Tanglin railway station explained

Tanglin
Status:Demolished
Country:Singapore
Platforms:1
Original:Keretapi Tanah Melayu
Opened:3 May 1932[1]
Closed:1983
Other Services Header:Former services

Tanglin railway station, also known as Tanglin Halt, was a railway station on the Singapore-Johore Railway which served Tanglin, as well as Pasir Panjang, from 1932 to 1983.

History

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 station and Bukit Timah station, travelling down a different route which ran along the west of the main town, to a new terminal station at Tanjong Pagar,[2] with a new station being built at Bukit Timah, and two new stations at Tanglin and Alexandra. Tanglin railway station was opened to the public on 3 May 1932 as one of four new stations on the new route of the Singapore-Kranji railway,[3] along Buona Vista Road.[4] [5] The station was small, and did not have many amenities, such as automatic machines, that were common in other smaller stations.[6]

The station was later turned into a halt, but was turned back into a station open for passengers. In November 1955, a new service was introduced in which lorries would arrive at the station in the morning and in the evening to bring people to and fro from work from the station. This was introduced due to the low ridership of the station.[7] [8]

In 1983 the station had already been abandoned and demolished. The site of the former station was one of several possible locations for a railbus station for the railbus line that the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) planned to build in Singapore.[9] [10] The Tanglin Halt neighbourhood is named after the station.[11] [12]

Incidents

On May 14, 1951, forty-year-old Ng Ang Bee, the mother of ten-year-old Ng Ang Lek, was knocked down and killed by an oncoming train near the station. Ang Bee left her home in Buona Vista to call her daughter, who had been playing on the other side of the tracks, back home. Ang Bee then approached her daughter by stepping onto the railway tracks just as a train had arrived, flinging her over twenty yards. Her death was witnessed by Ang Lek.[13] A verdict of death due to misadventure was returned.[14]

On 20 October 1956, a woman, Chong Yit Moh, attempted to cross the railway tracks at the station, and was knocked down by an oncoming train. She was admitted to hospital in a serious condition.[15]

Notes and References

  1. News: . 2 May 1932. The new railway deviation. Malaya Tribune. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  2. News: Chandy. Gloria. 30 April 1979. Once, Singapore connection crossed over the Johore Straits by steam ferries. New Nation. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  3. News: . 28 April 1932. New Railway Station. The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  4. News: . 16 April 1932. Singapore's New Railway System. The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  5. News: . 2 May 1932. Opening of Singapore's New Terminal Station. The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  6. News: . 14 September 1932. Our Dull Stations. The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  7. News: . 27 November 1955. This May Mean 'Go by Train' to Work. The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  8. News: . 1 December 1955. The new train service. The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  9. News: Soh. Victor. 31 July 1984. All Aboard the Johor-Singapore Railbus.... The Singapore Monitor. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  10. Web site: Historical Maps of Singapore. . NUS Libraries. National University of Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  11. Web site: Tanglin Halt: One Of Singapore’s Oldest Estates That’s Set To Be Fully Demolished By 2024. Kwek. Megan. 13 June 2021. The Smart Local. 30 March 2022.
  12. News: Chia. Lianne. Smalley. Ruth. 15 August 2021. For old folks, leaving Tanglin Halt is like losing a kampung family. Can it be replaced?. Channel News Asia. Singapore. 30 March 2022.
  13. News: . 15 May 1951. Girl sees train kill her mother. The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  14. News: . 19 June 1951. Train Killed Woman. The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 March 2022.
  15. News: . 21 October 1956. Train Knocks Down Woman. The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 March 2022.