Editor's note, June 1, 11.45am: The Land Transport Authority has clarified that the main Tanjong Pagar Railway Station building as well as the first 80 metres of each platform extending from the railway station will remain unaffected and protected throughout construction works as they have been gazetted as national monument.

This is so as the future MRT station will be built under the platform area of the old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

The canopy structures that form part of the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station platforms will be dismantled and fully restored after the construction of the new Cantonment station, although they will not form part of the underground MRT station.

We have edited the headline and added additional information to the article to reflect these changes.

And its time is almost up.

In less than seven months, heritage site Tanjong Pagar Railway Station will be closed on Dec. 25, 2016, and will remain shut for up to nine years.

This is to enable the construction of the new Circle Line's Cantonment station, slated to open in 2025.

This announcement was made by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Singapore Land Authority (SLA) in a joint statement on Friday, May 27.

Old incorporated with the new

The canopy structures that form part of the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station platforms will be dismantled and fully restored after the construction of the new Cantonment station, although they will not form part of the underground MRT station.

The authorities said in the press release: "The old train platform canopies are important to the history and memories of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, a national monument with deep historical, architectural and social significance."

To facilitate the building work, about 290m of each of the two old platforms will be dismantled.

The first 80m of each platform, extending from the railway station building, will be unaffected by the building work and will be protected throughout, the authorities added.

The new station will be built under the platform area of the former railway station and integrated with the railway station building.

The appointed contractor will dismantle the canopy structures -- comprising the roof, beams and columns -- and store them at a nearby restoration yard.

The structures will then be repaired, restored and reinstated with the reconstructed platform slabs in 2025 after the Cantonment station has been completed.

Partial preservation of station

A heritage consultant was engaged by LTA and members of the heritage community were briefed on the possible plans for the iconic Tanjong Pagar Railway Station in October last year.

The options were to either dismantle, store, then reinstate the old railway station platform; re-create a replica of the platform; or create a new interpretation of the platform.

Heritage groups expressed support for the reinstatement of the platform.

The press release also said the new Cantonment MRT station will give the railway station a new lease of life by making it accessible and a vibrant community node of the Rail Corridor.

Public can still visit during public holidays

The SLA has opened the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station on every public holiday since February 2015 in response to the keen public interest in the state property.

Operations at the railway station ceased on July 1, 2011.

SLA will continue to open up the station for visits on every public holiday this year until Christmas Day.

Related article:

S’pore starting work on ambitious project to revitalise 24km stretch of disused rail corridor

Top photo via shankar s. Flickr

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