Singapore Railways
Overview
This page was originally created as an overflow for my Malayan Railways site and should be used in conjunction with it. For those not familiar with the region Singapore is an island state, roughly the size and shape of the Isle of Wight, situated at the southern tip of the Malay peninsular. The metre-gauge Malayan Railway (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) enters Singapore via the Johore Causeway at Woodlands, where the immigration and customs facilities are now located, and runs across the centre of the island, via Bukit Timah, to a terminus at Tanjong Pagar, adjacent to the container terminal on the south-western edge of the city. At Bukit Timah there is a passing loop, and it was also a junction for a freight only branch to Jurong, which closed in the mid 1990s. Steam finished on the island in 1972 and most of the early diesels have now gone also. Scroll down for a history of Singapore Railways. In the mid 1980's a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system was commenced and is still expanding. It runs underground in the city but on the surface or elevated throughout the rest of the island. The trains are driverless 6-car electric sets but there are also some diesel shunters and Bo-Bo units for permanent way work. There are monorail systems (for pleasure purposes) on Sentosa Island and at the Jurong Bird Park. On the industrial front there was a harbour railway at Loyang, an admiralty railway from Woodlands to Sembawang, several sidings to military depots, private sidings with a diesel shunter in Jurong and an extensive system in the Port of Singapore, which had its own fleet of steam, and later diesel, shunters. One of the dry docks in Singapore also boasted a steam crane on broad gauge tracks, this is now preserved on Sentosa Island in the Maritime Museum. I have a few photographs from all these locations and some can be accessed via the thumbnails below. Many others are already included in the Malayan Railway site.
Loyang ->
Jurong ->
Port of Singapore ->
Steam crane at
work->
Sentosa monorail
->
More pictures can be found here.
History
The first indication I can find of any railways in Singapore is a picture taken in the 1870's of bullock carts in the docks which has a single track line running through the foreground. This appears in "Singapore then and now, volume 2" by Ray Tyers. In the same book is a picture of Tanjong Pagar Road in 1892 showing a double track tram line junction complete with steam trams. There is also a picture of the Tank Road terminus (see below) taken in 1910. A steam tramway was operated (one report suggested to Kranji but this was actually a plan which did not come to completion - see The Kranji Electric Tram) from 1885-1894 and there were two electric tramway experiments: along a block of track at the docks in September, 1891, and along a mile of track on "The Kranji Electric Line" in September, 1892. This was in fact a special track laid for the purpose on ground owned by the Sultan of Johore near Kranji. An electric tram system was opened in the city on 25th July 1905, and by 1907 was operating 60 trams on more than 26 miles of track. All rail operation ended on April 9, 1927, although I understand electric trolley buses operated for a lot longer.
Click here for details of the steam tram locomotives.
The National Archives of Singapore have numerous pictures, many of which are duplicated several times and these have wildly fluctuating dates. For example, one picture has been posted several times with dates ranging from 1890 to 1930. The information I have so far comes from a number of sources and there are some discrepancies in the details but I have already come across a number of dated photographs which will prove invaluable in creating a more accurate picture. I also have copies of old newspaper articles which provide accurate dates of notable events.
I have created a separate page for tram systems but am still searching for more information and pictures. Any information or pictures which can be used on this site would be most welcome, please send by e-mail.
I have come across two different versions of the history of the first railway; the first was based on original ideas and subsequent assumptions and should be ignored.
Early plans/ideas, not acted on.
The following has appeared in some history books but was an idea or plan which was not acted upon. "In 1871, plans were made for a railway from New Harbour (now Keppel Harbour) to the town, but it was not until 30 years later that a line was actually laid down from Telok Blangah over Craig Hill to the People's Park (off New Bridge Road). Thence it was continued across the river by way of Pulau Saigon, and along Tank Road, Cuppage Road and Clemenceau Avenue to Newton Circus. In 1902, it reached the Johore Straits at Kranji." This was an assumption based on early ideas and a final layout some 30-40 years later. Subsequent research and information has proved it to be false. My thanks to Margie Hall for supplying the corrections.
Correct version, updated January 2008.
The Singapore - Kranji Railway, also known as the Singapore Government Railway and the Singapore - Johore Railway at various times, was constructed between 1900 and 1902 under the supervision of C.E.Spooner, the General Manager of the Federated Malay States Railway and was opened from the Singapore terminus in Fort Canning Park to Woodlands in two sections, Singapore to Bukit Timah on the 1st January 1903 and Bukit Timah to Woodlands on 10th April 1903. Total length at this time was 16 miles 79 chains. At Kranji there was a ferry connection to the Malayan mainland. From Singapore the line ran north-westwards and crossed Orchard Road by a bridge near Emerald Hill west of the Singapore Cold Storage by Cuppage Road. It continued north-westwards until reaching Newton station, near where Newton circus now is, and then ran along the north side of Bukit Timah Road, through Cluny station, just west of Adam Road, Holland Road station, and on to Bukit Timah station, which was across the road from Pei Wah Avenue, where the Halfway House stood in the 1960s. At Bukit Timah village the line turned north and ran via Bukit Panjang station, Mandai station and Kranji to Woodlands station, which was adjacent to the jetty east of the present causeway, the section from Bukit Panjang still being in use today as far as Woodlands new station. In 1906-7 the line was extended southwards from a new station at Tank Road via Pulau Saigon bridge, Peoples Park (Chinatown) and Tanjong Pagar, and on to Pasir Panjang (at Chermin Bay) near Alexandra Brickworks. This I have not been able to identify but apparently there was a station near the junction of Alexandra Road, Telok Blangah Road and Pasir Panjang Road. This extension was opened on 21st January 1907. At this time there were stations at Passir Panjang (1907 spelling?), Borneo Wharf, Tank Road, Newton, Cluny Road, Holland Road (for the rifle range), Bukit Timah, Bukit Panjang and Woodlands. Total length of the line is stated as 19¾ miles, in which length are 55 gate-crossings, including 23 public level-crossings, where gatemen have to be maintained.
Singapore and Kranji Railway station opening dates
Singapore 01 Jan 1903 (Thu) This was the
first station, by Fort Canning Hill opposite the Ord Road/River
Valley Road junction, converted to goods 1907
Newton 01 Jan 1903 (Thu)
Cluny Road 01 Jan 1903 (Thu)
Bukit Timah 01 Jan 1903 (Thu)
Bukit Panjang 10 Apr 1903 (Fri)
Woodlands 10 Apr 1903 (Fri)
Holland Road 16 Jul 1903 (Thu)
Tank Road 21 Jan 1907 (Mon)
Borneo Wharf 21 Jan 1907 (Mon)
Pasir Panjang 21 Jan 1907 (Mon)
People's Park 01 Apr 1908 (Wed)
*Holland Road was first indicated in the
Singapore and Kranji Railway timetable effective 1903 Jul 16.
*Tank Road was first indicated in the Singapore and Kranji
Railway timetable effective 1907 Jan 21, previous timetable show
Singapore.
* People's Park was first indicated in the Singapore and Kranji
Railway timetable effective 1908 Apr 01.
I have copies of timetables for various significant dates between 1903 and 1909 and hope to obtain more in the near future. These show that initially services ran between Singapore and Bukit Timah with two extended to Woodlands when that section opened. When the Pasir Panjang section opened most trains were extended to that station and there was one daily service between Pasir Panjang and Tank Road, which replaced Singapore station on the same day. At first goods traffic was attached to the passenger trains but later there was a daily goods train in each direction.
Three A class 4-4-0T locomotives built by Hunslet were supplied in 1901 with a fourth in October 1903. They were capable of pulling 99 tons up a gradient of 1/100 at 15 mph. Two similar but more powerful locomotives of B class were supplied in April 1906 and May 1907, these being capable of hauling 160 tons under the same conditions. A third B class locomotive was supplied at a later date. In 1907 there were 25 passenger coaches and 46 six-ton goods wagons.
The Singapore Government Railway operated independently up to 31st December 1912. On 1st January 1913 the operation was transferred to the Federated Malay States Railway. The Singapore Railway Transfer Ordinance of 25th October 1918 authorised the sale of the Singapore Railway and its associated land to the Federation of Malaya for the sum of S$4,136,000. It also authorised the construction of an embankment or causeway across the Johore Straits.
I heard in June 2005 that there was a station called Borneo park (2006 update - it is Borneo Wharf) near Breeze Hill in Tanjong Pagar, shown on a 1923 map, in the V formed by Keppel Road and Nelson Road. The same map also shows a Peoples Park station at approximately the spot where Pearl Bank school now stands (or did in 1963 & 1975). These were both on the railway to Pasir Panjang, opened in 1907. A 1905 map showing the railway between Breeze Hill and Orchard Road shows only one station on a short spur approximately where the Van Kleef aquarium later stood. Later maps, including 1913 and 1923, show Tank Road station further north, between Penang Lane and Tank Road (now Clemenceau Avenue), and the spur to the earlier station just as a siding. Thanks to Nadia Wright for this information. In fact the original 1903 station was where the National Theatre later stood but this later became the goods or engine yard and a new station was built about 1906 on what is now the site of the Haw Par centre for the opening of the extension to Pasir Panjang. A 1930s map shows Holland Road station where Ascot Rise now is, at the junction of Holland Road and Bukit Timah Road, just over 6 miles from the town centre. The same map does not show either Cluny station or Newton station - perhaps both had been closed by then. Nadia has also sent me a reference to Holland Road station on 16-11-04. There was also a through station in the same location as the current terminus on the north side of Keppel Road. This is shown on a 1930 map which shows the line from Orchard Road to Tanjong Berlayer and also the course of the proposed deviation to Bukit Timah. No other stations are shown on this map. My 1946-54 map shows the line from Tanjong Berlayer still in situ as far as gate 7 but then remaining on the south side of Keppel Road and remaining in the docks area. The line from Breeze Hill is still intact also but instead of running into Tanjong Pagar station it now turns north to join the new line towards Bukit Timah. There is no connection from Breeze Hill to the old line south of Keppel Road. Can anyone shed any more light on these please. The Singapore Government Railway was purchased by the FMSR in 1913 as an isolated line. There may have been stations other than those mentioned but I can find no information as yet. I have just come across another map, dated 1907, which shows the line from Cluny to Pasir Panjang in very good detail, but it only shows stations at Cluny Road, Newton and Tank Road. It is possible that it was drawn before the extension opened.
July/September 2006 update - I have been sent some more old maps, one dated 1898 showing the proposed route of the railway continuing west and then north-west from Dunearn Road near where Jalan Jurong kechil now is to a point near the western extremity of Bukit Batok park, then turning sharply north-east to join the present route just north of the bridge across Upper Bukit Timah road, to the south of Bukit Panjang. The other is a 1925 FMSR map showing stations and distances as follows: Kempas Halt 464½, Tampoi 467¾, Johore Bahru 472, Woodlands 473¾, Mandai 477¾, Bukit Panjang 479, Bukit Timah 482¼, Holland Road 483¼, Cluny 485, Newton 487, Tank Road /Singapore 488¼, Tanjong Pagar 490¼ and Pasir Panjang 493¼. This is the first time I have heard of a Mandai station. There is no mention of Borneo Wharf station. Yet more maps recently arrived - the original Tanjong Pagar station on the Pasir Panjang branch was in the same location as the present Tanjong Pagar station. The original Bukit Timah station was on the site later occupied by the Halfway House night club and restaurant close to the junction of Jalan Jurong Kechil and Upper Bukit Timah Road, opposite Pei Wah Avenue, and nowhere near the present line. The original Woodlands station was parallel to the coast some 400 metres east of the causeway. I understand there was also a station at Kranji at one time, I have no further details of this as yet. There is a 1927 map which shows the route of the line and stations (I have yet to see it). One copy is for sale at the Antiques of the Orient in Tanglin Shopping Centre for S$7,000. There may well be a copy available for viewing in the British Library in London - I understand photocopying is not permitted but tracing is!
December 2007 update on the Tank Road to
Tanjong Pagar line.
This line closed some 75 years ago but over the last few days I have been looking to see if any trace is left of it. Surprisingly, I have found that it is possible to walk almost the entire length of the old route. This is partly because new roads were built over the trackbed but in many places very little has been built and the original earthworks can still be seen.\par From Penang Road through to Havelock Road the whole route has been covered by Clemenceau Avenue and the only evidence is the earthworks around Fort Canning. If you stand on the Oxley flyover (yes, there is a footpath across it) and look north you are looking at the site of Tank Road new station (1907-1933). If you turn round and look south you are looking at the site of the old station (1903-1907) which later became the goods yard and running sheds. South of Havelock Road there is a housing block which you can walk through the middle of (between 51 & 53) and you come to the east side of Pearl's Hill where Pearl's Hill Hostel appears to have been built along the trackbed. Beyond here the railway swung right slightly and crossed Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge Road at an angle of about 45 degrees, roughly opposite Kreta Ayer Road and entered what is now Duxton Plains Park where a footpath has been laid approximately over the trackbed and this curves gently to the left until it reaches Yan Kit Road. At the mid point of this section the path passes under Neil Road, via what may be an old railway bridge, but could be a metal raft inserted over a dipped level-crossing (the old line had 53 of these). After crossing Yan Kit road the line started to swing westwards passing through the site of the now disused Yan Kit swimming complex, across Cantonment Road and along where Cantonment Link is to the car park at Tanjong Pagar.
Today (30 December) I walked the section from Tank Road to Newton. Part of the old embankment is still in place between Buyong Road and Killiney Road behind the car park next to Penang Road. All traces of the bridge were removed during construction of Somerset MRT station and the corner of Robinsons obscures where the railway went, I walked along Emerald Hill Road to just after Hullet Road, then down an alley between the houses on the east side and behind the houses is the route of the old line. I walked back to where a door lead through a building and out on to Orchard Road. Going northward from here there is a path at the foot of what appears to be the embankment for a while, then you have to go through the new tunnel beside Clemenceau Avenue which you then follow to Newton Circus. Any traces on this last section have been obliterated by all the roadworks.
A number of maps showing the line from Bukit Panjang to Pasir Panjang via Tank Road have surfaced over the years and most of them differ to a certain extent on the precise alignment of the line. I have now obtained some partial copies of cadastral maps showing the precise alignment and have also received more photographs of the Orchard Road area and a few other places.
Click here for a large scale map of the Tank Road area showing basic track layout and bridges
Click here for a colour map showing the line between Bukit Timah Road and Borneo Wharf
Click here for an early map showing the line from Tank Road to Newton.
Click here for details of the early Singapore Railway locomotives.
In 1919 construction of the Singapore-Johore causeway commenced and the railway from Woodlands to Johore Bahru, 54 chains long, was opened to goods traffic on 17th September 1923 and passenger traffic on 1st October 1923. The causeway was officially opened by Sir Lawrence Guillemard, Governor of the Straits Settlements, on 28th June 1924.
In the 1920's plans were made to build a new terminus in Keppel Road and this was completed in 1932. The 8 miles 52 chains deviation line from Bukit Timah to Keppel Road station was opened to traffic on 3rd May 1932. The original line from Tank Road to Bukit Timah was dismantled some 6 or 7 years later and some of the track-bed converted to Roadway, being Penang Road and Clemenceau Avenue from Tank Road to Newton circus and Dunearn Road between Cluny and Bukit Timah. Going westwards from Newton station the track was between the canal and Dunearn Road up to the point where the latter ended. The actual point where the deviation commenced would appear to be about a mile south of Bukit Panjang village, this point being 8 miles 52 chains from Keppel Road according to the official route mileage chart.
On 30th April 1932 FMSR
had published a notice in the Sin Kuo Min Ri Bao newspaper
announcing that Tank Road, Newton, Cluny and Bukit Timah (old)
Railway Stations would be closed permanently on the night of 2nd
May 1932 (Monday), after the last train left Tank Road at 8:30 pm
for Kuala Lumpur. The new Keppel Station was officially opened by
Governor Sir Cecil Clementi at 5:15 pm on 2nd May 1932. The grand
event was held at the station main hall. Before that, the
Governor accompanied with the Sultan of Perak and other guests
boarded a special train from Bukit Panjang via the new route to
the new station. I have a very poor quality copies of the
photographs at the new station, the 3 coach train appears to be
hauled by one of the then brand new S class pacifics which had
taken over the Singapore to Taiping expresses. The following
stations: Singapore, Alexandra Halt, Tanglin and Bukit Timah were
opened from 3rd May 1932 onward. On 3rd May, the daily first
train from Singapore departed for Kuala Lumpur at 8:30 am. There
is no mention of Holland road station being closed so it had
probably been closed earlier although it was still mentioned in
the distances tables in 1925. The new timetable published for 3rd
May 1932 onwards does not show Mandai, Kranji or Woodlands
stations so these had probably also closed by this time, at least
to passenger traffic. This timetable shows only the Gemas and
Kluang all-station locals, one of each each way, stopping at
Bukit Panjang and Alexandra Halt. There were 3 trains each way
between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and these stopped at Tanglin
and Bukit Timah with the exception of the northbound Night Mail
which ran non-stop from Singapore to Johor Bahru in 36 minutes.
On 11th November 1965 a branch was opened from Bukit Timah station to the new Jurong Industrial Estate but much of the expected traffic did not materialise. In all my visits to Jurong in the 70's, working in the various shipyards, I only ever saw one train, hauled by a 201 class diesel, and the shunting loco in the cement works. There was a 3 coach passenger train hauled by 20114 at the opening and the ceremony was attended by 20104 bedecked in flags. I also have a copy of a picture depicting 563.04 shunting there shortly afterwards. The last steam locomotive left Singapore in late 1972.
In 1961 the Singapore Harbour Board had 16 miles of tracks in its 950 acre site, which were connected to the main line west of Tanjong Pagar station. By the 1970's it had been renamed to the Port of Singapore Authority and owned a number of diesel shunters. I have some maps showing the system at various times, and hope to be able to show them later. There is some more information on my Industrial page.
The main railway yards were located at Kranji, Bukit Timah and in the city between Keppel Road and Kampong Bahru Road. Adjacent to the latter two branches ran off the main line into the docks (see above). Other branches ran off at various places to industrial estates or military installations and the locations of these have been obtained from a number of different maps over the years.
The 4 mile long Changi line was built by the FMSR for the War Department to a gauge of 4' 8½" for the construction of the Singapore Defences. This line ran from Fairy Point pier, turning south-eastwards to clear the east bank of Sungei Selarang, following an alignment similar to where Aldergrove Road now is and crossed the Upper Changi Road close to the 13 milepost (21 km post now). After this it turned west of south to the 15" gun emplacements (known as Johore Battery) east of Lloyd Leas estate. The map below shows more detail and clicking on the map will take you to the site I obtained it from with a fuller history. My thanks to Margie Hall, the KTM railway fan club and the unknown author of this site for the above information. If they will contact me I can give them due credit.
The branch from Queenstown to Ayer Rajah Industrial estate only shows on maps from the mid 1990's and that of 1946, but not those in between, while those from Bukit Panjang and Kampong Kranji are only on the 1946 map.
There was a supply line to the Buona
Vista Battery near the corner of Ulu Pandan Road and Clementi (ex-Reformatory)
Road. This left the main line opposite my house at 41 Jalan
Jelita and headed in a westerly direction, keeping about a couple
of hundred yards south of Ulu Pandan Road until a little way
short of Reformatory Road when it turned north crossing Ulu
Pandan Road and stopping at the foot of the hill just to the
north. The battery had 2 15" guns, presumably on top of this
hill, which were apparently destroyed by the British when the
Japanese took control. My thanks to "dataxbox" for
supplying this information and maps, part of which is reproduced
below. Any further details of this or any other lines would be
welcome, please e-mail me, address below.
Click here for an update on Military Railways.
The map above is not
strictly to scale nor accurate in either positioning or date, but
merely gives an indication of the approximate location of the
various lines described above. Indeed, the line from Bukit Timah
to Jurong was not built until some 30 years after the line from
Bukit Timah to the docks via Tank Road had disappeared. The
present Woodlands station was only opened some 3 or 4 years ago,
when the Customs and Immigration facilities were transferred
there from the Keppel Road terminus at Tanjong Pagar. Passenger
trains still run to and from Tanjong Pagar but all passengers
have to alight at Woodlands in both directions for Customs and
Immigration formalities. Tanglin halt has also disappeared as
have the majority of branches shown. Bukit Timah station is still
in existence, but used mainly as a passing loop and I understand
the Jurong branch is still in situ but no longer used. The Changi
line is now more correctly positioned, please see text above map,
which I have now redrawn. The station previously shown as Borneo
Park is actually Borneo Wharf. The terminus station of the dock
branch from Tank Road (opened to traffic 21st January 1907) is
Pasir Panjang. I now know the approximate location of the
original Bukit Timah station, close to Jalan Jurong Kechil, now
buried under the PIE. The original Woodlands station was some way
north-east of the present station, around 400 yards east of the
causeway. Bukit Panjang station was close to Bukit Gombak,
between lorongs 4 & 5. At the opening ceremony the new Singapore station at
Tanjong Pagar was referred to as Keppel Station in one newspaper
and the timetable showed an Alexandra Halt and a Tanglin Station.
Does anyone know the precise location of Alexandra Halt. Also,
does anyone know where Kranji station was?
A number of Industrial concerns had steam locomotives, the largest being the contractors for building the Naval Base and Kallang Airport. Click here for a full list of steam locomotives known to have been sent to Singapore.
The following links will take you to pages containing more than 650 photographs taken on the railways of West Malaysia (formerly Malaya) and Singapore between 1962 and 2003, the majority between 1975 and 1977 when my back garden overlooked the line from Bukit Timah to Tanjong Pagar and I was working in the port areas of Loyang, Jurong and Singapore.
A handful of pictures taken between 1962-1965, includes 2 steam on the causeway.
Pictures taken between 1972-1977 in Singapore and Malaysia, includes dumped and preserved steam.
From my back garden: Pictures taken in 1975 in Singapore. + Pictures taken in 1976 in Singapore.
Pictures taken from my garden and at Tanjong Pagar, April-June 1977.
Pictures taken from my garden, at Bukit Timah and Tanjong Pagar, July and August 1977.
Pictures taken between Singapore and Penang in 1985, includes the KTM Centenary celebrations.
A brief visit to Singapore station area on 4th February 2003, plus a surprise.
Above left: Tank Road terminus in 1910. Above right: Orchard Road bridge in 1925.
Below: Tanjong Pagar Road looking towards the docks from the junction with Anson Road in 1892. In the centre is a steam tram with trailer. Details of steam trams.
Above: The causeway from Johore (left) and Singapore (right).
Below left: High street / North Bridge Road junction. Below right: Anderson bridge.
Sources:
Survey Department, Federation of Malaya, map 191-54.
Singapore Guide and Street Directory, 7th edition, March 1963.
Singapore Guide and Street Directory, 11th edition, 1975.
Singapore Street Directory, 2002/2003 edition.
Singapore Then and Now by Ray Tyers.
Central Intelligence Agency map published on the internet.
Malayan Railway 100 years, 1885-1985.
Malayan Railway 1885-1985 Locomotive Centennial by Haji Shamsuddin.
The Malayan Railway by J. A. Stanistreet.
Various tourist maps and internet sites.
A military Historian at the National University, via Leon Dark.
National Heritage Board, National Archives of Singapore.
Brian Raybould, military railway engineer.
Margie Hall.
The KTM Railway Fan Club (website).
Nadia Wright.
"dataxbox"
Peter Chan
The 2Bangkok.com Railway History forum (website).
Penang Trams, Trolleybuses & Railways by Ric Francis & Colin Ganley
Singapore Trams, Trolleybuses & Buses by F W York & A R Phillips
Others who wish to remain anonymous.
Last updated 18th January 2008.
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