The Green Corridor: Not scrap metal, but a bridge to the past

Liew Kai Khiun Today Online 22 Jun 11;

For the past fortnight, along with Singaporeans from all walks of life, I have been joining the walks along the Malayan Railway tracks organised by the "We support the Green Corridor" group, comprising conservationists and nature experts who are promoting awareness of the need to conserve the line between Tanjong Pagar and Woodlands as a green lung, after it ceases operation at the end of the month.

Aside from the stretches of lush greenery along the train line, many visitors have been tremendously fascinated by the engineering structures. These include the levers in the control room of the Bukit Timah Station, the train tracks and the cast-iron Truss bridges on Dunearn Road and Railway Mall on the main line, and the smaller counterparts at Sungei Ulu Pandan and Sunset Way along the defunct Jurong-Bukit Timah line.

Visitors have been zealously photographing these structures down to the finest detail. Going by their questions and discussions, there is substantial interest in the design, history and function of these rail structures, which can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution and rail expansion in Europe and America in the 19th century. There is anxiety over what may happen to these structures when the last train departs for Malaysia.

The message from the Singapore Land Authority has been mixed, judging from its public tenders for works that include the "removal and storage of railway and ancillary structures from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands" and "proposed dimensional survey works and structural investigation works for the structural feasibility study of the disused railway bridge across Ulu Pandan".

The Nature Society of Singapore (NSS) has proposed a six-month moratorium on the development of the railway in order for public consultation and exploration, and for any decisions to be carefully deliberated. The SLA has yet to respond publicly to the NSS' proposal.

In this respect, while I understand Singapore's pressing land needs, I urge the authorities to consider retaining and creatively reusing these structures for the wider public. To date, the only historical bridges that have been conserved - like the Elgin Bridge at Boat Quay, the Cavenagh Bridge outside Fullerton Hotel as well as the Ord, Read and Crawford Bridges - are concentrated in the heart of the city.

While the bridges along the railway line may not be as aesthetically outstanding, they have nevertheless been significant in Singapore's transport history, apart from giving the entire Bukit Timah area a distinctive local identity.

While the Bukit Timah Station has been gazetted for conservation, its presence may be rendered meaningless without the railway tracks and the nearby truss bridge (near King Albert Road) cutting across Dunearn Road.

If the bridges at Rail Mall, Sungei Ulu Pandan and Sunset Way are also conserved, they can collectively act as a crucial park link stretching from Clementi and Sunset Way estates to the Dairy Farm Park Connector.

In addition, various government bodies like the National Parks Board and Singapore Tourism Board can consider the using the line to start eco-heritage trains like that of the famous Sagano Romantic Train ride along the scenic canyons of the Honzu River at Arashiyma, near Kyoto in Japan.

In Singapore, this eco-vintage ride could stretch from Rail Mall to the land close to Buona Vista Station. And instead of merely another cafe overshadowed by condominiums, the Bukit Timah Station can be redeveloped into a transportation museum.

This eco-heritage line, I believe, would revitalise the entire area while preserving its natural beauty and historical significance that will benefit Singaporeans more substantially in the long term.

Singaporeans would be the biggest losers if we regard the structures of the Malayan Railway as merely potential scrap metal from next month.

Rather than carelessly scrapping our heritage, we should look at these rail tracks and bridges as the souls of our identity and as connectors that link our collective past more meaningfully with the future of Singapore.