The station was first announced in 2005 as part of the Downtown Extension of the CCL, which was later revised to be the first stage of the DTL.

[9] Deputy local news editor of the Chinese-speaking newspaper Lianhe Zaobao Chua Chim Kang criticised the translation, calling it "meaningless" and perceived it as an "erosion" of the Chinese language.

[12][13] The northern end of the station was designed by the developer of the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort.

[27][28] When the Ship Comes In by Lee Wen is displayed along the station concourse as part of the Art-in-Transit programme, a showcase of public artworks on the MRT network.

Based on fantasy or other existing ships, the designs included boats powered by whales and dragons, or those made of food and recycled bottles.

[33] Over one thousand ship designs were created through workshops held in various primary schools and coordinated by the artist and his friends, including Chye Teck and Chun Kaiqun.

Due to the limited space of the canvas, only some were selected based on the creativity of the design rather than how well-drawn the ships were.