Construction on a new infill station Dover station between Buona Vista station and Clementi station began in June 1988. The building of the station was met with reservations by some members of the public over the small area it serviced and there were criticisms over the spending of "taxpayers' money" chiefly for use only by students of one educational institution. Despite some opposition, the Land Transport Authority proceeded with the construction to serve commuters along Singapore Polytechnic with Dover housing estate. On 18 October 2001, Dover was opened. Prior to opening, test runs were conducted from 13 to 17 October 2001 when the trains stopped at this station but did not open their doors. Dover is the first station in the MRT network to be built as an infill station.