The Minister of National Development, Lawrence Wong, announced on Aug. 31 that Singapore will soon have a new green corridor, which will start construction in 2021.

First phase construction starts in 2021

The green corridor, known as the Bukit Timah-Rochor Green Corridor, will connect cyclists and pedestrians to three Singapore's national gardens⁠ — Jurong Lake Gardens, Singapore Botanic Gardens, as well as the Gardens by the Bay.

The new corridor may eventually extend to Kallang Riverside Park, spanning a distance of 11km.

The first phase of green corridor will be an elevated linear park stretching 1.4km. Running parallel to the Bukit Timah Canal, this sky park is one way to get around space constraints.

It will be connected to the Rail Corridor at the vicinity of the conserved Bukit Timah Railway Station.

The sky park will have a riverine forest theme. Visitors can look forward to a variety of plant species.

These species can be found from different layers of a natural tropical riverine forest such as the Gapis (Saraca species) and Neram trees (Dipterocarpus oblongifolius).

They can also be seen lining the waterways in Singapore. Other vegetation such as the Rain Tree and Yellow Flame are commonly seen along our streets.

Both the Rain Tree and Yellow Flame have a wide-spreading and arching canopy which will serve as shade for visitors to the sky park.

There are several heritage Rain trees in Singapore:

Bukit Timah Railway Station to have heritage gallery and orchard

Restoration works for the railway station building and the former railway station staff quarters will also start in 2020.

The works will be carried out in a sensitive manner that is in line with conservation guidelines.

A heritage gallery which showcases the original railway features will be housed at the railway station.

There will also be an orchard with a few species of fruit trees such as the mango, belimbing (starfruit) and cempedak at an entrance garden near King Albert Park MRT station.

Top photos from NParks.