President Tan urges govt not to rush plans for Rail Corridor

Sharon See Channel NewsAsia 2 May 12;

SINGAPORE: President Tony Tan Keng Yam has urged the government to not rush into coming up with a plan for the Rail Corridor.

He said it is more important to take time to wait for good ideas to come forth.

"Don't rush into doing things (and) say 'We must have a plan and we must finish it by 2-3 years' time'... (Let's) take our time to study the possibilities," said Dr Tan.

He was speaking after visiting the "Journey of Possibilities" exhibition at the URA Centre on Wednesday.

The exhibition features about 80 entries comprising 18 winning ideas, 19 honourable mentions, as well as other innovative entries received for Urban Redevelopment Authority's Ideas Competition. The exhibition also showcases some of the interesting feedback and suggestions received on URA's Rail Corridor website since its launch in July last year.

Dr Tan said he is happy that Singaporeans of various community groups have expressed great interest in the Rail Corridor.

He said the government should continue to find ways to engage different groups and hear their ideas.

And the URA's Ideas Competition is a good way to get new ideas.

However, he also said authorities should be flexible in experimenting to find out what works best.

"You try things out, if it does not work, you can change it... I think it may take us up to 10 years before the whole thing settles down into an asset which can be enjoyed by all Singaporeans," said Dr Tan.

One way this will be done is through the Rail Corridor Partnership, which includes government agencies, interest groups and individuals who were part of the Rail Corridor Consultation Group.

Chaired by Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin, the new partnership now includes agencies such as the Education Ministry, the Singapore Sports Council, the People's Association and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

They will explore ways to promote community use of the Rail Corridor.

The agencies that have just joined the Rail Corridor Partnership will also gather feedback from the community events organised. This, together with the proposals from the Ideas Competition will set the stage for the Rail Corridor Master Plan.

- CNA/cc

URA establishes Rail Corridor Partnership
Channel NewsAsia 2 May 12;

SINGAPORE: The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has established a Rail Corridor Partnership to look into the programming and promotion of community activities along the Rail Corridor.

The partnership, chaired by Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin, is an expansion of the Rail Corridor Consultation Group which was formed last July to provide input to the government on charting the future development plans for the former KTM railway land.

With representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Singapore Sports Council and the People's Association, the partnership will look for opportunities to promote community use of the space that spans the entire width of the island from north to south.

URA said it will work closely with partner agencies to assess the range of possible community uses and events, as well as the necessary infrastructural requirements needed to support these activities along the Rail Corridor.

The Rail Corridor Partnership will also provide advice on the public engagement efforts and proposed activities for the Rail Corridor.

Such activities could span from community level events to national events that utilise the entire Rail Corridor.

The feedback gathered from these events would be used by URA to draw up the design specifications and requirements that will form part of the brief for the Rail Corridor Master Plan and Design Competition that is being considered at the moment.

Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin highlighted the collaborative nature of the group.

He said, "The expanded role of the Rail Corridor Partnership will see a stronger collaboration between public sector agencies, interest groups, and individuals to promote and support suitable activities and events along the Rail Corridor. I hope that our engagement will continue to be constructive and fruitful going forward."

- CNA/fa

'Don't rush Rail Corridor development'
Preserving asset for all to enjoy may take up to 10 years: President Tan
Grace Chua 3 May 12;

PRESERVING and developing the 26km Rail Corridor need not be rushed.

This is the view of President Tony Tan Keng Yam who said yesterday: 'This is not the sort of thing where you want to say, we have a master-plan, let's build it in three years' time and everything must fit into one common concept.'

He added that it may 'take up to 10 years before this settles down into an asset which can be enjoyed by all Singaporeans, and which more importantly, will reflect the aspirations and the interests of Singaporeans of all groups'.

He was speaking to reporters after he turned up at the URA Centre to view an exhibition of ideas submitted to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for the Rail Corridor.

The URA received more than 200 ideas from Singapore and beyond in a competition it organised last year.

Noting that the former railway tract from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands is an asset, Dr Tan said that 'if you want to use it for a lot of utility purposes, I am sure it can be done'.

But he added that there are 'very deep historical connections' in various parts of the Rail Corridor.

It is close to heritage sites like the Old Ford Factory in Bukit Timah for example, where the British surrendered to the Japanese during World War II.

'I think we should try and preserve that as much as possible, while not making it into a white elephant where people will not go,' said Dr Tan.

Civic interest groups have campaigned for the Rail Corridor - returned by Malaysia to Singapore last year in exchange for land parcels in Ophir, Rochor and Marina South - to be kept as a continuous green space.

Elsewhere, comparable sites, like the High Line park in New York City and the Promenade Plantee in Paris, have taken as long as a decade to plan and build.

The idea for the High Line park, for example, was planted in 1999 when a civic group was formed to save the railway line from demolition. It gained the city's support only in 2002.

Yesterday, the URA announced that it is expanding an existing Rail Corridor consultation group into a broader partnership with public-sector agencies such as the People's Association, the Ministry of Education, the Singapore Sports Council and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

This would help promote and plan community use of the space, the URA said. Though it did not give specific examples, civic interest groups have proposed activities such as cycling and community farming.

On Monday, the Singapore Land Authority said two sites along the Rail Corridor, in Jalan Hang Jebat and Ghim Moh Road, were now open for community use.

The exhibition at the URA Centre in Maxwell Road is on until May 11. It is open from 8.30am to 7pm on weekdays and from 8.30am to 5pm on Saturdays. Admission is free.

VISIT THE EXHIBITION

Where: URA Centre in Maxwell Road

When: Until May 11. From 8.30am to 7pm on weekdays and to 5pm on Saturdays.

Admission: Free