Walking route from Sungei Kadut Avenue to Choa Chu Kang Road
Here’s a map of A Walk by the Sungei – Walking route from Sungei Kadut Avenue to Choa Chu Kang Road, which includes good photo-taking spots. Thanks to the great effort from CY Leong!
Download high-res map of [download#2#size#nohits]
(Maps attributed to OneMap by SLA, http://www.onemap.sg/index.html)
Walking route from Rail Mall to Bukit Timah Train Station
Here’s a map of the Bukit Timah Greenway – Walking route from Rail Mall to Bukit Timah Train Station, which includes good photo-taking spots. Thanks to the great effort from CY Leong!
Download high-res map of [download#8#size#nohits]
(Maps attributed to OneMap by SLA, http://www.onemap.sg/index.html)
Unbroken green stretch along railway land?
By Grace Chua, The Straits Times, 2 Jul 2011.
The railway lands that were returned to Singapore yesterday may be kept a continuous green stretch and could even be linked to existing park connectors.
A day after the historic handover of the 26km tract of Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) lands, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said yesterday that it would ‘comprehensively review and chart the development plans’ for the lands and their surrounding areas.
‘The URA will study the possibility of marrying development and greenery, such as applying innovative strategies to maintain a continuous green link along the rail corridor without affecting the development potential of the lands,’ it said in its first statement on the lands, much of which is flanked by unspoilt vegetation.
Source: The Straits Times via Wildsingapore
Explore old rail tracks? You can during this month
By Jamie Ee Wen Wei, The Straits Times, 2 Jul 2011.
TANJONG Pagar Railway Station may be closed and work to remove the tracks is under way, but it is not the end of the road yet for railway buffs.
In response to requests from the public, the entire line of railway tracks will be open to the public from now until July 17, except for a few areas.
After July 17, a 3km stretch of tracks from Rifle Range Road to The Rail Mall will continue to be open until July 31.
A joint statement from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority yesterday noted that as agreed with Malaysia, Singapore will remove the tracks and ancillary structures of the KTM railway and hand them over to Malaysia.
The SLA will start these removal works as well as do maintenance works shortly.
Source: The Straits Times via Wildsingapore
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
Public works and future plans for former railway land [Press Releases]
By Singapore Land Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority, 1 Jul 2011.
The lands previously occupied by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) for railway use have been vested in the Singapore Government with effect from 1 July 2011.
As agreed with Malaysia, Singapore will remove the tracks and ancillary structures of the KTM railway and hand them over to Malaysia. The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) will commence these removal works as well as conduct maintenance works around the various railway sites shortly.
Public Can Access the Railway Tracks
Nevertheless, in response to requests for an opportunity for the public to trek along and experience the tracks, the SLA will be staging its works. From 1 Jul 2011 to 17 Jul 2011, the entire line of railway tracks will be open to public for 2 weeks, except for some localised areas.
After 17 Jul 2011, a 3km stretch of railway tracks from Rifle Range Road to the Rail Mall will continue to be open to the public till 31 Jul 2011. Read more
Chug your way to the railway tracks at Tanjong Pagar
By Channel NewsAsia, 1 Jul 2011.
The Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Timah Railway Stations are now shuttered, but they are anything but quiet.
Works are being carried out for the removal of furniture and equipment by KTM and its tenants as well as maintenance works.
As for the railway tracks, they are open from today for those who want to take a walk through the past.
During two weeks from 1-17 July, the entire line of railway tracks, except for some localised areas, will be open says the Singapore Land Authority. This is in response to public requests for an opportunity to trek along and experience the tracks.
Source: Channel NewsAsia
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
