SINGAPORE - The northern stretch of the Rail Corridor was opened to the public on Friday, offering access to more than 21km of continuous trails from Kranji MRT station in the north to Spooner Road in Kampong Bahru in the south.

The recreational green route sits on land previously used by the Keretapi Tanah Melayu railway line and will be 24km long when fully opened.

Here are five upcoming developments for the corridor.

1. Reopening of trail between Hillview Road and Chestnut Drive

While works are ongoing at this section of the trail, visitors will be able to take a temporary diverted route to continue their journey. The trail will be ready by end-2024.

2. Connections to surrounding parks and new nature corridor

A new entry point at the Holland Green Linear Park will be opened in the first quarter of 2023, which will improve access to the corridor for residents living in the surrounding estate.

By the second quarter of 2023, visitors will be able to access Rifle Range Nature Park via a new landscaped path under the Pan-Island Expressway viaduct.

The Rail Corridor will be connected to the upcoming Clementi Nature Corridor, which will comprise 18km of green trails. This will include a new nature trail, which follows the Old Jurong Line, and will be completed by 2024, and a new Jurong Town Hall park connector that will link the Rail Corridor to Jurong Lake Gardens.

By 2023, visitors will be able to loop from the Rail Corridor to Ulu Pandan via the new Clementi Nature Trail, and take the existing Ulu Pandan park connector back to the Rail Corridor in Buona Vista.

3. Opening of Buona Vista node

The node at JTC Corporation’s one-north business park will be integrated with an upcoming mixed-use biomedical sciences development, to be completed at end-2023.

This node will include spaces for sports, community and cultural events that connect with existing cultural and recreational spaces along the Rail Corridor, such as the arts space under the North Buona Vista Road viaduct.

4. Opening of Queensway node

The Queensway Viaduct over the Rail Corridor has been turned into an expansive and fully sheltered space that can be transformed into a community node.

Government agencies will engage the wider community on plans for the node, which could tie in with the larger vision of Queenstown being a health district.

5. Reopening of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

Suitable uses are being considered for the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, located right at the doorstep of the Central Business District.

Restoration works on the national monument are set to begin in 2024, and slated for completion by 2026.

The Singapore Land Authority has said that plans for the former station, including detailed uses, are still under study. Some possibilities include repurposing the building as a civic and community institution, a commercial building with food and beverage options, or a hotel. The national monument will reopen after 2026.