Nostalgia draws many to railway station

Nostalgia draws many to railway station

LAST STOP: Tanjong Pagar Railway Station has seen an influx of people who arrive to snap photos or take take train rides before it moves on July1.

TANJONG Pagar Railway Station holds many memories for civil servant Cai Pei Fen.

Some 10 years ago, she and her father would go to the station to catch a train to Johor Baru once every few months. Those day trips were incredibly special for both of them, she said.

So, while the 28-year-old is glad that the building will be conserved, she is sad that the station will be relocated to Woodlands Train Checkpoint on July 1.

"We won't be able to take a train ride from Tanjong Pagar any more, which is a pity," she said.

The move was announced in May last year. The station building, constructed in 1932 and managed by Malaysian train operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), will be preserved as a national monument.

KTM will continue running its daily services to destinations like Kuala Lumpur from Woodlands.

Ms Cai plans to take her dad on one last train trip to Kuala Lumpur or Johor Baru next month, to celebrate Father's Day.

She is one of many Singaporeans who want to take one last joyride from Tanjong Pagar.

Mr Nazir Khan, 37, a sales assistant who has worked at the Habib Railway Bookstore in the station for 23 years, estimates a doubling in the number of visitors to the station in the past month.

"People come here to take a train or take pictures because the station's closing," he said.

When my paper visited yesterday, the station was bustling. At least 10 Singaporeans said they intended to book train tickets soon, purely for the experience.

Retiree Albert Lee, 68, said he and his wife plan to go to Johor Baru within the next two weeks.

"I haven't travelled on a train in more than 20 years. Since the station is moving, we thought we'll travel from Tanjong Pagar for the last time," he said.

Sales executive Eric Ooh, 40, was standing in line to buy three tickets to Johor Baru: two for him and his wife, and one for their seven-year-old son, Ryan.

"We'd like him to understand the history of the station and to experience a ride on a diesel train, which is different from that of an MRT train," he said.

Bridal photographers said that bookings for shoots at the station have been on the rise.

~News courtesy of Omy~