There is a strange passion that railway stations and train journeys evoke in most of us, and surprisingly in me, given that I am such an aviation freak.
While planning for my last trip to Singapore, I came across a reference to this old railway station at Keppel Road, the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, which was said to be exquisite in its design and oozing loads of character. Despite wanting to visit Tanjong Pagar then, I could not make it.
Today's Straits Times reported that Tanjong Pagar Station and the presidential palace were open to the public yesterday. This was indeed a golden opportunity to visit Tanjong Pagar...
After a quick breakfast, I set out by bus heading straight from Balestier to Keppel Road...
It was a lovely pleasant morning, unlike the horrid humid mornings that Singapore has...
I finally boarded the SBS bus...
"No Durians On Board"
On the way, I passed by some interesting buildings...
And here I was at Tanjong Pagar...
With the completion of the Johor-Singapore Causeway across the Straits of Johor in 1923, train routes to Johor Bahru were opened up. To facilitate movement of traffic from Downtown, the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was constructed and was completed in May 1932. It was officially opened by Sir Cecil Clementi, the then Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements
The station was in operation for around 79 years and it ceased operations on July 1, 2011. It has been declared as a heritage site and is to be preserved as the Singapore Railway Museum
Unfortunately, the historic station was closed today...
But not to let the experience go waste, I spent a good 30 minutes photographing the place (through the fence) and appreciating the magnificent Banyan trees around the area!
Tanjong Pagar Railway Station was modelled on Helsinki's Central Railway Station and has a richly ornamented art-deco style... 
This beautiful place had definitely seen better days when trains from here used to depart to Malaysia... This was a sovereign property of Malaysia and the large initials "F M S R" above the arches stand for Federated Malay States Railways. However, disputes between Malaysia and Singapore over the immigration processes in the 1990s and the early 2000s. An agreement was finally reached to shift the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) train operations to Woodlands in northern part of the island...
The clock still ticks, though time is standing for this magnificent structure...
The parcel office...
The fence post too has a story to tell...
The deserted platforms...
Imagine the hustle and bustle when trains used to come rolling in...
It was here that I met a middle-aged Singaporean who has been living in Shanghai for the last 20-odd years. The gentleman, like me, read about the station being open to the public and came here hoping to catch a glimpse of the station's grandeur, but was utterly disappointed to see it closed...
We got into a conversation and he fondly recalled his childhood when they used to, excitedly, start their journey to Malaysia from here...
He too was an intrepid traveller and wanted to visit India, especially the Himalayan region and learn yoga! Mr. Modi's charms were certainly at work!
The old and the new...
The archway looks so magnificent!
Checking out the internet for information on Tanjong Pagar, I came across an interesting blogpost about the station on Remember Singapore...
The post describes the station as having lovely murals in the interior which demonstrate the life in Malaysia and Singapore of the early 1800s...
The post also mentioned that the station housed many small eateries, including a famous Nasi Biryani stall which was said to be one of the best in Singapore. That's a real loss for a foodie like me...
Magnificent Banyans...
The four giant figures at the entrance of the station representing Industry, Agriculture, Commerce and Transport were the works of the Italian sculptor Rudolfo Nolli...
Agriculture...
Commerce...
Transport...
Industry...
Adieu, Tanjong Pagar... Hope to see you again when you're open!
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