Borneo Wharf railway station explained

Borneo Wharf
Status:Disused
Country:Singapore
Platforms:2
Original:Keretapi Tanah Melayu
Opened:21 January 1907[1]
Closed:Between 1929 and 1932[2]
Other Services Header:Former services

Borneo Wharf railway station was a railway station which served Borneo Wharf on the Singapore-Kranji Railway from 1907 to 1932.

History

Borneo Wharf railway station was opened to the public on 21 January 1907, as one of the two original railway stations on the 1907 extension of the Singapore-Kranji railway from Tank Road station, along with Pasir Panjang railway station. The station was built along Keppel Road,[3] next to Nelson Road and Breeze Hill,[4] in front of a coolie shed.[5] It served those travelling to Singapore after arriving at Borneo Wharf, removing the need to ride a rickshaw to the main town. The station did not have a shelter, forcing passengers to stand under the sun or in the rain while waiting for a train to arrive.[6] In 1909, the bridge near the station went under repairs, and a temporary wooden structure was erected to replace it. However, the bridge was later revealed to be unfixable, and a new permanent 15-feet bridge was erected near the station.[7]

As the line from Pasir Panjang station to Tank Road station did not generate enough revenue, it was closed to passenger traffic sometime before 1919, only carrying freight.[8]

As it was decided that Tank Road station was unfit to be the terminus of the line, it was decided that the Bukit Timah-Tank Road section of the line would be abandoned, and the line would instead deviate in between Bukit Panjang and Bukit Timah, travelling down a different route which ran along the west of the main town, to a new terminal station at Tanjong Pagar.[9] Pasir Panjang station, as well as rest of the Tank Road-Pasir Panjang line was negotiated off to the Singapore Harbour Board, as some of the board's land was going to be used for the new terminal station.[10] The station was closed sometime between 1929 and 1932, and was later replaced by Alexandra Halt railway station on the new railway line going to Tanjong Pagar.

Notes and References

  1. News: . 17 January 1907. Railway Extension. The Straits Times. Singapore. 26 March 2022.
  2. News: . 16 April 1932. Singapore's New Railway System. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore. 26 March 2022.
  3. News: . 9 January 1949. Railway trip in 1909. The Straits Times. Singapore. 26 March 2022.
  4. Web site: Map of Singapore. . National Archives of Singapore. National Library Board. 26 March 2022.
  5. News: . 8 June 1911. Alarming Collapse. The Straits Budget. Singapore. 26 March 2022.
  6. News: . 17 May 1909. A Railway Grievance. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore. 26 March 2022.
  7. News: . 3 June 1909. Singapore Kranji Railway. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly) Advertiser. Singapore. 26 March 2022.
  8. News: . 14 November 1919. F.M.S. Budget. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore. 26 March 2022.
  9. News: Chandy. Gloria. 30 April 1979. Once, Singapore connection crossed over the Johore Straits by steam ferries. New Nation. Singapore. 21 March 2022.
  10. News: . 10 June 1929. Railway Scheme for Singapore. The Straits Times. Singapore. 26 March 2022.