Improved 4km Rail Corridor trail between Hillview and Bukit Timah reopens to public

• Eight new or improved entry points and a more walkable path are part of the enhancement work that lasted more than two years 
• The authorities also sought to retain the area’s heritage
• About 1,500 trees were planted along the path to spruce up the ecological environment

SINGAPORE — The central section of the Rail Corridor, between Hillview and the conserved Bukit Timah Railway Station, was officially reopened to the public on Monday (March 22), more than two years after enhancement work started in early 2019. 

The features along the 4km stretch include eight new or improved entry points and more user-friendly paths for visitors. These changes came about after extensive consultations with residents nearby, members of the public, and nature and heritage groups. 

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the National Parks Board (NParks) said retaining the Rail Corridor’s lush greenery and its railway heritage and making it more accessible and safe for users — including those using prams or wheelchairs — were the main considerations when drawing up plans for the Corridor. 

For instance, the original wooden railway sleepers were retained. Each sleeper was documented through laser scanning, so that it could be returned to its original position on the disused train tracks. 

To make the path more walkable, the loose rocks on the track were bound by a material called ballast. 

About 1,500 trees were also planted along the path in keeping with its natural heritage. These trees provide an important passage, habitat and source of food for Singapore’s native fauna, the authorities said. 

Some of the new or improved access points are near a truss bridge along Upper Bukit Timah Road, the Singapore Quarry Bridge and Hindhede Drive in Bukit Timah. 

URA said some segments of the corridor reopened progressively over the last few weeks. At a media preview of the stretch last Friday, people were already seen walking and cycling along the trail. 

The central section is part of the 24km Rail Corridor that was retained as a green spine for recreation and nature, after the Keratapi Tanah Melayu railway line moved its terminus from the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint in 2011. The land occupied by the tracks was then returned to Singapore.  

The southern segment of the trail, running from the Bukit Timah Railway Station to Spooner Road in Tanjong Pagar, is still undergoing improvement work and is scheduled to reopen by the end of this month. 

Development work on the northern segment of the Corridor, between Hillview and Woodlands Road, will begin later this year. It is set to be completed by next year. 

Work on a rest stop next to the Upper Bukit Timah truss bridge — one of two such bridges along the Corridor — and the Bukit Timah Railway Station, which is being turned into a heritage gallery, will also be completed next year. 

PRESERVING HERITAGE

Mr Dennis Tan, senior architect of development services at URA, said that the development work follows eight years of planning and consultation. 

There was a need to balance requests for better access to the Corridor with the preservation of its natural heritage, he added. 

Nature and heritage groups were also taken to the site of the Upper Bukit Timah truss bridge during construction to view a mock-up of the railings that were to be added. They were also included in discussions on the dimensions of the railings. 

Ms Sharon Chan, director of the Central Nature Reserve at NParks, said that plans had to be continually adjusted after site visits.

For example, the agency found a natural stream running along one side of a path in the central section of the Rail Corridor.

Instead of going ahead with its plan to build a drain alongside the path, Ms Chan said the natural stream presented an opportunity to improve the habitat. 

“In a natural environment, we try to reduce as many man-made structures as possible.” 

Speaking at the reopening of the trail on Monday, National Development Minister Desmond Lee said that the stretch was a gateway to important green spaces in the Bukit Timah area and was home to iconic railway heritage structures. 

“We want the Rail Corridor to serve as a corridor that connects adjacent green spaces. We have thus taken great care to restore and enhance the biodiversity and greenery along this central stretch.”