Closure of a Chapter in Malaysian Railway History

On 1 July 2011, the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was officially closed after being in operations for 79 years. This was a historical chapter in so far as Malaysian/Singapore railway operations was concerned.

The Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, located along Keppel Road, used to be the main passenger station for trains operated by the Malaysian rail operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Berhad travelling between Singapore and Malaysia. The Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was previously known as the Keppel Road Railway Station. Built between 1929 to 1932 by a French construction company, the Station sits on reclaimed land and was officially opened on 2 May 1932.

Over the last few weeks prior to the official closure of the Station and with so much publicity in the media, the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station drew a lot of public interest. Enthusiasts took pictures to preserve the memory of the station, while other visitors purchased KTM souvenirs or sought autographs from station staff. Train rides were also fully booked as many tried to get a seat on board the last few journeys out of the station.











From 1 July to 17 July, the entire track line was opened to the public to explore. After that from 18 July to 31 July, only a 3km stretch remained accessible. During these weeks thousands of people took the opportunity to explore the tracks and there was even organized guided tours. I too joined the thousands to walk the tracks and managed to take some photographs as momentos of a by-gone era. As I write this post, parts of the tracks are already being dismantalled but there is hope that some sections of the tracks especially where the bridges are would be preserved as historical monuments. It would certainly be a shame to loose all of its history to development.