Stage 3 stations restarted, with the LTA believing that Stage 3 will be constructed by 2008. By then, tunnelling between Lorong Chuan and Serangoon stations was finished. However, the LTA also revealed that Lorong Chuan would be the hardest station to construct, as it is close to several schools and high-rise buildings, with one-tenth of the station's excavation works finished by then. Piling and concreting works for Lorong Chuan were finished by October. In the same month, a family sued Sato Kogyo for noise pollution during construction, with one member of the family claiming that that noise "[affected] their sleep and health". Sato Kogyo won the case in June 2006, with the judge finding that "the plaintiff did not have much trouble sleeping through the night". By that year, it was expected for the station to be completed by next December, with Lorong Chuan and the other Stage 3 stations to be opened by early 2009. By September 2007, the Stage 3 stations were "in advanced stages of completion" according to
The Straits Times, with architectural, engineering, and mechanical works being carried out and were expected to finish by mid-2008. In January 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, according to Lim Yong and Desmond Wee of
The Straits Times. In February 2009, transport minister
Raymond Lim announced that CCL Stage 3 will open on 30 May, thought it was later moved to 28 May. After nearby residents previously expressed concerns over a path to the station for being too "narrow" and "poorly lit", the LTA increased the number of lamps near the path in May 2009. The path could not be widened as it was near a canal and private property, nor could shelters be installed as it was not wide enough, though the path was levelled by the
Public Utilities Board so that pools of rainwater will not be formed when it is raining. On 28 May 2009, Lorong Chuan commenced operations alongside other Stage 3 stations. ==Details==