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30 June was the last day of operations in Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. Huge crowds gathered throughout the day to document the moment.
I reached at 6:05pm, and hundreds of people were already inside. The striking similarity between everyone was whatever was in their hands: a camera.
Of the times I came here, this was the most crowded I had ever seen. People from all races, all walks of life, Singaporeans and Malaysians and foreigners.
A little area was gazetted for the screening of a documentary.
The food operators had vacated the station.
This is what was left in the canteen.
Green flag raised--the clear signal that the train could leave.
The reporter was doing a Live Update for the 6:30pm Mandarin news.
Inside, media from local and overseas were present. This was for a Malaysian news programme.
The media was everywhere. In every corner, you would see a team of camera crew doing filming for all kinds of programmes in many languages.
They had installed lights at the pillars, to present a better sight of the exterior that it well-deserved.
Train officials (those in blue) were frequently asked to be models.
And this guy enjoyed some attention. People even requested for his autograph. He's probably some station master.
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People seem to only cherish things when they're gone.
When I was young, I've heard people complaining that the Malaysian government was 'spoiling' our image by letting old trains ply the railway tracks into downtown Singapore and not upgrading the trains nor the fading train station. Now that the last of the trains would leave the station and never travel past Woodlands from 1st July, hordes of people became nostalgic and lamented at the loss of a valuable piece of memory. That's life.
Being in existence for close to 80 years, the railway station must have seen through generations of people and have countless stories that had happened in every inch and corner. Yes, the building must be preserved and remembered.
But I'm hoping the government would keep the 26km-long corridor too. Yes, you can remove the railway tracks, but please don't be too hasty to drive the bulldozers into the stretch of green belt. In a totally matured and built-up downtown, a long preserved green corridor is hard to come by. I like the suggestion by the Nature Society to keep it, say, as a cycling corridor that connects the Northern areas right to the heart of the city. I'd be happy as long as the rustic feel is kept.
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Anyway, I've completed the video of the KTM train trip up to Johor Bahru Sentral. I decided to share it only now, to coincide with the actual closing of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.
Watch it HERE
人生是黑白的.
11:48 PM <3
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Of the times I came here, this was the most crowded I had ever seen. People from all races, all walks of life, Singaporeans and Malaysians and foreigners. 
A little area was gazetted for the screening of a documentary.
The food operators had vacated the station.
This is what was left in the canteen. 
Green flag raised--the clear signal that the train could leave.
The reporter was doing a Live Update for the 6:30pm Mandarin news.
Inside, media from local and overseas were present. This was for a Malaysian news programme.
The media was everywhere. In every corner, you would see a team of camera crew doing filming for all kinds of programmes in many languages.
They had installed lights at the pillars, to present a better sight of the exterior that it well-deserved.
Train officials (those in blue) were frequently asked to be models.
And this guy enjoyed some attention. People even requested for his autograph. He's probably some station master.