Restored Bukit Timah Railway Station opens to the public - here are 8 Rail Corridor upgrades to look forward to

SINGAPORE - Bukit Timah Railway Station community node was opened on Friday (July 1), featuring a heritage gallery and a soon-to-be-operational cafe.

The node is one of several planned for the 24km green trail, which sits on land previously used by the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway line.

Here are other developments for the corridor in the pipeline.

1. 6.3km segment between Hillview and Kranji

This segment will re-open by end-2022 with a hardier trail. It will have new access paths and more trees planted along it.

By 2023, the segment will also have new shelters and toilets.

2. 9 Mile Platform

Sited next to the Upper Bukit Timah Truss Bridge, the platform will have public toilets when it opens by end-2022.

3. Bridge over Hillview Road

A pedestrian bridge will be reinstated across Hillview Road and opened by mid-2023.

Access paths into the Rail Corridor from Hillview MRT station and from Hume Avenue, as well as an observation deck with a view of the nearby Bukit Timah Hill summit, will also be added nearby.

The rest of the trail between Hillview Road and Chestnut Drive will be ready by end-2024.

4. New park and connections

By end-2022, Rail Corridor users will be able to access the upcoming Rifle Range Nature Park via a new landscaped path under the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) viaduct and an access path opposite Beauty World Centre in Jalan Anak Bukit.

By 2024, the Rail Corridor will also be connected to a new nature trail that follows the Old Jurong Line.

5. Buona Vista node

The node at JTC Corporation's one-north business park will be integrated with an upcoming mixed-use biomedical sciences development, to be completed in end-2023.

This node will include spaces for sports, community, and cultural events that connect with existing cultural and recreational spaces along the Rail Corridor, such as the arts space under the North Buona Vista road viaduct.

6. Queensway node

The Queensway Viaduct over the Rail Corridor has been turned into an expansive and fully-sheltered space which can be transformed into a community node, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the National Parks Board.

Agencies will engage the wider community on the plans for the node, which could tie in with the larger vision of Queenstown being a health district.

7. Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

Suitable uses are being considered for Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, located right on the cusp of the Central Business District.

Agencies are still studying the potential uses for the building, which is a national monument.

8. Other community nodes

Residents can look forward to other community nodes such as in Kranji and Stagmont Ring near Yew Tee, as well as parks along the Rail Corridor which will be developed in tandem with adjacent developments.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.