Cutting it close

I’ve always been fascinated by this nondescript building next to Aljunied MRT Station on the East West Line.

Ending just a couple of metres from the MRT station, the row of shophouses lining Lorong 25A Geylang is perhaps the closest building next to an aboveground MRT station in Singapore. At platform level, the third floor of the building looks close enough to jump from the tracks.

Before the East West Line was laid down in the 1980s, Lorong 25 and Lorong 25A Geylang were connected to each other. Below is a 1984 street directory map of the area, with the connection between the two roads in the red box.

The same area in 2021 is indicated by a red box below.

Credit: Singapore Land Authority.

The link between Lorong 25 and Lorong 25A has been expunged, together with the buildings that used to lie along the road. It is possible that Lorong 25A itself was spared, hence the closeness of its row of shophouses to Aljunied MRT Station today.

Newer MRT lines such as the North East, Circle, Downtown, and Thomson-East Coast lines are entirely underground. However, the upcoming Jurong Region Line, with 24 stations due to open from 2027, will be aboveground. Let’s see if there is a building closer to any of these stations.