The possibility of conserving the KTM railway and its green environs, termed the Green Corridor, is under serious consideration, said Minister of State for National Development, Brigadier-General (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin.
He revealed on his Facebook page that the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the National Parks Board have been discussing the possibility with the Nature Society Singapore (NSS), which submitted a proposal in October last year.
He added: “I have read their … proposal and it’s fascinating.”
The challenges faced by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the “re-looking of policies so that we can meet the needs of Singaporeans” has sharpened his own sense on what is Singapore - a small nation that needs to squeeze in housing, recreation, industry, business, defence, catchment and heritage needs in slightly over 700 sq km of land, BG (NS) Tan said.
“We need our little pockets of solitude and countryside to retreat to from time to time, history to revisit and, as one of the railway enthusiasts … put it, these also provide the deep anchors that make this place home,” he wrote.
NSS vice-president Leong Kwok Peng said BG (NS) Tan has sent out a “very positive message in the way he is supporting the idea”.
The estimated 40km Green Corridor would allow animals to move between the north and south of Singapore, he said. During the migratory season from October to March, birds like the black baza and the Oriental honey buzzard have been spotted by the NSS along the Green Corridor.
Also in the proposal are having more cycling tracks and the possibility of converting existing railway tracks to accommodate certain low-speed trams or trains for leisure powered by clean energy sources or even humans.
To raise public awareness, the NSS and other supporters of the Green Corridor on Facebook have been conducting walks along the KTM tracks.
These include the Jurong branch line, which is an abandoned track starting from Teban Gardens to Sunset Way, and another along the main KTM railway, which starts from the old Bukit Timah Railway Station and continues either south to old Holland Road or north to the Bukit Timah Reserve.
