Remnants from past

Tanglin Halt as seen from the Rail Corridor. The name "Tanglin Halt" came from the fact that trains used to "halt" at the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu station there. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI Block 71 Commonwealth Drive is among the remaining low-rise bl
The name "Tanglin Halt" came from the fact that trains used to "halt" at the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu station there. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Tanglin Halt as seen from the Rail Corridor. The name "Tanglin Halt" came from the fact that trains used to "halt" at the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu station there. ST PHOTOS: LIM YAOHUI Block 71 Commonwealth Drive is among the remaining low-rise bl
Block 71 Commonwealth Drive is among the remaining low-rise blocks in Queenstown designed by the Singapore Improvement Trust, the predecessor to the Housing Board, to reduce uniformity in public housing. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Former KTM Railways The railway tracks are a remnant of the now-defunct Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Railway line which ran between Malaysia and Tanjong Pagar.

The name "Tanglin Halt" came from the fact that the trains used to "halt" at the former KTM station.

The railway service ceased operations in 2011.

The land has since been redeveloped as part of the Rail Corridor project.

Former Tanglin Halt Industrial Estate

One of Singapore's first industrial estates, it used to be home to factories including the Van Houten chocolate factory, Diethelm aluminium factory, Unitex garment factory and Singapore Electronics (Setron), which made Singapore's first black-and-white television set in 1964.

UNIQUE FEATURES

Flats designed by SIT

Blocks 57, 61, 67 to 73 Commonwealth Drive are the remaining flats in Queenstown designed by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), the predecessor to the Housing Board.

Completed between 1961 and 1964, these low-rise blocks were conceived by SIT to reduce uniformity in public housing.

Tanglin Halt Community Plaza

Located next to the Commonwealth Drive Food Centre, a raised wooden platform functions as a huge event space for special occasions like National Day.

Once, residents gathered for two nights to catch the homecoming gig of The Quests, an iconic 1960s Singapore band.

SOURCES: MY COMMUNITY AND ROOTS

Joyanne Li, Sivakami Arunachalam and Jeanne Wang

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on June 06, 2021, with the headline Remnants from past. Subscribe