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
Nature lovers push harder for Green Corridor
By Grace Chua, The Straits Times, 30 Jun 2011.
NATURE and heritage groups have beefed up their original proposal to save the KTM railway land.
They point out that the land, comprising that on which the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station now sits and the north-to-south strip through which the rail tracks wind, links historic buildings and nature conservation areas. It could even become a Unesco World Heritage site, they add.
The KTM land reverts to Singapore tomorrow.
In their original proposal, green groups pushed for the 173.7ha strip of land on which rail tracks now run to be turned into a ‘green corridor’ for cycling, gardens and nature walks.
But corridor proponents now also call for calculations to be done on the true financial contribution which permanent green spaces make to property values.
Source: The Straits Times via Wildsingapore
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
