A historic junction

This is the junction of Upper Thomson Road, Sembawang Road, and Mandai Road - a geographical landmark that has existed for around 170 years.

The junction used to be far smaller, as the trunk roads were not as wide - they started out as single-lane dual carriageways, but were progressively widened to accommodate heavier vehicular traffic. Today, Upper Thomson Road-Sembawang Road is a three-lane dual carriageway, while this stretch of Mandai Road, a single-lane dual carriageway, meets the junction as a two-lane dual carriageway.

The junction in 1954, marked with a blue dot.

At the time, it was the heart of Nee Soon Village.

Credit: Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

The junction in the 1940s, including a sign for Nee Soon Post Office, which served the eponymous village. I wish the old, classic signs were kept!

The same location today - the attap house behind the men is gone, replaced by trees, bushes, and grass.

The junction in 1975, marked with a blue dot. More roads in the area had been built and / or named, such as Transit Road, Chong Kuo Road, and Thong Bee Road.

The junction in 1976. Nee Soon Post Office was the building on the left, along Mandai Road. The two-storey concrete building on the right was more than a century old, owned by 71-year-old Soh Chee Kim.

Credit: Singapore Press Holdings.

Mr Soh outside his dwelling. Sadly, this lovely, historic building - which had been occupied by the Japanese as an operational headquarters during World War II - was soon demolished for the widening of Sembawang Road.

Credit: Singapore Press Holdings.

The same location today. Somehow, the area doesn’t look as rural anymore. Perhaps it is because some of the greenery has been trimmed.

Nee Soon Police Station used to be at the southwest corner of the junction, but it has also been demolished, and the former site taken up by road widening and the creation of a filter lane connecting Upper Thomson Road to Mandai Road.

Fortunately, Nee Soon Post Office, just slightly to the west of the police station, has survived.

Today, the post office has been converted to Mandai Pet Sanctuary, at 5 Mandai Road.

A long-awaited opening

Finally! After delays of at least a year, Stage 2 of the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line will open on 28 August.

The stations:

TE4 🚇 Springleaf

TE5 🚇 Lentor

TE6 🚇 Mayflower

TE7 🚇 Bright Hill

TE8 🚇 Upper Thomson

TE9-CC17 🚇 Caldecott Interchange

Credit: Land Transport Authority.

I can’t wait!

30 June 2011

It has been 10 years since the last train pulled out of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station on the night of 30 June 2011, ending a 108-year era of rail in Singapore.

Thereafter, the southern terminus of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) West Coast Railway Line was moved from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands, at the northern edge of Singapore Island. KTM trains no longer ran across the width of the city-state.

Ten years on, most of the railway tracks in Singapore are gone, and the former KTM land is now the Rail Corridor. To commemorate 10 years since 30 June 2011, I unearthed some photos I took with a cheap camera on that historic night.

The beautiful exterior of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

The station staff were celebrities that night. This guy posed for photographs like a star.

What was left of the canteen.

I wonder what became of this man.

Waiting for the last train out. I had a good view because I was standing on a chair I had taken from the canteen. That chair was my best friend that night. I later decided to put this photo in my book, Jalan Singapura.

It was like a carnival. Everyone was excited and in great spirits. We all knew we were part of a historic moment.

After the last train left at around 11pm, the crowd spilled onto the tracks.

We were free to walk all around the place, including the immigration and customs areas. The staff did not care, because their job here in Tanjong Pagar was done.

I love this sign - the font, the colours, the Malay name.

People were in no hurry to head home that night.

The interior of the station building, with its murals. I’m glad this building is conserved.

The former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station will be integrated with the future Cantonment MRT Station of the Circle Line Stage 6, which will open in 2026. I can’t wait to be back inside the historic building to relieve the magical night of 30 June 2011.