In my Part 2 series of Abandoned Old Railway Tracks, the 2nd leg starts from Sunset Way Railway Bridge, following the Old Railway Tracks along Sunset Way HDB Estate into the Clementi Woodlands before trekking out into the open near the Bukit Timah area, connecting to the active KTM Railway tracks. This stretch of Old Railway Tracks is part of a bigger blueprint of “We Support The Green Corridor“, making lots of effort and awareness tools, sharing and showcasing the need to preserve the greenery, flora and fauna, animals and wildlife residing inside this Green Belt. Trekking through the Clementi Woodlands today, this is something we have to do, to preserve our history, forests, flora and fauna, not just for us, it’s for our future generations.

The trek wasn’t easy due to the muddy terrain, fallen tree trunks, logs and branches, uneven terrain, whereby trekkers might have to climb up and down terrain in order to hike. No doubt it was quite a physical challenge, we were blessed with beautiful greenery, fresh air, wildlife, flowers and tranquility. I was joined by Jingwen and Leon, exploring this stretch of Abandoned Railway  Track Part 2 and it was a fun photography walkabout experience. Due to the nature, intensity and difficulty of this trek, those planning to trek this route, please be prepared for muddy conditions, uneven terrain and natural obstacles. Wearing the appropriate attire and gear (e.g trekking pole) and suitable shoes (e.g. hiking boots) is a MUST if you are planning to trek.

It was great to see history being preserved, the Old Railway tracks surviving the test of time and nature’s growth. Some old icons were spotted, rubbish, littering and pollution can also be spotted along the trek. Let’s spread the word and awareness, let’s keep this beautiful green belt, our unique green corridor, giving us an avenue and area to enjoy greenery and tranquility in our concrete jungle. Trekking out into the active KTM Railway Track, we continued our hike up to Bukit Timah Railway Station, the straight and open Railway Tracks, going to be an integral part of Singapore’s history soon.

Now, I shall let my photographs do the talking ….. Don’t forget to follow “We Support The Green Corridor in Singapore“!

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

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View KTM Malayan Railway Lines in Singapore in a larger map

With the recent changes to the future of the railway tracks and Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, agreements between the governments of Singapore and Malaysia is leading towards a new era for the railway lines in Singapore, what will happen to them? Will they survive the thirst of land scarce Singapore? Can the railway lines, there are or going to be no longer in use, be turned into Green Corridors?

Armed with the strong interest inside me, I read, followed and researched on various other blogs, photographs and details on a segment of the railway lines in Singapore. Thereafter, I decided to do the Teban Gardens to Sunset Way (Abandoned) Railway Track Photo Walkabout with Sue and Amanda. Using the KTM Malaysian Railway Line Track (on Google Maps) as a reference, we started at Block 9, Teban Garden Road, recognising the landmarks from friends photographs, we hiked under the bridge, into a tunnel and came out on the diagonal side of Ayer Rajah Expressway and Jurong Town Hall Road.

There were strong evidence of the abandoned railway track (coming out from the tunnel) and onto a small ridge line, the next stretch was pretty challenging with tall grass, thick bushes and streams. Observing from our route of advance, it was like 2 mini valleys and the valley on the left side was a stream, while the right side was still quite alright for hiking/bashing through, this route is not easy and can be quite tiring, on top of being careful on where you are hiking/bashing through. During this stretch, there weren’t any more evidence of the railway track until the side of Sungei Ulu Pandan, whereby we spotted the first railway track bridge and it’s closed by the authorities currently.

We had quite a bit of rest there, on the park connector side of Sungei Ulu Pandan, to dry our socks and shoes, before taking photographs of the railway bridge, crossing over along the expressway bridge to Faber Heights estate. At this area, we were able to find more distinct features of the former railway track lines, the railway track beams, bolts, wooden blocks and granite rocks. We had quite a good time with photography of historical railway tracks here, took a rest too before I made a decision to amend my route of advance.

Due to changing weather (potentially rain coming), I decided against walking through Faber Heights and decided to “cut through” Faber Heights private housing area, managed to get a drinks refill break at a provision store, moving out to Jalan Lempeng and walking across the road to Clementi Avenue 6 housing blocks. I am very familiar with this part of the area since my former primary school (Clementi North Primary School) is just around the corner and I was able to lead and “take shortcut” towards the Sunset Way side.

Reaching Clementi Avenue 4 housing blocks, being a local neighbourhood boy, I found my dirt track entry point and from this stretch onwards, it’s one of the better preserved railway track lines. Along this stretch, I was very happy, kind of getting back to my primary school days, of fun, play and no pressures. Small farms, temple, beautiful greenery before reaching the pinnacle of this photography walkabout, the Sunset Way Railway Bridge. Check out my flickr for the photos !

Looking back at this abandoned railway track lines, will it stand the test of Singapore’s history and future developments ?

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

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