Woodlands...

[David_Loves_Ubonwan]

Is Woodlands in Singapore or not?

The latest issue of The Railway Magazine (not available in newsagents until Wednesday) dropped through my letterbox this afternoon and there is a short article in it saying that Singapore is no longer connected to the mainline rail system. Trains now stop at Woodlands in Malaysia?

David

[alvinkhoo]

Woodlands is in northern singapore...bordering Johore Bahru, the southern most malaysian state.
A bridged causeway links us via land and the รถไฟ which used to stop at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station now stops at Woodlands Train Checkpoint, Singapore.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlands_Train_Checkpoint
http://remembersingapore.wordpress.c...ilway-station/

[David_Loves_Ubonwan]

Thanks, that is what I thought but the article talks about a land-swap deal and says the land on which the train track runs is now Malaysian.

David

[alvinkhoo]

the land which the tracks ran on was always Malaysian ground..even when it stretched to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station smack in the middle of the city centre..

i guess this is where the land-swap deal thingy's coming in.

[David_Loves_Ubonwan]

The text of the article now I have time:

Singapore cut off by rail

At the begining of July, the country of Singapore did a land-swap deal with neighboring Malaysia that enabled it to take over the strip of land on which the internbational railway from Malaysia and Thailand entered the country and reached the centre of the capital city. The agreement included cessation of main line train services into Singapore. The trains were operated by KTMb - the Malaysian rail system.

This had always been a political issue because the Singapore authorities did not like the Malaysian system operating almost in to the city centre.

In recent years, all the Singapore imigration checks on rail passengers have been carried out at Woodlands, just over the causeway from Johor Bahru. Woodlands is now the terminus for the Malaysian trains.

Singapore is expected eventually to extend its surburban network to Woodlands - but until then, there is no rail connection between the two countries.

David

[alvinkhoo]

so this was the main point! LOL
[did not like the Malaysian system operating almost in to the city centre.]