Pipeline Trail from Bukit Panjang to Woodlands

Pipeline Trail

For this walk we revisited part of the Pipeline Trail that runs from the Causeway to Rifle Range Road parallel to the Bukit Timah Expressway BKE.

Central Catchment Park Connector
As usual we started from the end of Bukit Panjang Road by way of Zenghua Park and following a trail that led under the BKE. Just after the BKE, we took the trail that veered to the left and turned northward. This is the Gangsa Track used by both hikers and bikers to get to the Central Catchment Park Connector.

Bamboo grove on the Central Catchment Park Connector

Along the way we skirted the occasional puddles left by the recent thunderstorms. One of our hikers had a field day adding more photos of butterflies to his collection. Some of these were rare according to him. We enjoyed calling for his attention whenever we sighted any along the way. At times we also helped to take some photos if he was not nearby or to avoid disturbing the butterflies with our excessive movement. Once I had to keep still as three different species chose to dance around next to my feet. My friend managed to capture them on video dancing for us.

It was a hot day and we encountered only 2 hikers and 2 bikers. We saw the 2 bikers again after they reached their destination and turned around for the return trip. These were local bikers and we exchanged friendly greetings and words of encouragement.

When we arrived at Mandai Road, we had a brief water stop near the Shimano repair station. Then we turned left to walk past the army camp to the traffic light to cross to the northern part of the road. When we arrived at the trail we turned left to climb up the slope.

At Seletar Expressway

The Pipeline Trail
From here to Woodlands St 41, we would come across 3 sets of exposed pipes. On the first one, near Lorong Asrama, and the third one, near the American School, we had to cross over on one of the pipes. For the second set, under the Seletar Expressway, we could skirt around them. Just after crossing the first set of pipes, we could see durian trees in the forest on our right. We could see the remnants of the fruits from the past season. Some pickers must have enjoyed a feast months ago. We did not see any flowers or fruits on the trees as the durian season was over.

Exposed pipelines along the trail

The trail near the American School was usually muddy but because the day was hot, the trail was relatively dry except where we exit near St 41. When we encountered these soft patches, we quickly turned toward higher ground which was better drained.

By the time we reached Woodlands St 41, we were hot and thirsty. The coffee-shop at Ave 1 was a welcome sight. The first thing we had was 100Plus to replenish the salts lost during our walk. Distance walked was about 9km.

The Route

Map data ©2017 Google, Urban Redevelopment Authority

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The Pipeline Trail

Admiralty Park to Sembawang

The route would include Admiralty Park, Woodlands Waterfront and a trip to the SAF Yacht Club.

We started from Woodlands MRT Station walking in a northerly direction to Republic Polytechnic. The entrance to the Admiralty Park is next to the polytechnic.

Bridge Over Sungei Cina Admiralty Park

 Admiralty Park
The Admiralty Park lies in a NNW orientation bordered on the west by Riverside Road and Admiralty Road West. The lower third of the park consists of open parks with young saplings and shelters from rain and lightning. On the eastern side is a slope going uphill to the polytechnic sports complex. At the end of this region near the West Entrance is a carpark cum restaurant.

Johor Bahru skyline from Woodlands Waterfront

The upper two-third region consists of two trails on both sides of a river called Sungei Cina that leads to the Straits of Johore. One trail leads through a forested area. The other trail is more open and borders the stream. Both trails join near the North Entrance where we left the park. The atmosphere here is natural as the newly opened park made use of much of the existing vegetation such as the mangrove swamp and river. While walking through the more open trail one can appreciate the grandeur of the tall trees in the forest.

Jetty at Woodlands Waterfront

Woodlands Waterfront
We crossed Admiralty Road West and moved in the direction of Woodlands Waterfront. We could see Johor Bahru and the causeway with its stream of lorries awaiting custom clearance. The waters here are stagnant as there is no flow through on both sides of the causeway. There is a jetty for anglers to cast their rods and other visitors to enjoy the waterfront scenery.

Woodlands Waterfront also has a 1.5km long waterfront promenade, a park, and a large playground. We spent some time at the jetty and the park. After that we proceeded eastward along Admiralty Road West.

SAF Yacht Club

SAF Yacht Club
Admiralty Road West is bordered by many factories along the road. At the Sembawang Camp we turned left toward the SAF Yacht Club.

LNG tanker at Sembawang Shipyard

The club has an interesting history. It started in Telok Ayer Basin moved to Pulau Belakang Mati (now Sentosa), relocated to Seletar Air Base, and after a brief stay on the premises of Changi Sailing Club, the club moved to its present home in Sembawang Camp. It now owns a fleet of 270 crafts.

See Also: 
Woodcutter Trail
The Pipeline Trail
Woodlands Town to Bukit Panjang via Ulu Sembawang Park Connector

GPS Track

Map data ©2018 Google, Urban Redevelopment Authority

Woodlands Town to Bukit Panjang via Ulu Sembawang Park Connector

The Route
This route came about to satisfy two criteria viz. to walk along park connectors with their well paved tracks and secondly along forests for their shade, greenery and away from traffic. We achieved this by starting from Woodlands (Causeway Point) after a hearty lunch and proceeding southward along the Woodlands Park Connector (Ave 2) to the Ulu Sembawang Park Connector (PCN) to the Mandai PCN. Then we travelled along Track 15 (Central Catchment PCN) in Mandai to the Gangsa Bike Trail to Bukit Panjang. See the GPS track below.

Open field at Woodlands Park Connector

Woodlands Park Connector
Walking along the Park Connector from Woodlands to Ulu Sembawang was uneventful except for the hot weather as we started walking at about 12 noon. After walking southward along Ave 2, we passed the Singapore Sports School where our elite athletes train and have their education. The path eastward from the school was blissful and reminded us of the Von Trapp children singing in the Austrian Alps as the track bordered a huge expanse of wide open field on high ground making us feeling liberated. On a previous trip one of our fellow walkers found a lost kite and ran with it and I sang "the hills are filled with the sound of music, etc." Unfortunately he suffered a minor injury as a result but is okay now. Before embarking on this stretch, one got to be careful of thunderstorms as it is exposed.

Ulu Sembawang Park Connector

Near the junction of Ave 12 and the SLE we headed southward along the Ulu Sembawang PCN. This track took us through the forests of Mandai used by Mindef for training their troops. On the west was the Mandai forest with the forbidding "Protected Area" sign and on the east were the farms. The track was just opened several months ago - kudos to the Nparks for building it and allowing us access through the Mandai forest. At the end was Mandai Road and the Seletar Reservoir. We turned west towards the Singapore Zoo direction. We could see the outline of durian trees as we walked, but no fruits as it was out of season.

Central Catchment Park Connector
At the Mandai Lake Road which led to the Zoo, we followed a track called the Central Catchment PCN. This narrow track is within the forest of Mandai and is left unpaved as close to its natural condition. There were occasional fallen trees due to heavy rain and wind but we were able to continue our trek. This trail roughly parallel Track 15  leading to the Mandai Rifle Range. On certain days we could hear the sound of gunfire. As we proceeded along, we could spot the silhouette of durian trees. This was dutifully recorded as a POI on our GPS track for a visit when the fruit is in season. The Central Reserve PCN had been realigned to join up with the Gangsa Bike Trail to which we emerged when we came to the end of the park connector.

Gangsa Bike Trail

Gangsa Bike Trail
We did a side trip to the PUB pumping station to clock up the mileage we wanted to achieve. The bike trail was easy going although we were accompanied by mosquitos but thanks to our buddies for whom they had more affection, the rest of us were spared the ordeal. Towards the end of our trek we arrived at the abandoned garden beside the BKE under which we walked toward Bukit Panjang Kim San Leng coffee-shop for a short rest before heading home.

See Also:
Admiralty Park to Sembawang
The Pipeline Trail
Woodcutter Trail

GPS Track

Map data ©2020 Google, Urban Redevelopment Authority

Railway Track from Mandai to Bukit Timah Station

Railway Track from Mandai to Bukit Timah Station

Our aim was to walk along the track from Mandai to Bukit Timah Station. It was a most memorable walk because we almost gave up half way due to the heat. It was a bright sunny day but also a draining day as our fluids were rapidly being sucked out of our bodies to cool them. But for the rallying cry of MK "let's go on" and the "pink flag" 400 metres in front. The "pink flag" was the T-shirt of RT's wife and we had no choice but to keep moving.

Melon at the garden

Before the rail journey we paid a visit to a secret vegetable garden high in the hills. We were after the king of the fruits not vegetables. We befriended the 'uncle' living there and offered to buy durians instead he gave us two fruits, warning that they were not that good. Our official durian opener took no time at all so much so that after a few seeds I asked whether the second fruit was opened and they all had a good laugh 'cause I missed all the action.

Our uncle initially looked grumpy and still looked grumpy as he answered our questions. All these uncles like to live alone and crave the natural life. Even though children are grown up with steady jobs they still return to the soil to tend their crops. They live alone and usually are topless with well-tanned skin. Their bodies are immune to mossie bites. He said there was a hugh wild boar there tearing up the crops. Had we known this earlier we would not have ventured the trails on the ridge. Asked whether he was frighten at night he said he never met up with spirits. He had more problem with visitors wanting to cut down the rambutan trees to get at the fruits the easy way. He asked for their IC numbers if they wanted to chop down the tree so he could answer to the NEA for a missing tree.

He cultivated melons, bananas, string beans, eggplants, papayas and others I could not recognize



The start of our railway track walk at Mandai 763.25km from Butterworth

 After we took leave of him we proceeded for the railway track. We followed a small trail created by others who came before us crossing a longkang before we could access the railway track. Here was a case of team work as the stronger members helped the weaker ones i.e. me.

The abandoned hut at Sungei Kadut Crossing

The walk was uneventful. It parallel the canal and the Pang Sua Park Connector usually hidden by the undergrowth. Occasionally through the opening we can catch glimpse of it and of course the high rise flats behind. At level crossings we 'took 5' before proceeding. The Sungei Kadut crossing was busy with traffic to and from the industrial estate so patience was needed. The shed used by the gatekeeper was abandoned. Barricades were already in place across the track.

The bridge before Ten Mile Junction

The Chua Chu Kang crossing was less stressful with lower traffic. Just before Ten Mile Junction was a bridge crossing a canal. After this we took a break at a coffee shop on Woodlands Road due to the hot weather. We pondered whether to continue or do the remaining track on another day as we were feeling the heat from the mid day sun. But the strong rallying call to move on to Bukit Timah stirred us into following MK despite his sole half separating from his shoe. A few rubber bands did the trick and kept him going. Had we stopped here we would have covered only 4.5km of track, instead we achieved 9km. One member hesitated but was easily persuaded when we asked what he would tell his children/grandchildren about this great rail adventure. This was despite pain in the toe.

Bridge over Upper Bukit Timah Road at Rail Mall

Just after Gombak Drive, we passed St. Joseph's Church on the left. We crossed Hillview Road over a railway bridge before arriving at the Rail Mall. There was an outdoor dining place next to the bridge at the Rail Mall. A group of corporate trainees were out in force to pose at the bridge. Had to include them in my photos as the pink flag that we were trying to catch up with kept moving further toward Bukit Timah Station.

The stretch of rail from here to Rifle Range Road had lots of greenery and bird life. We were insulated from the traffic of Upper Bukit Timah Road, and we had the Bukit Timah Reserve on the left. Overhead cables on insulated posts reminded us of years gone. What was surprising was signal cables were still left along the track. Would have thought that the souvenir hunters or karunguni men would have taken them.

Bridge over Bukit Timah Road

The track went under the Pan Island Expressway before emerging alongside Rifle Range Road where there were several access points. Finally we arrived at the Bukit Timah iron bridge where hordes of newly recruited rail enthusiasts were busy snapping memorable images. A group of teen models were also working their bodies as they assume various pose.

At the Bukit Timah Station, most of the rail switch gear were already removed with only a set left. The mileage sign was taken down on the last day of train service when a work trolley came by for this purpose. Someone must have realised this would be a collectors item.

The Route
See http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1278690

From Mandai to Woodlands
On a subsequent trip, we walked from Mandai to Woodlands. This was a short stretch of about 3.8km. We continued from the Mandai Road Junction where we also started on an earlier walk described above and proceeded northward. Just before Kranji Road the railway track headed north-eastward.



Bridge Across Sungei Mandai Besar

At the iron bridge across Sungei Mandai Besar we met a young couple who had driven to the said river, parked near Woodlands Road and followed a trail to the railway track to begin their walk. From here on, we entered a region of mangrove forests but a fence along the railway track on either side kept us from exploring further. Very soon we reached the end of the line with a warning sign forbidding further progress. We could see the Woodlands Station further down the track.

End of the line

Near here we could see that work had already started to dismantle the tracks. A shunt track has already been dismantled with the rails and track ties and bolts lying on the ground waiting to be picked up later.

There was a locked gate on our right, the direction we wanted to go to reach Woodlands Road. Luckily, we found an opening through which we emerged on the other side before heading towards Woodlands Centre, a once bustling town centre welcoming Johorians looking for bargains, but now the flow is in the opposite direction. After a short snack break, we moved on to Singapore Immigration to head for Johor for lunch.

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Rail Corridor

Railway Track from Bukit Timah Station to Tanjong Pagar Station

Walking the Green Corridor Former KTM Railway Track

Yishun to Woodlands along the Mandai and SLE Park Connector

The Route

Map data ©2020 Google

We started from Chong Pang Village and headed south along Sembawang Road to Mandai Road, explored Track 15 at the junction of Mandai Road and Mandai Lake Road. Then backtracked to follow along Ulu Sembawang Park Connector turned left at SLE PCN to Singapore Sports School and the Woodlands Station.

This statue of a farmer hard at work is at the junction of Sembawang Road and Yishun Ave 5. This is also near the hottest Toto booth with the largest number of lucky winners.

We came across two fishing enthusiasts who had taken the day off from work to indulge in their hobby. One of the fish caught along the shore of Seletar Reservoir.

The start of the Central Catchment Park Connector. It runs parallel to Track 15 that leads to the rifle shooting range. Although at the start of this trail, the track looks comfortable but as we walked further in, it becomes more close to nature, with fallen branches,  less gravel, etc.
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At the junction of Track 15 and Central Catchment Park Connector. If we were to proceed further into the trail, it would lead to the Gangsa bike trail and Bukit Panjang area.

A billboard at the junction of Mandai Road and Mandai Lake Road, the road leading to the Zoo.

The Ulu Sembawang Park Connector. This trail was just opened. It provides a view of the Mandai forests and the nearby farming industries.

Along the SLE Park Connector. It runs along a wide open field before the Singapore Sports School. The sky was threatening to rain. We were worried about thunder and lightning as we were on raised and exposed ground.

A view of the Singapore Sports School from the SLE Park Connector. You can see the dark clouds behind the school. As soon as we reached the Woodlands MRT Station the sky opened up.