One System Two Countries — The Last Hurrah

At 11.02pm, 30 June 2011, the last KTM train departed from Tanjong Pagar, with DYMM Sultan Ibrahim Ismail in the driver’s seat.  That marked the end of 108 years of operations at this station.

As Tren Khas Terakhir Stesen Tanjong Pagar, 1030UP – with a Type 26 Locomotive (the “Tanjung Kupang”) – inched away from the crowded platform, and headed home for the Golden Chersonese, emotions roared in like tsunami waves, with cameras and phones clicking away for posterity.

For many in Singapore and Malaysia, this one train system was the cherishable nostalgic connection between the two countries – the 1965 separation notwithstanding.

In 1984, my wife and I embarked on an epic 14-hour Express Rakyat journey from Butterworth and landed at Tanjong Pagar for the first time.  With two suitcases and two carton boxes in tow, we had come to seek greener pastures in Temasek.

Tanjung Pagar – Final Irony Derailed

On 01 July 2011 train operations ceased at this iconic station of British colonial legacy (opened in 1932).

It also marked the end of acrimonious bickering between Singapore and Malaysia on the relocation of the Malaysian CIQ, as well as the “one-upmanship” contest between LKY and Dr M.   In the preceding 5 years or so, a train traveller from Singapore to Malaysia had to “enter” Malaysia first before leaving Singapore 30 minutes’ journey later — an ironical (some say comical) drama of the immigration saga. 

Personally, this place reminds me of the day that my wife and I officially emigrated to Singapore in June 1984.  With 2 suitcases and 2 carton boxes in tow, we disembarked from the Express Rakyat after a gruelling 14-hour ride from Butterworth, tired but looking expectantly to greener pastures on The Little Red Dot (that’s an irony in itself).