The Rail Corridor Open Day [1 July 2012]

The Rail Corridor Open Day is held on 1 July to allow the public to enjoy the biodiversity and heritage of the Rail Corridor, and to explore the Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah Railway Stations. This event is organised by Friends of the Rail Corridor and Nature Society (Singapore).

The public can participate in the following activities during The Rail Corridor Open Day on 1 July: Read more

Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah Railway Stations open for short-term uses

4 April 2012 – The former Bukit Timah Railway Station (BTRS) and Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (TPRS) have received much public interest since last year. They were on the land formerly occupied by the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) which has reverted to the State. The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has completed removal works along the former railway land, which has been levelled and turfed end of 2011.

2. Over the past few months, SLA has received several requests from the public to use the former BTRS and TPRS for community events, sports activities and exhibitions. SLA is pleased to announce that the former BTRS and TPRS are now open to individuals and organisations for ad-hoc activities and events, subject to SLA’s terms and conditions.

3. It is hoped that such activities and events will inject vibrancy and life to the two buildings and the surrounding area. Both the TPRS and the BTRS are a part of Singapore’s heritage, with the former being gazetted as a national monument, while BTRS has been conserved. Read more

Old Bukit Timah Railway Station to be opened to public

By Esther Ng, Today, 3 Sep 2011.

Allaying concerns that the removal of the KTM railway tracks would damage the flora and fauna, Law Minister K Shanmugam yesterday invited nature groups and the media to view a stretch of the tracks and the old Bukit Timah Railway Station, which will be opened to the public on Sept 16.

Mr Shanmugam said: “I’ve been assured, in this area, that none of the trees have been taken down. (There is) very little damage to the vegetation … I think people can see for themselves.”

The 1.4km stretch to be re-opened starts southwards from the steel bridge along Bukit Timah Road and runs past the old station, which will be conserved.

Read more

Source: Today

Part of KTM railway land to be reopened

By Grace Chua, The Straits Times, 3 Sep 2011.

Those who flocked to Bukit Timah railway station in the wake of the closure of the Tanjong Pagar station can do so again from Sept 16.

A 1.4km stretch in Bukit Timah of the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway land is the first section to have rail-removal works completed and will be reopened to the public.

But the tracks and equipment at the Bukit Timah railway station and the black steel bridge across Bukit Timah Road have been retained.

The 26km tract from Woodlands to Tanjong Pagar reverted to Singapore in July, and as agreed with Malaysia, most tracks and other structures are being removed and returned by Dec 31. The stretch is also being turfed over.

Read more

Source: The Straits Times via Wildsingapore

Bukit Timah Railway Station open to public from Sept 16

By Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia, 2 Sep 2011.

The old Bukit Timah Railway Station and surrounding railway land will be open to the public in two weeks.

Announcing this on Friday, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said the station and railway land extending 1.4km southwards from the steel bridge along Bukit Timah Road will be open from September 16.

The SLA said other portions of the railway land will also be progressively open after removal works are completed.

Read more

Source: Channel NewsAsia

A Walk Down the Tracks – The Green Corridor

By David Teo, 17 Jul 2011.

When I started documenting the KTM railway closure in Singapore, I had decided I would do no more than a series of 5 postings documenting the closure, the people and of course, the trains. During the frenetic days leading up to the closure, I had taken a trek from the rail mall to the Chua Chu Kang level crossing (a distance of about 3km I believe). It was tough walking on the sleepers and the ballast and trying to stay alert to both photograph and avoid on-coming trains; however it was a great eye opener and not something one can do everyday in Singapore, and certainly not after the end of this year, where all the tracks will be returned to Malaysia. So when a chance to walk another section of the tracks surfaced, I jumped on it. This is a special green corridor update, and with many people flocking to walk the tracks, it only seems appropriate to talk about the importance of preserving the green corridor. Read more

A Walk on the Tracks – Pt. 2 (Buona Vista to Jalan Hang Jebat)

By CK Ng, 19 Jul 2011.

This is a continuation of my previous post where I talked about a walk Boon Hwee and I took from Bukit Timah Railway Station to Jalan Hang Jebat. Before bidding farewell, Jerome gave us some pointers on what to look out for along the route as well as how to get there, and we set off to continue our walk.

A view of the railway tracks from an overhead bridge near Blk 10, Ghim Moh Road. Read more

A Walk on the Tracks – Pt. 1 (Bukit Timah Railway Station to Ghim Moh)

By CK Ng, 17 Jul 2011.

Shortly after the cessation of rail services between Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and the Woodlands Train Checkpoint, the announcement came that the entire railway will be opened to the public to explore until 17 July 2011. With no trains to watch out for, this is a good time to explore the track and the surroundings, so when I saw Jerome‘s Facebook posting organising such a walk last week, I jumped at the opportunity and also invited Boon Hwee, who has also been documenting the last days of the KTM railway to come along.

The walk was supposed to start from Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, but Jerome, having walked the track with the Minister of State Brigadier-General Tan Chuan Jin, commented that it was rather tough and there wasn’t much to see until much further down the road, so we decided to start from Bukit Timah Railway Station and end at Ghim Moh instead.

We arrived to see the Bukit Timah Railway Station now fenced up in an ugly green fence.

The railway tracks and the now-defunct and fenced up Bukit Timah Railway Station in the early morning. Read more

The Green Corridor – my railway adventure 2 (Bt Timah to Buona Vista)

By Miss Pegasus, 10 Jul 2011.

this trip was vastly different from my previous trip along the railway track from Bt Merah to Bt Timah, when few ppl bothered abt the existence of this track. no one cared abt the railway line. apart from turning their heads to the sound of the oncoming train, the railway track seemed to disappear. in my previous trip, we were the only ones walking on the track and NSS led some groups.

yesterday, as i walked towards the bt timah railway station, my heart sank. so many ppl? the place looked infested. and i became skeptical. so many people. i walked on with a heavy heart to the start point. and i stood there alone for a good 20 minutes, just observing everyone. i heard the conversations of ppl walking past me, those taking scenic photographs, those taking arty farty photographs with toy trains on the railway tracks, little kids picking up stones and throwing it back on the track, eager parents who encouraged their kids, and eager parents who warned their kids to be safe. so many people, so much noise, so many distractions. this was absolutely not what i imagined it to be. Read more

Shooting the Last Days of the KTM Railway

By CK Ng, 9 Jul 2011.

I was not much of a railway person. The KTM railway in Singapore has been around for nearly 80 years, but like most people, I never thought much about it. I had vague memories of taking the train to Malaysia when I was a little kid but couldn’t remember much of it.

The quaint little railway station (which I never knew about until recently) and the iconic black truss bridge across Bukit Timah Railway – these were very close to Ngee Ann Polytechnic where I spent three years studying. I would pass the bridge every day on the way to and from the polytechnic, but never ventured to explore the vicinity.

The black truss bridge across Bukit Timah Road and Dunearn Road, as seen from the Bukit Timah Railway Station side. Read more

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