Getting There
By Train
Before 2008 and before the building of ION, Wisma Atria was the go-to mall for Orchard Road goers. Commuters who alighted at Orchard MRT Station would walk to Wisma Atria via a short link.
This link was temporarily closed in 2008 to facilitate the building of ION Orchard above the station. Soon after, ION replaced Wisma Atria as the most associated shopping mall with Orchard MRT.
ION’s Level B2 greets thousands of commuters that leave via Exit E every day, accompanied by stores like Chanel and Bobbi Brown that run parallel to the station’s fare gates. However, these stores, despite their branded names, are designed for the masses. For instance, the Chanel that is found in the basement is a make-up store which expects traffic. If the Chanel that sells fashion and apparels is to placed in ION, it would not be on the same level as the MRT because their target market is clearly not the masses.
By Car
According to Parkopedia.sg, ION’s parking lot can accommodate over 450 cars, more than most shopping malls around it. Immediate neighbours Wisma Atria and Wheelock Place have only 381 and 145 lots respectively. Interestingly, each carpark is postioned above their respective shopping mall. In a physical sense, it is on a higher pedestal than underground transportation like the MRT.
Alternatively, shoppers that arrive via taxi enter ION on Level 2 via Orchard Boulevard, and are instantly greeted by luxury retailers like Patek Philippe. This brings across the assumption that shoppers who are capable of entering Orchard Road via taxi must be of a certain economic status. Establishing high-end brands like Patek Philippe on the same level as taxi accords both parties equal footing on the economic scale.
By Bus
ION is located at a cross junction, making it highly
visible above land. However, despite its human traffic, bus stops are not located at ION. Rather, the closest stops are in front of the neighbouring malls. One possible reason may be attributed to image. A bus stop may possibly tarnish the exuberant image that ION strives for.
By Underpass
ION capitalises heavily on the traffic flow of Orchard Station and its surrounding destinations, like British Council and Four Seasons Hotels for instance.
Apart from Wisma Atria, Orchard Station connects shoppers to nearby shopping malls and hotels with an underpass, making places like Tangs, Scott Square and Shaw Theatres Lido a stone's throw away.
ION is connected seamlessly to its neighbour, Wheelock Place, via a stretch of stores within ION - dubbed
“Patterson Link.”