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Historical Moment: Last train from Tanjung Pagar Station, Singapore to KL - 11:15 pm 300611

THE STAR ONLINE 1st JULY 11

Last train out gets royal send-off

SINGAPORE: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd's (KTMB) historic train service which has been operating from the Tanjung Pagar station here for the last 79 years has ended with a royal send-off.

The train was driven for the last time out of the station by Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar at 11pm last night, carrying more than 500 passengers on its coaches.

Smiles were seen on the faces of the KTMB staff and the hundreds of visitors who crowded the old station.

A royal finish: The Sultan of Johor driving the last train out of the Tanjung Pagar station in Singapore as a passenger holds up a thank you card. Railway operations at the station ceased Thursday. - TEO YONG CHEANG / The Star

There was an air of nostalgia somewhat, as they took pictures non-stop and shouted in excitement whenever they heard the horn from the train.

Others sought autographs from KTMB staff. They also crowded the platform to catch a glimpse of the last train.

For taxi driver Zulkifli Md, 30, he felt sad to witness the closing of the Tanjung Pagar station.

“This was the place where many Singaporeans used to come to eat and enjoy the atmosphere.

“Some of my friends even said that when they stepped into the station, it was like they could breathe Malaysian air for a while,” he said, adding that things would not be the same any more.

He said he would miss the eateries and that he would now have to find another place to enjoy his favourite ayam masak merah, a popular dish at one of the stalls at the station.

Another visitor, housewife Surianlins Suryaningsih, 30, said she had never seen so many people at the station before. “I knew that this would be a historic event and I wanted to be part of the grand send-off. “From the big crowd today, it is evident that Singaporeans hold this station close to their hearts. I hope the Government will preserve the original building,” she said.

The handing over of the Tanjong Pagar station, built in 1932, follows an agreement made between Singapore and Malaysia last year which includes Singapore taking possession of KTM land here. In return, Malaysia was offered 60% control of projects developed at prime land parcels around Marina Bay and Ophir Rochor.

  

UTUSAN MALAYSIA ONLINE 1ST JULY 2011

Selamat tinggal Tanjong Pagar

Oleh LUQMAN HAZIQ
pengarang@utusan.com.my

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar melambai tangan ketika menaiki kereta api terakhir di Tanjung Pagar, Singapura, malam tadi.

SINGAPURA 30 Jun – Tepat pukul 11 malam ini, perkhidmatan Stesen Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) di Tanjong Pagar di sini mengucapkan ‘selamat tinggal’ buat selama-lamanya.

Setelah hampir 80 tahun beroperasi, kini perkhidmatan yang menjadi sisa-sisa lambang penyatuan ‘sebuah’ negara suatu ketika dahulu hanya tersimpul rapi sebagai lipatan sejarah.

Kereta api terakhir, ‘membawa’ semua memori suka-duka perkhidmatan KTMB kembali semula ke tanah besar Semenanjung.

Suasana di stesen agak riuh rendah sejak pukul 5 petang apabila ia diserbu oleh orang ramai yang ingin mengambil gambar detik-detik bersejarah hari ini dan membeli cenderamata KTMB. Bagaimanapun putaran lagu Salam Terakhir nanyian Allahyarham Sudirman Arshad sepanjang petang ini menambahkan suasana pilu terhadap orang ramai dan kakitangan KTMB di stesen itu. 

Perkhidmatan tren terakhir itu lebih bermakna apabila dipandu sendiri oleh Sultan Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar. Dinaiki kira-kira 500 penumpang termasuk media dan pekerja rakyat Malaysia yang bertugas di stesen itu dan di depot meninggalkan tanah Singapura untuk selama-lamanya.Majlis pelepasan tren terakhir itu turut dimeriahkan dengan penyampaian sijil kepada penumpang tren terakhir berkenaan.

Setelah mengharungi perjalanan selama kira-kira satu setengah jam, tren tersebut tiba di Stesen Johor Bahru Sentral kira-kira pukul 12.30 malam. Mulai esok, Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP) menjadi destinasi terakhir KTMB bagi menurunkan penumpang ke Singapura, manakala nasib Stesen Tanjong Pagar akan ditentukan oleh kerajaan Singapura yang berjanji mengekalkannya sebagai warisan seperti yang terkandung di dalam Perkara Perjanjian Malaysia-Singapura (POA) pada 1990.

Stesen Bukit Timah yang terletak antara Tanjong Pagar dan WTCP turut akan ditutup berkuat kuasa mulai esok. Jadual ke Woodlands akan berterusan sehingga KTMB menamatkan perjalanan ke Singapura sepenuhnya yang hingga kini tarikhnya belum dimuktamadkan. Selepas itu, tiada lagi perjalanan ke republik berkenaan menggunakan kereta api. Stesen terakhir selepas KTMB menamatkan perkhidmatan di WTCP adalah Stesen Johor Bahru Sentral.