Preserving a slice of history
Letter by Marcus Yip, The Straits Times Forum, 4 Jul 2011.
I grew up in the 1970s, a world away from modern-day Singapore. Although development has brought the country many benefits, we may have lost some invaluable things in the process.
The physical environment in which we live is important, as it affects our culture and community life.
The redevelopment of Chinatown in the 1980s is a sad example of how changing the physical environment of a place affected community life. What was once a vibrant area, with a sense of real life being lived out in its streets, is now a sad shell of its former self. One only needs to compare Chinatown today with Little India to know what I mean.
Source: The Straits Times
Why I drove the last train out
By His Royal Highness, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor, 1 Jul 2011.
WHEN I found out last year that Tanjong Pagar Railway Station would be closed, I expressed my desire of driving the last train out of Singapore to the KTM chairman.
What the governments do has got nothing to do with me. To me, it is a sentimental matter.
It was my great grandfather, the late Sultan Ibrahim, who opened the Causeway, designed for both road and rail links. He paved the way, literally, for the first train to rumble into Singapore from Malaysia back in 1923.
I felt it was only appropriate for me, as the ruler of Johor, to drive the last train out.
Besides trains, I fly jets, helicopters, and I sail my own yacht. I am never a boring person. Everything to me is a challenge. I always like to find something new to do. Every day, I look at the weather and think to myself, what should I do today?
So when the KTM chairman said OK, the train instructor was sent to my palace.
Source: The Straits Times
End of an era at Tanjong Pagar
By Zakir Hussain, The Straits Times, 1 Jul 2011.
The Sultan of Johor last night joined Malayan Railway (KTM) staff and a crowd of 2,000 people in a sentimental farewell to mark the closure of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.
With that came the end of an era in rail travel across Singapore. From today, the trains will start and end their journeys at Woodlands Train Checkpoint in the north, as part of an agreement the two governments reached last year.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday that the resolution of the railway lands issue, a thorn in ties since 1990, marked a ‘historic breakthrough in bilateral relations’.
Source: The Straits Times
Johor Sultan drives the last train out
By Cassandra Chew, The Straits Times, 1 Jul 2011.
ON BOARD THE SPECIAL LAST TRAIN OUT OF TANJONG PAGAR STATION: TRAIN enthusiast Char Lee leaned out the doorway in between train carriages and held his camera to capture the last moments of Malayan Railway’s (KTM) last train travelling through the heart of Singapore.
Along the way, the 30-year-old member of the KTM Railway Fan Club yelled and waved to people who gathered along the route from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands.
This special train, which left the station at 11pm, an hour after the last scheduled KTM train departed, was driven by Johor Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar.
Small groups of people gathered along the track for a final look.
Source: The Straits Times
Hundreds bid farewell to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station
By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia, 1 Jul 2011.
It’s one for the history books.
At the stroke of midnight, Malaysia formally ceded ownership of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station to Singapore.
It’s been like this for weeks. Old-timers, first-time train commuters, and shutterbugs all descended on the railway station for the last time.
Souvenirs fast selling-out, but you can still get a piece of the KTM track for $200 or an autograph from the longest-serving station master Shamsul Bahri Sahari.
Source: Channel NewsAsia
S’poreans bid Tanjong Pagar Railway Station farewell
By The Straits Times, 30 Jun 2011.
MR SHAMSUL Bahari became somewhat of a celebrity on Thursday evening, as hundreds of visitors swamped the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station on its last day of operations.
The station manager, 43, who’s worked at the station since 1996, was signing autographs for the people who came up to him bearing souvenirs — from coffee mugs to PVC folders with images of the station imprinted on them. ‘Must be more than 1,000 people already since this morning,’ Mr Bahari said, smiling. ‘No, my hands not tired yet!’
Around the station, shutterbugs scattered themselves, adding to the sense of occasion, bulbs flashing at every corner of the 79-year-old KTM Railway Station. Music blared through stereos brought by visitors; necks craned behind iron grilles that separated the ticketing booth from the train platforms. On Friday, the land on which the station sits will revert to Singapore.
Source: The Straits Times
Railway station closes chapter
By Saifulbahri Ismail, Channel NewsAsia, 30 Jun 2011.
A historic chapter closed on Thursday at the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.
Seven trains, bound for Malaysia, made their final journey from the station on Thursday.
Many people flocked to the station to take a last train ride from the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.
One of them is 64-year-old Mohd Jani Abdul Manap, who arrived in Singapore from Kuala Lumpur to do just that.
Mr Mohd Jani said the station brings back fond memories.
Source: Channel NewsAsia
Visitors flock to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station before it closes
By Evelyn Lam, Channel NewsAsia, 29 Jun 2011.
Singaporeans are visiting Tanjong Pagar Railway Station in droves to catch a glimpse of the place before train operations to and from Malaysia cease on June 30.
From July 1, trains will operate from Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTC).
The station said 40 per cent of Friday’s tickets for train services from Woodlands Train Checkpoint have already been sold.
Station staff said an average of 400 people have been visiting the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station every day.
And that’s not including passengers.
Source: Channel NewsAsia
End of the line for KTM station hawkers
By Fiona Low, The Straits Times, 24 Jun 2011.
Last call for those who enjoy the teh tarik or chapati served by the stalls at the railway station in Tanjong Pagar.
By Sunday, most will be gone, ahead of the closure of the 79-year-old station at the end of this month.
Many stallholders there told The Straits Times they are still unsure what they will do next or where else they can set up shop.
A new chapter in the history of rail travel here opens on July 1, with the move by Malayan Railway (KTM) to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint, and Singapore taking over ownership of the railway land following a breakthrough land swop with Malaysia last year.
Source: The Straits Times
Tanjong Pagar railway station to go in style
By Zakir Hussain and Amresh Gunasingham, The Straits Times, 23 Jun 2011.
The last Malayan Railway (KTM) train will pull out of Tanjong Pagar station a week from today, with as much fanfare as when the first train rumbled in almost 80 years ago.
At the controls will be Johor Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, who obtained his locomotive driving licence last year, KTM and palace officials said yesterday.
The scheduled 10pm departure from Tanjong Pagar will be marked by a KTM-organised send-off party attended by officials, guests and station staff, among others.
At midnight, Singapore will take ownership of the station – which opened in 1932 – following a breakthrough agreement with Malaysia last year.
KTM will then move its operations in Singapore to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint, where it will open a ticketing counter on July 1.
Source: The Straits Times
