How time flies. I visited the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station about half a year ago to take some photographs, and before I knew it, the day when a KTM train leaves the station for the last time – June 30, 2011 – is almost here.
Joanne and I had been planning to take the train from the station for just one time, before the chance is over, but in typical fashion we procrastinated for a bit. It was June 26 when it finally struck me – there was less than a week to go. By then, Joanne had left for a holiday to New York, so I would have to go alone, I thought. But my mother, who last took the train more than 20 years ago, wanted to join me (perhaps driven by the hype in the media?). As it happened, I was off duty the following day – Jul 27 (Monday). We were set.
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| One of the train station workers preparing for departure on June 27. The train was bound for Kuala Lumpur. I took the train to Johor Sentral Station, the first stop in Malaysia, and then returned by the next earliest train. |
This month, Singaporeans have flocked to the station in droves to take photographs, enjoy the food at the two canteens and take a ride from there for the last time. The tickets for the last day, if I didn’t hear wrongly, were sold out weeks in advance. KTM must have made quite a killing in recent days, I suspect!
Since the train station closes today, I thought it might be interesting to show how the experience of taking a train from there is like, using some of the shots I have taken. Especially for those who have never done it before. Here goes!
1. Check the train schedule. |
2. Proceed to buy your tickets at the counter.  |
3. Have a coffee or grab a bite at the canteen while waiting. |
4. Queue up early like typical kiasu Singaporeans! A station master will ring a big bell when it is time to enter.  |
5. Get your ticket punched as you enter! |
6. Go through the customs. Because the station, until July 1, is owned by Malaysia, your passport will be processed by Malaysian customs here. Your passport will not get the usual entry stamp as a result, but your immigration card will have a special chop. (So do not panic like my mother did!) |
7. Find your carriage and board the train on time.  |
8. Enjoy your ride up north! |
9. When you get back to Tanjong Pagar by train, you will be greeted by a big sign declaring you are in Singapore.  |
10. Lastly, why not take some photos of the train from the platform before you head out for home?  |
Coincidentally, I was also using a new lens during this outing, as I did during my previous trip here. This time round, it was the Nikon AFS 24mm f1.4. As I haven’t used the 24mm focal length extensively before, I was a little nervous about bringing my Nikon F6, which is a film camera. In the end, I decided to use the combination nonetheless, simply because I enjoy using the F6 more than any thing else. All pictures were taken on Kodak Portra 160VC.
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