Bukit Merah, also known as Redhill, is a planning area and new town situated in the southernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore. The planning area borders Tanglin to the north, Queenstown to the west, and the Downtown Core, Outram and Singapore River planning areas of the Central Area to the east. It also shares a maritime boundary with the Southern Islands planning area to the south. Bukit Merah is linked to Sentosa Island via Sentosa Gateway, Sentosa Broadwalk, Sentosa Express, and the Cable Car.
Bukit Merah planning area also includes two offshore islands which are linked to the mainland by road, namely Pulau Brani and Keppel Island. It is the most populous planning area in the Central Region and the 12th most populous in the country, with more than 150,000 residents.
Etymology Bukit Merah translates to "red hill" in Malay, and is a reference to the red-coloured lateritic soil found on the hill. According to the Sejarah Melayu, Singapore was once plagued by swordfish attacking people living along the coast. A young boy named Hang Nadim proposed an ingenious solution to build a wall of banana stems along the coast at the present location of Tanjong Pagar.
When the swordfish attacked, their snouts were stuck in the stems. With the swordfish problem solved, Hang Nadim earned great respect from the people, but also jealousy from the rulers. The fourth King of Singapura, Paduka Seri Maharaja, finally ordered his execution, and it was said that his blood soaked the soil of the hill where he was killed, giving rise to the red-coloured hill.
The hill was eventually trimmed to its current state in 1973, when it made way for Redhill Close and what would become the now-defunct Henderson Secondary School. During its existence, a Chinese cemetery was situated on the reverse side of this hill, which is today the location of Tiong Bahru.
History Keppel Harbour dates back to the 14th century when an ancient Chinese traveller, Wang Dayuan named the harbour"Long-Ya-Men" or "Dragon Teeth Gate" after two rock outcrops located near Labrador Park, which resembled dragon's teeth. The two rock outcrops were subsequently blown up by the Straits Settlements Surveyor, John Thomson, in August 1848 to widen the entrance to a new harbour.
With the earliest records of Bukit Merah's existence in the Malay Annals, the town had a considerable role to play in the early maritime trade of the Kingdom of Singapura.
Mount Faber was once known as Telok Blangah Hill. Its name was changed to Mount Faber after Captain Edward Faber cut a road to the top in 1845 to establish a signal station. The Singapore General Hospital site dates back to 1882. Labrador Nature Park was used as a defence outpost in the 19th century until World War II.
The town's fertile red soil was put to great effect during British colonial rule, when it was a district rich in gambier cultivation.
Even before the industrialisation of Jurong, Bukit Merah already had a small head start in the emerging heavy industry market in Singapore. With the first brickwork factories and mills emerging in the precincts of Henderson Hill and Redhill as early as the 1930s.
The town is also home to the first housing estate in the country, Tiong Bahru, which was developed by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the backdrop of a rapidly growing population in post-war Singapore. The estate later became the basis for the Republic's first new town, Queenstown.
Geography
According to the various master plans laid out by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Bukit Merah is bounded by Alexandra Canal and the Singapore River to the north and HarbourFront and Keppel Bay to the south, Kim Seng Road, Outram Road and Cantonment Road to the east and Alexandra Road to the west. There are 17 subzones within the planning area, including Alexandra, Bukit Ho Swee, Bukit Merah, City Terminals, Depot Road, Everton Park, HarbourFront, Henderson Hill, Redhill, Singapore General Hospital, Telok Blangah and Tiong Bahru.
Subzones Name of subzonesLocationNotable structuresAccessibilityAlexandraAreas along Alexandra Road, Jalan Bukit Merah, Jalan Rumah Tinggi, and Hoy Fatt RoadAlexandra Primary School, Alexandra Central, Alexandra Village, AIA Building, and IKEA AlexandraLabrador Park MRT station, Redhill MRT station and busesBukit Ho SweeAreas along Jalan Bukit Ho Swee and DeltaBeo Crescent Market, Havelock Food Centre, Kim Seng Community Centre, and Singapore Examinations and Assessment BoardTiong Bahru MRT station, Havelock MRT station and busesBukit Merah Areas along Bukit Merah CentralBukit Merah Town Centre, Bukit Merah Bus Interchange, Bukit Merah Polyclinic, Former HDB Centre, Bukit Merah Secondary School, Gan Eng Seng Primary School, and Wat Ananda Metyarama Thai Buddhist TempleBusesCity TerminalsPulau Brani and areas near Keppel Harbour Port of Singapore Keppel Terminal, Police Coast Guard Headquarters and St. James Power StationKeppel MRT station and buses. Keppel Terminal is a restricted area.Depot RoadAreas along Depot RoadCentral Manpower Base, Defence Science and Technology Agency, Depot Heights Shopping Centre, ISS International School, North London Collegiate School (Singapore) and The InterlaceBusesEverton ParkAreas bounded by Cantonment Road, Neil Road, Keppel RoadCantonment Primary School, Former Tanjong Pagar railway station, Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal and Police Cantonment ComplexCantonment MRT station, busesHarbourFrontBukit Merah SouthHarbourFront Bus Interchange, HarbourFront Centre, Singapore Cruise Centre, VivoCityHarbourFront MRT station, buses, cable car, Sentosa ExpressHenderson HillBukit Merah WestBukit Merah West NPC, Delta Sports Complex, Gan Eng Seng School, Henderson Community Club, and Tiong Bahru ParkBusesRedhillNorthwestern Bukit MerahRedhill Market and Food Centre, Leng Kee Community Centre, and Enabling Village Redhill MRT station, busesSingapore General HospitalBukit Merah EastDuke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Health Promotion Board, Health Sciences Authority, Outram Community Hospital & SingHealth Tower, Outram Polyclinic and Singapore General HospitalOutram Park MRT station, busesTelok BlangahBukit Merah SouthBlangah Rise Primary School, CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent, Mount Faber Park, Radin Mas Community Club, Radin Mas Primary School, Tang Gah Beo Temple, SAFRA Mount Faber, Telok Blangah Community Club, and Telok Blangah Hill ParkTelok Blangah MRT station, busesTiong BahruArea bounded by Jalan Bukit Ho Swee, Outram Road, CTE, AYE, and Lower Delta Road Tiong Bahru Community Centre, Tiong Bahru Market, Tiong Bahru Plaza and Zhangde Primary SchoolTiong Bahru MRT station, buses
Transportation
Mass Rapid Transit There are currently 9 MRT stations that serve the planning area across four lines, the East West Line, Circle Line, North East Line and the Thomson-East Coast Line.
Outram Park MRT station became a double-line interchange station with the opening of the NEL station in 2003 and subsequently became a triple-line interchange station after the commencement of the third stage of the Thomson–East Coast Line in November 2022.
HarbourFront MRT station opened in 2003 and is the southern terminus of the North East Line, replacing Tiong Bahru as the closest MRT station to the HarbourFront district and Sentosa The Circle Line segment of HarbourFront station opened in October 2011, which also served as the line's terminus until the opening of line's sixth stage in 2026. Stage 6 of the Circle line had officially begun operations in July 2026, which completed the line's loop with the opening of three stations, including two in Bukit Merah, Keppel and Cantonment.
The 9 stations that are currently operational are:
Havelock Outram Park Tiong Bahru Redhill Labrador Park Telok Blangah HarbourFront
Keppel Cantonment
During the 2025 Committee of Supply debate, Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat announced that feasibility studies are underway for a proposed MRT line, tentatively named the Tengah line. If found feasible, the line, which will serve areas including Bukit Merah, could be built from the 2040s.
Bus
There are two bus interchanges and one bus terminal in the new town. The Bukit Merah Bus Interchange, which serves Bukit Merah, is located at Bukit Merah Town Centre. Service Number 132 links the Interchange to Redhill MRT station while bus services 5, 16, and 851 link the interchange to Tiong Bahru MRT station. Two feeder services originate from the interchange serving the Telok Blangah estate. The HarbourFront Bus Interchange is located in the southern part of Bukit Merah, serving nearby amenities such as the HarbourFront Centre and VivoCity, Singapore's largest shopping mall. The Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal is located along Spooner Road, near the vicinity of the Singapore General Hospital.
Education
Primary schools
Alexandra Primary School Blangah Rise Primary School Cantonment Primary School CHIJ Kellock Gan Eng Seng Primary School Radin Mas Primary School Zhangde Primary School
Secondary schools
Bukit Merah Secondary School CHIJ St. Theresa's Convent Crescent Girls' School Gan Eng Seng School
Tertiary institutions
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School
Other schools
Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST) APSN Tanglin School ISS International School (Preston Campus) North London Collegiate School (Singapore) Shelton College International
Amenities
Places of worship
Buddhist temples Wat Ananda Metyarama Thai Buddhist Temple Kwan Yam Theng Buddhist Temple Buddhist Fellowship West Centre, in Yeo's building
Chinese temples Ban Siew San Kuan Imm Temple (1880) Giok Hong Tian Temple (1887) Hock Teck Tong Temple (1932) Kai San Temple (1904) Kim Lan Beo Temple (1830, relocated in 1984) Leng San Teng Temple (1879) Koon Seng Ting Temple (1880) Lei Yin Temple (1957) Qi Tian Gong Temple (1920) Qi Tian Tan Temple (1949) Tai Yeong Kon Temple (1947) Tang Gah Beo Temple Telok Blangah Ting Kong Beo Temple (1923)
Chinese clan temples Lim See Tai Chong Soo Kiu Leong Tong Temple San Jiang Gong Ci Temple
Chinese combined temples Chia Leng Kong Heng Kang Tian Temple Chin Leng Keng (Leng San Teng, Chin Lin Keng & Ban Sian Beo) Temple of Liang Hong Sze Kong Hock Keng Heap Hoe Keng
Churches Grace Assembly of God 1 Church of God Singapore Church of St. Teresa Danish Seamen's Church Grace Methodist Church Pasir Panjang Tamil Methodist Church St. Matthew's Church Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church
Hindu temples Sri Ruthra Kaliamman Temple
Mosques Masjid Al-Amin Mosque Masjid Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah Mosque Masjid Kampong Delta Mosque Masjid Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim
Sikh temples Gurdwara Sahib Silat Road
Shopping centres Alexandra Central Alexandra Retail Centre Concorde Shopping Centre Depot Heights Shopping Centre HarbourFront Centre Tiong Bahru Plaza VivoCity
Parks
Alexandra Canal Linear Park Alexandra Hill East Neighbourhood Park Bukit Purmei Hillock Park Henderson Park Kim Pong Park Labrador Nature Reserve Mount Faber Park Rail Corridor (South) Rumah Tinggi Eco Park Telok Blangah Hill Park Tiong Bahru Park
Community centres/clubs Bukit Merah Community Centre Henderson Community Club Kim Seng Community Centre Leng Kee Community Centre Radin Mas Community Club Telok Blangah Community Club Tiong Bahru Community Centre
Sports facilities Delta Sports Complex SAFRA Mount Faber Sports Lifestyle Centre
Tourist attractions
Amped Trampoline Park Baba House Berlayer Beacon
Bukit Chermin Broadwalk Former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (Temporarily closed for restoration works)
Gillman Barracks Henderson Waves Singapore Art Museum (SAM) at Tanjong Pagar Distripark Singapore Cable Car stations at Mount Faber and HarbourFront The SGH Museum
Politics