Artist’s impression of what the former Bukit Timah Railway Station could look like in future. Source: Nikken Sekkei.
A section of Singapore’s 24km Rail Corridor in the vicinity of the old Bukit Timah Station will be closed during Q1 2017 so that the Public Utilities Board (PUB) can install a 22km stretch of water pipes for the central business district, reported Channel NewsAsia.
Spanning from Holland Road to the PIE / Jalan Anak Bukit Flyover, the tract of land is the last along the Rail Corridor to be sealed off. The PUB revealed that construction work has already started near Greenleaf Walk, and the rest of the stretch will be barricaded in stages, but the agency will set-up a two-metre wide access path for pedestrians near Bukit Sedap from the PIE / Rifle Range Road to Holland Road.
Areas along the Rail Corridor will be reopened progressively from Q4 2017, with the old Bukit Timah Station site to be opened again by the last quarter of 2018. Subsequently, these areas will be developed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to provide amenities for nearby workplaces and residential estates, said a URA spokesman, but some stretches like those in the vicinity of the Bukit Timah Railway Station “can remain more natural”.
According to visitors and one environmental group, they want the development work to conserve the Rail Corridor’s greenery along with its iconic bridges and rail tracks.
“We very much hope that in whatever design and master planning that’s going to take place, (it) keeps as much of all this wild growth and forest intact. Because that is what gives magic to the corridor,” said Leong Kwok Peng, Vice President of the Nature Society (Singapore).
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
