KTM Singapore Sector 14 Years On (1 July 2025) Visiting Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, Bukit Timah Railway Station, Bridge 1871 & Bridge 1861
1 July 2025 marks the 14th anniversary of the closure of the KTM Singapore Sector. On this anniversary day, I visited Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, Bukit Timah Railway Station, Bridge 1871, and with the newly-opened Hume MRT Station, I decided to take this opportunity to see how the new MRT station helps improve access to Bridge 1861 near The Rail Mall.
The KTM Singapore Sector is a term that I use to refer to the segment of the Malaysian rail network that used to extend into Singapore, formerly operated by KTM Berhad. The KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu) railway line, operated by Malaysia’s national railway company, ran from Tanjong Pagar Railway Station in Singapore through various parts of Peninsular Malaysia.
The KTM railway line into Singapore was a vestige of the colonial era, with Tanjong Pagar Railway Station being a significant landmark. The railway line was a crucial connection between Singapore and Malaysia for both passengers and freight. In 2010, the landmark Malaysia–Singapore Points of Agreement Supplement 2010 between Singapore and Malaysia led to the relocation of the KTM terminus from Tanjong Pagar Railway Station to Woodlands Train Checkpoint (Woodlands CIQ) in Singapore, effective from 1 July 2011. This move was part of a broader agreement to settle outstanding issues related to land and transportation between the two countries.
The old railway alignment in Singapore has been converted into the Rail Corridor, a green corridor that serves as a recreational space for walking, cycling, and other activities. It is a popular spot for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Tanjong Pagar Railway Station
I visited Tanjong Pagar Railway Station as the first stop of my annual remembrance visit to the KTM Singapore Sector. Unfortunately, I was rudely greeted with many signs and barriers blocking the pedestrian path onwards parallel to the station.
Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is currently closed for the development of Cantonment MRT Station on the Circle Line, but this new blockage seems to be for a different project.
I was still able to see the façade of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station before the actual blockage.
The path ahead is closed for the construction of a new bus stop for the future Cantonment MRT Station, and construction of a new PUB drain below the footpath.
The alternative pathway is a big detour, requiring pedestrians to cross the busy and wide Keppel Road twice. With this inconvenient detour, and with additional waiting time while crossing Keppel Road twice, pedestrians are better off simply walking to the next calling bus stop at 05641 Bef Cantonment Rd instead.
Bukit Timah Railway Station
I got to Bukit Timah Railway Station by MRT, alighting at King Albert Park MRT Station on the Downtown Line. Bukit Timah Railway Station was restored on 1 July 2022, but the station building was closed for renovations when I visited last year on 1 July 2024.
The coloured map of Bukit Timah Railway Station is fading already.
The shed with an information board and toilets is still functioning well.
However, the preserved wooden sleepers beside it now houses a pseudo bin centre. Very unfortunate, as the rotting wooden sleepers now look like they are for disposal too.
1932 Story Closed Down
1932 Story, a café housed in the former Station Master’s Bungalow, has closed down.
It is not known what has happened to the artefacts housed in 1932 Story, but they were mostly dodgy anyway, and most likely not related to the KTM Singapore Sector, though they insisted otherwise.
The Station Master’s Bungalow is now out of bounds for visiting.
Bukit Timah Railway Station
The hoardings seen around the Bukit Timah Railway Station building are now gone, and the station building is visible once again.
The new display trolleys on the loop line and siding are still around.
However, many play features are no longer in tact.
The front windows are also gone, probably fully removed after one too many breakages.
The station building’s public area is open for visiting again.
The waiting hall now hosts railway maps of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
The store room has been removed to reveal the rest of the waiting hall and ticket counter window.
Nothing much has changed in the signal room either.
The demonstration panel of the levers is very dusty now. Is this 3 years worth of dust? I wonder if the last time this panel was used was on 1 July 2022…
The lock error on the blue lever still remains.
The original station sign remains on the southern end of the platform, though with rewritten fonts to justify the wording.
The replica sits on the northern end of the platform.
The replica can be easily identified as it is too perfect on the back.
Original Bukit Timah Railway Station Sign in Old Johor Bahru Railway Station
The original station sign on the northern end of the platform now sits inside the old Johor Bahru Railway Station collecting dust.
I wonder if the new aircon for the Station Master’s office still works.
Bukit Timah Railway Station and Bridge 1871 are connected by a path with fake rails embedded. This portion of track were taken back by Malaysia after the KTM Singapore Sector closed.
Bridge 1871
Bridge 1871 has oddly become essential as the pedestrian overhead bridge adjacent to it is now closed for planned removal due to canal works. Bridge 1871 is now the temporary pedestrian overhead bridge for crossing Bukit Timah Road and Dunearn Road at this location.
The new shortcut steps leading up to Bridge 1871 now has temporary handrails for its function as a temporary pedestrian overhead bridge.
Looking northwards to Bridge 1871.
The 1871 numbers have been vandalised with red paint, and nature has overgrown on it, such that the numbers can’t be seen on this side any more.
The nicely embossed namesake of Dorman Long & Co on the truss of Bridge 1871.
The northern end of Bridge 1871 still has the bridge number in tact.
As part of Bridge 1861 being a temporary pedestrian overhead bridge, a temporary set of stairs have been installed connecting the railway track alignment with the nearby zebra crossing on Rifle Range Road. I hope this will be permanent as it does make access down to Dunearn Road easier and nearer.
I guess this is goodbye to the old pedestrian overhead bridge that I had always used after trainspotting at Bukit Timah Railway Station on the way to catch the bus home, before the days of the Downtown Line.
Bridge 1861
I got to Bridge 1861 using the new Hume MRT Station on the Downtown Line.
Unfortunately, the Hume MRT Station exigets me to the wrong side of direct access for Bridge 1861. The Hume MRT Station exits only lead to the northbound side of Bukit Timah Road, while the access to Bridge 1861 is on the southbound side, the same as The Rail Mall.
An unintended throwback to history, the sign below Bridge 1861 still points towards Johor on Bukit Timah Road, with 170 running under the bridge heading to JB Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal.
The access to Bridge 1861 is on the opposite side of the road, and the nearest crossing is at The Rail Mall ahead at the next bus stop.
However, a new link has been created from the same pedestrian overhead bridge to the Rail Corridor, enabling access from here. This access point is located at approximately KM769.42 as of the KTM Singapore Sector calculation pre-Gemas-JB EDTP.
Head south towards Tanjong Pagar from here to get to Bridge 1861.
There is also now a lookout deck looking out to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Dairy Farm Nature Park.
Bridge 1861 from the northern end.
The bridge number on the northern end has now faded off and it is impossible to see traces of the number 1861.
Bridge 1861 from the northern end.
The bridge number on the southern end has also faded off and is overgrown by nature. I’m not sure if the bridge number 1861 will ever be restored.
The toilet and shed nearby is known as the 9 Mile Platform. This is a new term coined for the Rail Corridor and does not relate to any structure in the KTM Singapore Sector.
A staircase leads down from Bridge 1861 to The Rail Mall.