Philip Chew, the descendant of Chew Joo Chiat blogs about his great-grandfather’s legacy and the rich heritage of Joo Chiat. For example, did you know that a railway line once ran through Joo Chiat?

Some very old land marks in the area had been lost completely. Before WWII there was a railway line in the area. It started from Singapore Harbour Board (PSA) in Tanjong Pagar. Guillemard Road was then unknown. The whole stretch was a railway track. It cut through a few roads before joining the railway track at Joo Chiat Lane. After passing Tembling Road (opposite the temple) it made a turn behing a two storey house and continued towards Everitt Road/Joo Chiat Place junction. From there it went all the way to the coconut and rubber plantations in Kg Batak (Eunos). The railway line was used by cargo trains only. It carried bulk cargo such as copra, latex and rubber sheets to the port.

Discover some of Joo Chiat’s most fascinating – and forgotten landmarks in Philip’s My Chew Joo Chiat Story.
Joo Chiat Railway
Joo Chiat Post Office
Joo Chiat Square
Joo Chiat Jetty

Tags: Joo Chiat, Joo Chiat railway, Joo Chiat post office, Joo Chiat Square, Joo Chiat Jetty