KTMB tracks in S'pore going to museums

03 January 2012 , By NST

The 23km railway tracks between Tanjong Pagar and Woodlands here have now turned into a narrow strip of grassland, burying a chapter of glorious history between the republic and Malaysia.

The Land Transport Authority of Singapore has planted grass on the long strip of land, which was once the path of KTM Berhad's locomotives that cut the republic into two halves.

For those who have never seen the tracks before, they would hardly be able to visualise the rail history underneath if they were to stand on it today.

KTMB's subsidiary -- Multimodal Freight Sdn Bhd -- had been tasked with removing the railway tracks, which weighed 2,500 tonnes, and demolishing all the locomotive shades as well as the depots along the stretch.

The job was divided into several packages, but all the work was completed on Nov 12.

Part of the tracks will be showcased in KTMB's museums as historical exhibits, while others will be kept for future use on KTMB tracks throughout Malaysia.

KTMB corporate communications manager Mohd Fazil Ismail said the first museum to display such exhibits would be the former Johor Baru railway station, which would be turned into a museum soon.

He also said there were no plans to stop operations at Woodlands in northern Singapore despite the losses incurred over the months.

"There is no instruction from both the ministries of Transport and Finance to stop the Woodlands operations," he told the New Straits Times.

"Their instructions are needed as the Transport Ministry is the supervisor of the national rail company's operations."

It was reported that the shifting of KTMB's railway operations to Woodlands last July following the closure of the Tanjong Pagar railway station had taken a toll on its revenue.

Checks showed that the company incurred an average monthly loss of S$730,000 (RM1.8 million) since July as a result of a decline of between 20 and 30 per cent in passengers using the train services to the republic.

KTMB believes many of its customers have instead opted to travel to Singapore by express buses and planes as the Woodlands station is not quite as convenient for travellers to the republic as Tanjong Pagar.

There are seven train services to Singapore daily and all stop at the Woodlands checkpoint.

All these trains make a brief stopover at JB Sentral in Johor Baru before moving towards Woodlands, about a kilometre away.

Fazil said KTMB was trying to offset the losses by capitalising on the Johor Baru market.

For example, he said, it introduced an additional train service from Tumpat to Johor Baru, called the Malayan Tiger, last month.

The 14-coach service is regarded as an impetus for the tourism industry in Johor, especially in view of the new tourism products coming up in Iskandar Malaysia.