Novena station was included in the early plans of the MRT network published in May 1982 as Thonson. The first confirmation that the station would be among the Phase I stations (from
Ang Mo Kio to
Marina Bay) came in November that year, where it was renamed to Novena as it would be near the
Novena Church. It was expected in December 1982 that tenderers will be called in early 1983, construction will start by mid 1983, and operations to start in 1987 for the Phase I stations. This segment was given priority as it passed through areas that had a higher demand for public transport, such as the densely populated housing estates of
Toa Payoh and
Ang Mo Kio and the
Central Area. The line aimed to relieve the traffic congestion on the
Thomson–Sembawang road corridor. By February 1983, it was reported by
The Straits Times that the design for Novena, along with
Toa Payoh and
Orchard Boulevard, were almost ready. In October 1983, Contract 104 for the construction of the Novena and
Toa Payoh stations, and the tunnels between Toa Payoh and
Newton stations, was awarded to two Japanese contractors, Tobishima and Takenaka. Construction of the station began in January 1984, and the station was built from the bottom up. In 1984, a Jewish cemetery along Thomson Road was cleared to make way for the station, with the graves reinterred in Choa Chu Kang, and to prevent soil subsidence, the tunnels connecting Novena and Newton were built in compressed air. Novena station opened on 12 December 1987, as part of the extension of the MRT system to
Outram Park. In April 2002, a lift connecting the concourse with the street level above was opened. Originally, the station's distinctive features are bright green wall tiles. ==Station details==