Glow-in-the-dark section of Rail Corridor now open for public use

SPH Brightcove Video
This starry 100m path along the Rail Corridor glows in the dark and is part of a 400m-long test track made up of four different surface materials. It has been open to the public since July 12.
Four different surface materials each take up a 100m stretch of the "test track". PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Four different surface materials each take up a 100m stretch of the "test track". PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Four different surface materials each take up a 100m stretch of the "test track". PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Four different surface materials each take up a 100m stretch of the "test track". PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Four different surface materials each take up a 100m stretch of the "test track". PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

SINGAPORE - A test stretch of the Rail Corridor, which includes a track section that glows in the dark, has been completed.

Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao reported on Monday (July 24) that the 400m-long "test track", located between Choa Chu Kang Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road, has been open for public use since July 12.

Four different surface materials each take up a 100m stretch of the track - grass and gravel, fine gravel, earth-coloured porous concrete and natural non-toxic light green strontium aluminate minerals, which absorb ultra-violet light during the day that enables the track to emit a soft glow at night.

The Straits Times reported in October last year that the "test-track" will undergo a trial to determine which surface material is the most suitable to make the trail safer and more resilient.

Agencies will evaluate the durability of the materials and the public will be invited to give their feedback.

The idea for the trial came about after the Urban Redevelopment Authority held a series of workshops with constituencies along the Corridor at the start of 2016. Many gave feedback that they wanted "a more inclusive and accessible community space, while retaining its signature rustic experience".

Luminous pathways are not new - similar ones exist in countries such as the Netherlands and Poland.

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