A Handy Guide to the Rail Corridor

History of the Railway Line in Singapore

The need for a rail system in colonial Singapore arose as
early as the 1860s when demand for primary produce from
the Peninsula grew. Materials and goods had to be moved
efficiently to Keppel Harbour which was the main point of
import/export trade. But, the construction of the much needed
railway only started in 1903.
The first system centred around the main station at Tank
Road located at the existing large traffic island in front of the
Tank Road Chettiars Temple. In the 1910s, the line was
extended south across the river, finally connecting to the
Tanjong Pagar Docks and all the wharves. A direct link to
Johor was later realised when the Causeway was
constructed in 1923.
This marked the beginning of the heydays of rail as a means
of goods transport, communications and travel between
Singapore, Malaya and Siam. The natural wealth of Malaya,
particularly tin and rubber, could now be seamlessly
transported to the ships by a combination of human sweat
and steam power to the markets of the world.

(Text from URA http://www.ura.gov.sg/railcorridor/ )


Tank Road Railway Station circa 1900
Source: National Archives of Singapore



Bukit Timah Railway Station (BTRS)

The BTRS was part of the three (Alexandra and Tanglin
Halt) smaller railway stations constructed to serve the
suburban areas of Singapore.
The BTRS followed the style of the traditional small town
stations that were common in the United Kingdom and
Malaya.
It is an open-sided single-storey brick building that fronts
the main railway line with an open platform. Its cosy country
cottage appearance has made it an endearing local
landmark.
Cargo such as horses used to be unloaded and loaded at
the BTRS. While it no longer performed the role of a freight
interchange in its recent history, the BTRS was where key
tokens were exchanged between the train drivers and the
station master.
The exchange of key tokens was to ensure the safety of the
trains and prevent head-on collision with an on-coming
train, as the entire route is on a single track, except at the
stations. A train coming from the north would deposit the
key token for the northern stretch (ie Woodlands to Bt
Timah) before picking up the key token for the southern
stretch (ie Bt Timah to Tanjong Pagar) at BTRS. The key
tokens have thus come to symbolize the authority to pass
through a sector. The BTRS was gazetted in 2011 as
conserved building.
(Text from URA http://www.ura.gov.sg/railcorridor/ )


Fun Facts!

Distance Marker:
These markers are in intervals
of 0.25km along the entire
railway line.

The origin point (0km) is at
Butterworth in Penang.
In Singapore, the marker at
Woodlands Train Checkpoint
indicates 759.00km while that
at Tanjong Pagar railway station indicates 784.50km.


Railway tracks: Consist of the
metal rails, the sleepers (wooden
or concrete) and the track ballast.
The track ballast is the stones
which help to distribute the weight
loading on the tracks and facilitate
drainage of water. You can see
track ballast on our MRT tracks
too.











Railway bridges:
There are two significant
railway truss bridges each of
length more than 100 feet. One
spans across Upper Bukit
Timah Road (near The Rail
Mall) and another spans across
Bukit Timah Road (near King
Albert Park). These two railway bridges will be retained.

Contributed by CY Leong

Track ballast
Rail
Clip
Sleeper
1











































1
1
3
4
The Rail Mall
Bus services along
Upper Bt Timah Rd: 67,
75, 170, 171, 178, 178,
2
3

Points of Interest (see boxed no.)


Railway truss bridge near southern end of The Rail
Mall

Concrete bridge spanning over the railway line

Valley next to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

Small railway girder bridge over Hindhede Road

Railway track crosses beneath several roads

Railway truss bridge over Dunearn Road / Bukit
Timah Road

Bukit Timah Railway station (closed and fenced,
but you can still view it)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
General information
The approximately 3km railway stretch between
The Rail Mall (1) to Rifle Range Road (3) will be
open to public till 31 July 2011.

Friendly Advice
Set aside about 2hrs for the walk, including time to
explore the tracks and take photos.
Please wear proper footwear when trekking the
railway corridor, and keep yourself well-hydrated.


Walking trail contributed by C.Y. Leong
Street directory maps are copyright of SLA (www.onemap.sg)

For more information, please visit http://www.ura.gov.sg/railcorridor/

Access points (see circled no.)
Southern end of The Rail Mall
Slope near Hindhede Road
Slope near Rifle Range Road
Via Bt Timah Road, up the railway bridge
1
2
3
4
2
4
5
6
7
Bus services along
Bt Timah Rd: 66,
67, 74, 77, 151,
154, 157, 170,171,
174, 852, 961, 970
Rifle
Range Rd
King
Albert
Park