Growing up in Ang Mo Kio: From bus interchange to AMK Hub
Posted by oceanskies79 under Buildings and Monuments, Reflections
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AMK Hub
AMK Hub is a building that houses the supermarket (NTUC Xtra), many retail stores, a food court, an intergrated Entertainment Centre on the 4th floor, and an airconditioned bus interchange.
Many years ago, before the year 2002, there stood a humble, non-airconditioned bus interchange approximately where AMK Hub now stands. There was a NTUC supermarket that stood just beside the non-airconditioned bus interchange but it was demolished around year 2002, I vaguely recall.
The humble bus-interchange back then had a canteen which I recall was on the second floor. There was an underground linkway from the bus-interchange to the Ang Mo Kio MRT station. I vaguely recall that when I was in Secondary School, I would wake up early every school-day, walk past the then non-airconditioned bus-interchange to take a bus to school. Early in those mornings (about 6.25 a.m.), there would already be a lot of commuters and bus-captains at the bus-interchange.
However, back then, I did not have an urge to take photograph and as such have no particular photo of the then non-airconditioned bus interchange to show you.
I only have a photo that gives a glimpse of the temporary bus interchange located nearby the Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic. The temporary bus interchange served commuters when the old bus interchange building was demolished sometime around the year 2002. Some residents would recall that there used to be a temporary NTUC supermarket just beside the temporary bus interchange. The temporary NTUC supermarket closed sometime after the NTUC Xtra supermarket was in operation.
The temporary bus interchange. Now demolished too.
If anyone enjoys seeing glimpses of the construction of AMK Hub, after the non-airconditioned bus-interchange located at Ang Mo Kio Central was demolished, here is a short photo presentation for your viewing pleasure:
I can’t remember the date that the airconditioned bus-interchange within AMK Hub started its operation. However, according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ang_Mo_Kio_Bus_Interchange, it could be 28 April 2007.
Does anyone have any stories to share about their growing-up years in Ang Mo Kio? I would care to hear from you.
Tags: AMK Hub, Ang Mo Kio
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(4) Comments
Posted by: Hong Shin
Posted on: August 20th, 2008
I have been growing up in Ang Mo Kio ever since I was born in 1980 (just about the time Ang Mo Kio is being developed as a new town). I also have memories of the old interchange. I vaguely remember a mosaic mural, the long linear orientation of the interchange and how hot and crowded it has always been. It was brown and filthy, and looked any other HDB estate bus interchange in Bedok, Clementi and Hougang. Well, it served it's purpose. I've never went upstairs before, haha! There was a dirt track and leads to the old NTUC, where the building also housed the now defunct Oriental Emporium. There was this big round fountain near the grey building too. I remember when the wind blow, people would get wet because of the fountain. So they kept it dry for a period of time before they removed it. I have fond memories of the two emporium shopping centres in AMK central, and also eating tip-top curry puff at 60 cents in the past. I also remember the NLB library before it was renovated, with it's flourescent lights and blue colour scheme. I had to queue up to get my borrowed books "chopped" then. Broadway (where Kbox is today) was where I watched Beauty and the Beast. It had painted movie posters. The other cinema was New Crown nearby and I recall they used pink slips as tickets. I'm sure what I've said would have struck a chord in you if you've grown up in Ang Mo Kio in the 80s. :) Cheers!
Posted by: oceanskies79
Posted on: August 20th, 2008
Hong Shin, Thank you for sharing. yes, the tip-top curry puff used to be so much cheaper in the past. I happen to have a post on this blog (Yesterday.sg) about Tip Top Curry Puff. Check it out to find out how much one curry puff from Tip Top Curry Puff had cost when it first started operating in Ang Mo Kio (... information provided by my mother). I think you have a lot about Ang Mo Kio to share that you could start writing blog posts about Ang Mo Kio too, on Yesterday.sg Do you happen to have any photo of the mini-traffic-circuit (where there was a bicycle rental establishment) that used to be located in front of Broadway Cinema? I realised that I didn't take any photo of myself at that circuit and if I could find one photo, I could add it to supplement one of my posts about that traffic-circuit.
Posted by: Hong Shin
Posted on: September 3rd, 2008
No, I don't have a photo of the mini-traffic circuit you are referring to. In fact I don't have any pictures of the old AMK... pity huh? I do have a few pictures of the old generation of playgrounds in the estate. Full of metal bars and animal-shaped slides with mosiac walls, haha! I read your other posts... and yes, we should start taking pictures of the estate before they change in a flash! Like the old metal letterboxes at the void deck are disappearing FAST.
Posted by: oceanskies79
Posted on: September 10th, 2008
Hong Shin, no worries about not having the photos. Yes, I have started taking photos of the estate. I just wish I could have done it much earlier, when I was a child. I fondly remember the A&W in Ang Mo Kio Central and the then KFC restaurant which serves food the restaurant style. I wish I could have taken photos then.
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