Novena MRT Station

Novena MRT station lies beneath Novena Square on Thomson Road, in the Novena district of central Singapore, with the station sitting between Thomson Road and Sinaran Drive. It is an underground stop on the North South Line and carries the code NS20. Older maps may still show its former code, N5.

Novena on the North South Line map

Novena MRT station at a glance

Opening date, operator and ridership figures are LTA data as recorded on Wikipedia.

Most of the people using the station are travelling to the hospitals and shopping malls clustered around it. Patients, visitors and staff heading to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital rely on it every day, as do shoppers bound for the malls directly above and beside the station. Because several of these buildings are only a minute or two away on foot, many journeys here begin or end with a very short walk.

History of Novena MRT station

The station opened on 12 December 1987, when the MRT system was extended to Outram Park. It was first planned under the working name Thomson, but in November 1982 it was renamed Novena after the nearby Novena Church. To make room for it, a Jewish cemetery along Thomson Road was cleared in 1984, and the graves were reinterred in Choa Chu Kang.

Inside Novena MRT station

The station has two levels. Ticketing and fare gates are on the upper concourse, and the platforms are on the level below, about 15 metres underground. A lift linking the concourse with street level has been in service since April 2002, which helps passengers with wheelchairs, prams or heavy luggage. Inside you will find white wall tiles and emerald green pillars, along with a mural by local artist David Liew, part of SMRT’s heritage-themed comic series. It shows the Novena Church, the former Jewish cemetery, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and historical figures including Tan Tock Seng and Joseph Balestier.

For most people, Novena MRT station is the stop for medical appointments and shopping. Square 2, Royal Square at Novena and Velocity @ Novena Square are each about a minute’s walk away. Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital is roughly three minutes away on foot and Tan Tock Seng Hospital about four. Ren Ci Community Hospital is also close by. Visitors with time to spare can walk to the Police Heritage Centre in under ten minutes or continue to the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Museum, about a quarter of an hour away on foot.

Around Novena MRT station

Novena station sits in a well-established mixed-use district built around healthcare and retail. The immediate surroundings are dominated by shopping malls such as Square 2 and Velocity @ Novena Square, alongside a notable cluster of hospitals serving the wider region. Residential blocks and medical-related offices fill in the gaps, giving the area a purposeful, community-centred character.

Places and straight-line distances from OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Actual walking routes may be longer.

How to get to Novena by MRT

Worked out from the network map. Stop counts are station to station and do not include walking or waiting time.

Fares from Novena MRT station

A trip from Novena to Changi Airport (about 25 km) costs S$2.40 on an adult SimplyGo or EZ-Link card. Fares are charged by distance, so the table below shows the estimated adult card fare from Novena to the main hubs, the early bird fare for journeys that start before 7.45am on weekdays, and the fare that applies from 26 December 2026.

Estimated from the route distance between stations and the Public Transport Council fare table in force from 27 December 2025. The exact fare can differ by one band. Cash fares are higher. Use the fare calculator for any other journey, or check your fare on the SimplyGo app.

Tips for using Novena MRT station

• The three shopping malls closest to the station are all within roughly a minute's walk, so plan your visit to all three in a single trip without much effort.
• The hospitals are within a short walk of around three to six minutes, but during weekday mornings patient and visitor traffic can make the surrounding pavements busier than usual, so allow a little extra time.
• The Police Heritage Centre is approximately an eight-minute walk away and is manageable on foot; however, the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall is around 15 minutes away on foot, so consider taking a short bus ride rather than walking the full distance.
• Novena is a single-line station on the North South Line with no interchange, so passengers heading to other lines should plan their route via City Hall, Dhoby Ghaut or Bishan to connect to other services.

All stations on the North South Line

In order along the line, with Novena marked. Stations with their own guide are linked.

Read the full North South Line guide.

Novena MRT station: common questions

Which line is Novena MRT station on?

Novena is on the North South Line. Its station code is NS20.

Is Novena an interchange station?

No. Novena is served by the North South Line only. The nearest interchange is shown in the next stations row above.

What time is the first and last train at Novena?

Times below are for the first and last train leaving the line terminus; trains reach Novena a few minutes later depending on its position on the line. North South Line first train 5:16 AM, last train 11:48 PM. Check the operator for holiday changes.

What is near Novena MRT station?

Novena station is surrounded by several shopping malls including Square 2, Royal Square at Novena and Velocity @ Novena Square, all within approximately 80 metres. A cluster of hospitals including Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital are also within a short walk of the station.

Which shopping mall is closest to Novena MRT station?

Square 2 is the closest shopping mall, at approximately 40 metres from the station, making it roughly a one-minute walk. Royal Square at Novena and Velocity @ Novena Square are also very close, at approximately 70 to 80 metres away.

How far is Tan Tock Seng Hospital from Novena MRT station?

Tan Tock Seng Hospital is approximately 270 metres from Novena station, which is roughly a four-minute walk. Please note this is a straight-line distance and the actual walking time may vary slightly.

How do I get to Novena from Changi Airport by MRT?

Take the East West Line from Changi Airport to City Hall (11 stops), then change to the North South Line from City Hall to Novena (5 stops). About 16 stops with 1 change.

Sources: station codes, line colours and interchanges from the LTA rail system map; operating hours from SMRT and SBS Transit. Last reviewed October 2026.

News and guides mentioning Novena

• シンガポール地下鉄（MRT）路線図 2026（日本語ガイド） 4 Oct 2026
• Singapore MRT Network: Lines, Fares & How It All Works 29 Sep 2026
• MRT Station Art: Stories Behind Hougang, Newton & More 28 Aug 2026
• North-South Line Map 11 Aug 2023

Plan the rest of the trip

Every station on the North South Line is listed on its line guide, with the full route and interchanges. For times, see the first and last train guide, and for the whole network in one view use the interactive Singapore MRT map or the PDF map.