Despite lobbying by grassroots leaders, the government supported SBS Transit's decision, citing low expected usage that would have made the station a "white elephant".

The North East Line (NEL) Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project was first proposed by the Government of Singapore in 1984.

[12] At the time, the Land Transport Authority indicated that a portion of the North East Line containing Buangkok station could possibly be ready before 2002.

[12] The contract for the construction of Sengkang and Buangkok stations was awarded to a joint venture between Sato Kogyo Company and Hock Lian Seng Engineering on 26 April 1997.

According to SBS Transit, the poll, which was launched by Chong and conducted with academics from the National University of Singapore (NUS), was flawed and did not take into account the frequency of commuters' use.

[24] In July 2003, the transport minister Yeo Cheow Tong denied the station was a "white elephant",[25] despite some residents calling it such.

[26][note 1] In August, the government acknowledged SBS Transit had made mistakes in delaying the announcement but supported the company's decision and rationale due to low passenger demand in the area.

[23] On 27 July 2005, to address SBS Transit's doubts, Chong and other grassroots leaders launched another survey, interviewing 495 residents near Punggol station.

[32] When youth minister Vivian Balakrishnan was on his way to Punggol South on 28 August, he saw eight white, cardboard elephants had been erected along the road toward Buangkok station.

Residents and community leaders expressed shock at the investigation, saying there was no ill intent and that the cut-outs were a creative way to bring the issue to the minister.

[37][38] On 6 October, the police closed the investigation without pressing charges, though they sternly warned one veteran grassroots leader for an infringement of the Act.

[39][40] Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said the investigation was initiated because they could not selectively enforce legislation otherwise the law would become "the real white elephant".

[41] Following the white-elephant incident, students from Raffles Girls' School (RGS) had formed a group called "Project White Elephant" that was aimed at encouraging youth to take an active role in politics.

T-shirts bearing the words "Save the White Elephants" were created and sold to raise funds for a charity, Youth Guidance.

[43][44] In September 2005, Yeo said the expected opening date had been further postponed to 2008 following LTA's projections for the housing development plans for the area; only 500 residential units had been completed within 400 metres (1,300 ft) of the station.

[50] Punggol South grassroots leaders invited RGS students to sell their remaining "Save the White Elephants" t-shirts at the carnival for the station's opening event.

[55] SBS Transit, after saying it was still "too early to draw a conclusion" about ridership,[54] remained committed to keeping the station open to serve future developments nearby.

A tactile system, consisting of tiles with rounded-or-elongated raised studs,[8] guides visually impaired commuters through the station.

[65] The images function as a commentary on life in Singapore; for example, Leow intended a photograph of a soldier on parade to remind Singaporean men of National Service and their "rite of passage into adulthood".