Tanjong Pagar railway station

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A "Welcome to Malaysia" sign was hung above the entrance of the railway station. This signified Malaysian ownership of the railway station. The sign had been removed in 2004.

Tanjong Pagar railway station, also called Keppel Road railway station or Singapore railway station (Malay : Stesen Keretapi Tanjung Pagar, Singapura), is a railway terminal in Singapore. It is owned by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), the main railway company of Malaysia.

Before the Johor-Singapore Causeway was built , the railway in Singapore was a pure island railway because it is not connected to Johor Bahru. The construction of the Johor-Singapore Causeway across Straits of Johor began in 1919 and was opened to goods trains on September 17, 1923 and to passenger trains on October 1st, 1923. Previously, passengers and goods train were transferred at Woodlands to a ferry and the connecting train on the Peninsular Malaysia. The Tanjong Pagar railway station at Keppel Road was completed in 1932.

The railway station contains a very fine Central Waiting Hall with a dome roof. The walls are paneled with typical Malaysian scenes, such as rice planting, rubber tapping, shipping activities, bullock cart transporting, copra growing and tin mining. These panels and the original floor blocks were specially manufactured locally, using rubber product, designed successfully to deaden noise. The two long station platforms are capable of accommodating the longest mail trains and are covered by umbrella reinforced concrete roofs.[1]

KTM runs three daily train services from Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia to the station and several other train services from the station to other parts of Malaysia. KTM also operates a shuttle service between Johor Bahru and Singapore for the benefit of those commuting to the city-state for work. Currently, the only available stops in Singapore are at Woodlands (for immigration clearance by Singapore Immigration and disembarkation of passengers travelling from Malaysia) and Tanjong Pagar (embarkation and disembarkation).

The Tanjong Pagar MRT Station is located near to the railway station.

1 Disputes
- 1.1 Malaysia-Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990
- 1.2 Immigration control issues
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] Disputes

The status of the railway station, as well as other issues such as the water supply to Singapore is disputed between the governments of Malaysia and Singapore.

When Singapore left Malaysia in 1965, there was no border control between the two countries[2]. When the two countries established border controls, both the Malaysian and Singaporean Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) officers were stationed at Tanjong Pagar railway station for the purpose of immigration clearance of railway passengers. Road travellers clear immigration at the Malaysian side of the causeway and Woodlands, Singapore upon entry to Singapore. In this case, the CIQ of both countries are separated.

[edit] Malaysia-Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990

See : Malaysia-Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990

In 1990, Malaysia and Singapore signed an agreement concerning Tanjong Pagar railway station. Malaysia agreed to relocate the railway station to Bukit Timah, thus freeing up land for development. In return, Singapore agreed that railway land at Tanjong Pagar would be handed over to a private limited company for joint development of which its equity would be split 60% to Malaysia and 40% to Singapore. However, both parties interpreted the agreement in much different ways. Singapore insisted that the agreement took immediate effect but Malaysia argued that the agreement would come into effect only after it decides to move the station.

[edit] Immigration control issues

Since 1992, KTM has worked with Singapore on re-aligning their railway tracks at Woodlands when Singapore built a new immigration checkpoint there to replace the old checkpoint and with new facilities to carry out train passengers immigration clearance at Woodlands (at the point of entry into Singapore) rather than at Tanjong Pagar (which is located in downtown Singapore, at the south of the island). In 1993, Malaysia responded that it would transfer its CIQ operations to the new Woodlands checkpoint.[3]

However, in June 1997, Malaysia stated that the Malaysia-Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990 would come into effect only after it decided to relocate the Tanjong Pagar railway station. Malaysia also informed Singapore that it had changed its mind and decided not to co-locate its CIQ with Singapore's at Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP) but to remain at Tanjong Pagar railway station. In April 1998, Singapore informed Malaysia that it would be moving its CIQ operations to Woodlands while Malaysia would have to move its CIQ out of Singapore with effect on August 1, 1998. Malaysia requested, instead, that space be made available at the WTCP, as an interim arrangement, for Malaysian Immigration officials to operate from there and thereby overcome the problem of sequence of exit and entry stampings by Singapore and Malaysia immigration authorities respectively.

According to the press release by the Ministry of Home Affairs of Singapore on 24 July 1998:

Singapore will allow Malaysian customs officials to operate at Tanjong Pagar railway station. Singapore officials will be present at Tanjong Pagar railway station to lend their authority to Malaysian customs officials during the interim period.
Singapore has agreed to Malaysia's request to allow Malaysian Immigration to put some desks for its immigration officers on the passenger platform at WTCP to clear passengers after Singapore has cleared them for exit from Singapore. Singapore Immigration must clear departing passengers for exit from Singapore before Malaysian Immigration clears them for entry into Malaysia. Otherwise, the sequence of immigration clearance will be illogical and it will cause problems in crime investigation and prosecution. These interim arrangements will overcome the problems which would be caused if Malaysian Immigration were to remain in Tanjong Pagar railway station. [4]

However, Malaysia refused to have its immigration clearance on the passenger platform. Malaysian officials insisted that Malaysian Immigration should be located inside the building at WTCP. If this was not possible, they said that Malaysian Immigration would remain at Tanjong Pagar railway station. Singapore argued that Malaysia's decision to locate its Immigration Control Post in Singapore is not in compliance with Malaysia's own law. Under Malaysian law, it is the Johor Bahru railway station that is gazetted as an Immigration Control Post for persons travelling by train from Singapore to Malaysia, and not Tanjong Pagar railway station. Singapore also pointed out that this was confirmed by the endorsement or chop on the passports of passengers boarding the train at Tanjong Pagar which showed:

"MALAYSIA IMMIGRATION

JOHOR BAHRU

SOCIAL/BUSINESS VISIT PASS

Reg. 11. Imm. Regs 63

[Date]"

Permitted to enter and remain in West Malaysia and Sabah for one month from the date shown above"[5]

On August 1, 1998, Singaporean Immigration ceased operations in Tanjong Pagar and moved it to WTCP while Malaysian Immigration continues operating in Tanjong Pagar. Malaysia decided not to endorse the passports of outgoing rail passengers from Singapore and promised to provide legal arguments to show that Malaysia's CIQ has the legal right to stay at Tanjong Pagar.[6] As of 2006, the two countries are still trying to sort out their differences.

As of 2006, Malaysian immigration officers carry out immigration clearance for southbound passengers to Singapore on board the train at Johor Bahru railway station. After clearing immigration on board, the train crosses the causeway and stop at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint in Singapore. Therefore, travellers who enter Singapore by rail from Malaysia will are following the correct order of immigration clearance, that is, exit granted by Malaysian Immigration in Johor and entry granted by Singapore Immigration in Woodlands. After clearing immigration , train passengers may choose to disembark or continue their journey to Tanjong Pagar by train. In the northbound direction to Malaysia, passengers must board the train at Tanjong Pagar and clear Malaysian Immigration before boarding. In this case, passengers would be granted entry into Malaysia before clearing Singapore Immigration at Woodlands. This is contrary to international practice as passengers should clear Singapore Immigration before being granted entry into Malaysia. To circumvent this problem, Malaysian immigration officers do not place stamps on passports for nourthbounding passengers.