Tanjung Pagar and Bukit Timah stations to be preserved
May 20, 2011
The Tanjung Pagar Railway Station, also known as the Keppel Road Railway station, is of great historical and sentimental value, not only for Singapore but also its neighbour, Malaysia.
Come July 1, 2011 the curtains will close on both the Tanjung Pagar and the Bukit Timah station as Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) terminates its rail services in the republic at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP).
Both the Tanjung Pagar, which opened in 1932, and Bukit Timah, opening in 1903, are set to see a new role, but their buildings and legacies are to be preserved.
According to the Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore, Datuk Md Hussin Nayan, the move to list both stations as heritage centres is part of the Malaysia-Singapore Points of Agreement (POA) concluded in 1990.
He told Bernama that the Tanjung Pagar station has especially sentimental value to many Malaysians, as well, and it reflects the social and cultural ties between the causeway.
Md Hussin said the preparation for KTM services to terminate at WTCP is progressing well and on schedule.
FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
In view of their deep historical significance, and to protect physical reminders of both stations' rich heritages, the Singapore government recently announced its commitment to preserve both.
The Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB) includes listing the Tanjung Pagar Railway Station as a National Monument, while the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is listing the Bukit Timah Railway Station as a protected building.
On May 24, 2010 Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, and his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, in their joint statement announced that the KTMB's services would end in WTCP and no longer continue in Tanjung Pagar, effective July 1, 2011.
Both leaders also agreed that the Tanjung Pagar Railway Station would be preserved, given its historical significance, along with the Bukit Timah Railway Station at Blackmore.
ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
In particular, the Tanjung Pagar Railway Station, where the railway line terminates, is considered to be a landmark due to its Neo-Classical and grand Art-Deco facade.
Other significant architectural features of the Tanjung Pagar Railway Station include its 72-foot high barrel-vault roof over the central waiting hall and its large tiled wall murals depicting scenes from Malaya.
In the past, when rail travel was considered a luxury, this station provided a sense of elegance and grandeur.
TO CONTINUE AS A LANDMARK
According to Jean Wee, Director of PMB, the station would continue to be a landmark, even after it takes on a new role to reflect the nature and strength of ties between both countries, as well as between the people on both sides of the causeway.
With the Tanjung Pagar Railway Station being listed as a heritage site, the current number of Singapore's National Monuments stands at 64.
BUKIT TIMAH RAILWAY STATION
The Bukit Timah Railway Station near King Albert's Park was one of the smaller stations built to serve the suburban sections of Singapore.
The simple brick building with an open sided waiting hall remains as an endearing local landmark.
This single storey building follows the style adopted for traditional small town stations that were common in the United Kingdom and Malaya in the 1930s.
Ler Seng Ann, Group Director (Conservation & Development Services) in URA, said the buildings and structures relating to railways in Singapore form part of the collective social memory of Singaporeans.
"The URA's Conservation Programme was set up to keep these physical reminders of our built heritage.
"Under this award-winning programme, we have already preserved the Clifford Pier and the former Kallang Airport, which were Singapore's historic gateways during their heydays.
And once the key historic structures for rail travel are conserved, it will complete the story of the Lion City's transportation history. - Bernama
