Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
April 3, 1983 A new bus service began operations in the Republic of Singapore. Trans-Island Bus Services (TIBS) had been incorporated the previous year. The company’s founder was entrepreneur Ng Ser Miang, who was born in China in 1949 but has lived in Singapore for most of his life. (Over the years, Ng has also... Continue Reading →
March 12, 1910 The first steel bridge in the present-day Republic of Singapore made its official debut. (At that time, Singapore was part of the British territories collectively known as the Straits Settlements.) The dignitaries attending the Saturday opening ceremony for the bridge included Sir John Anderson, for whom the new structure was named. Anderson... Continue Reading →
January 2, 1998 A new vehicular bridge connecting Malaysia with the Republic of Singapore was opened to traffic. This bridge crosses the section of the Straits of Johor that is situated between Iskandar Puteri (the southernmost city of continental Eurasia) in the Malaysian state of Johor and the planning area of Tuas in the West... Continue Reading →
November 7, 1987 In the Republic of Singapore, the first section of the high-capacity rail transportation system known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) officially began operations. At the time of its debut, the North South Line (NSL) of the MRT covered 3.7 miles (six kilometers) between the Yio Chu Kang station in Ang Mo... Continue Reading →
A dedication ceremony was held for the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) in the south-central region of Singapore. Josephine Teo, in her capacity as Singapore’s senior minister of state at the Ministry of Transport, officially inaugurated the new expressway. Others on hand for the ceremony included Goh Chok Tong, who had served as Singapore’s second prime... Continue Reading →
The first line of Singapore’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) series of fully automated transit systems was opened in the residential town and planning area of Bukit Panjang. This initial segment, known as the Bukit Panjang LRT Line, was formally inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tony Tan Keng Yam. Tan, who has since... Continue Reading →
In Southeast Asia, the newly established Wearnes Air Services (WAS) began operations. This marked the first regular commercial air service between the island of Singapore and the Malay Peninsula, with a de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide biplane known as “Governor Raffles” making the inaugural flight from Singapore (at the time part of the British territories... Continue Reading →
A new and trend-setting type of terminal for bus passengers was formally opened in Toa Payoh, a longtime planned community in Singapore’s central region. Toa Payoh Bus Interchange became the permanent replacement for another facility for bus passengers that had been opened in the vicinity in 1983 and demolished in 1999. The terminal accommodates a... Continue Reading →
The formal inauguration of Singapore’s navy took place during a ceremony at Telok Ayer Basin in the Southeast Asian nation. At 5:55 p.m., the men, and women of the new Singapore Naval Volunteer Force (SNVF) stood at attention while the Singapore naval force white ensign – featuring a crescent moon with five stars as well... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 