The Rail Corridor Hike

By Vicky · Published Feb. 1st, 2022 · Updated Jan. 27th, 2024

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A green, flat hike along the Rail Corridor (aka the Green Corridor or Greenway) with majestic trees and railway tracks from the starting point in Outram through the central Clementi Forest Section to the north at Kranji.

Rail Corridor Hike Overview

The Rail Corridor (or Green Corridor) is a 24 km long, flat hike from Tanjong Pagar in the south to Kranji in the north. It can be divided into three main sections, Central, Southern and Northern.

The Central Section (~4 km) of the Rail Corridor near Bukit Timah is the most popular and contains a high concentration of historical features such as steel bridges and tracks.

The Southern Section (~10 km), south of Bukit Timah, is less scenic and slightly less interesting apart from Clementi Forest which is a lovely stretch of jungle.

The Northern Section (~10 km) north of Hillview MRT station is partly closed. You have to walk for some distance alongside a main road, but elsewhere you walk on a nice alternative trail by the river and through real countryside and wilderness unlike anywhere else in Singapore.

Rail Corridor Hiking Map

Get the route by downloading the .gpx or .kml file below. For navigation with Maps.me on your mobile phone, simply download the .kml file and open to add it to the Maps.me bookmarks.

The starting point of the Rail Corridor Hike

The starting point of the rail corridor hike is currently (2022) just southwest of Singapore General Hospital. By 2025 it will start from the old Tanjong Pagar Railway Station about 500 metres further towards the centre of Tanjong Pagar. The best way to reach the start of the Rail Corridor is to take a bus to Melati Blk 2 Bus Stop. It’s a few hundred metres walk from there to the Rail Corridor itself.

The northern section of the Rail Corridor ends near Kranji MRT Station on the red North-South Line.

Shorter Alternatives

If you don’t want to walk the full 24 km, start at Buona Vista MRT station to miss out the southernmost 7 km so you only have 17 km to walk. You will still see the best sections of the Rail Corridor.

If you want something even shorter, start at Buona Vista MRT and end at Hillview MRT just north of the Rail Mall. This gives you a 7.5 km hike along the most popular, most historic parts of the Rail Corridor.

Southern Rail Corridor

Getting to the start of the Rail Corridor

From Melati Blk 2 Bus Stop (see above) walk along Kampong Bahru Road towards Singapore General Hospital for about 150 metres. Then turn right along the road into a bus terminal area. About 100 metres later is a small concrete path (with a small sign) that brings you to the start of the Rail Corridor.

Turn right to start the hike, but before you do, look left to an old signal building now elegantly decaying and being taken over by vegetation. There is no navigational difficulty on the Southern or Central Sections of the Rail Corridor, just follow the pedestrian trail straight onwards.

This first, southernmost section is the least interesting part of the trail (apart from when you have to walk along a main road as a diversion on the northern section). The trees are nice, but the trail is just by a large highway which is quite noisy.

Some Interesting Sights

You’ll pass Tiong Bahru neighbourhood on your left and soon the trail bends off and away from the highway. A little further, you’ll see the cute Masjid Hang Jebat. There’s a water station just outside if you want to fill up. Shortly after the mosque, there’s a long, very dark underpass which makes for some interesting photos.

Once through the tunnel, keep a lookout for Wessex Estate on your left. There are several large black-and-white colonial houses and apartments from the 1940s you can see poking through the trees. At the same time, to the right is Sri Muneeswaran Temple with an intricately sculpted entrance gate.

Roughly 7 km from the start of the Greenway, you’ll reach Buona Vista. The MRT station is nearby on the left, and if you’re hungry there is a food centre just to the right. Buona Vista is a convenient place to join the trail if you want a shorter hike, and the scenery improves from here towards the north.

Through Clementi Forest

The section of the Rail Corridor through Clementi Forest is one of the nicest parts. It’s far from any highway so all you can hear is the sounds of the jungle. Unlike other jungle hikes, it is more open so you can see more of the trees and the sky, with birds fluttering around overhead.

The trail goes across the Bukit Timah Diversion Canal, on which there is a man-made waterfall. Opposite this is a large, green open field that is very popular with photographers. Soon you will reach Old Bukit Timah Railway Station, which is officially the end of the Southern Section and the start of the Central Section of the Rail Corridor.

Central Rail Corridor

Old Bukit Timah Railway Station

The old railway station here is undergoing renovation (2022) so you cannot really see it. You can however admire the old station sign and the tracks that still exist by the platform. It’s a popular spot so it can be a little busy on the weekends.

Old Railway Bridge Hindhede Crossing

Just over 1 km further from the station is the first steel truss bridge on this hike, called Hindhede Crossing. Along with the other similar bridge 1.7 km north, it’s a very popular photo spot to take a picture of the railway tracks. If you want to visit Bukit Timah, you can leave the Rail Corridor just after this bridge on the right and it’s just a few hundred metres to the entrance.

The Rail Corridor continues straight on, through some lovely woodland, under a scenic concrete bridge, and on to the second steel bridge.

Upper Bukit Timah Truss Bridge

The path becomes slightly quieter after the turnoff to Bukit Timah as it continues through some nice jungle. After 20-30 minutes you’ll reach another scenic steel railway bridge, this one called Upper Bukit Timah Truss Bridge.

This bridge is also currently (2022) the end of the main Rail Corridor and the start of a diverted route. It’s about 3 km walk along the side of a road to where the next path begins and eventually you reach the Rail Corridor again. If you want to end your hike here, it’s just 500 metres to Hillview MRT station via Rail Mall. You pass this MRT station anyway to continue the hike to the wild north.

Rail Mall

The Rail Mall contains many cafes and restaurants, all located in historic railway buildings with ironwork decorations at the top. We love Springleaf Prata Place which is almost the first thing you see when you reach the mall. It’s always very popular and their prata is delicious.

After your fill of food, continue along the road and cross over the pedestrian bridge. There aren’t really any signs for the Rail Corridor anymore, but you just continue walking along the lefthand side of Upper Bukit Timah Road. Soon you’ll pass Hillview MRT station and start the Northern Section of the hike.

Northern Rail Corridor

Detour along the road (2.5 km)

Track by Pang Sua River (3 km)

Just after you cross Pang Sua River, there’s a small grassy trail leading by the side of the river. Around the corner, it turns into a gravel track that continues by the river. The Rail Corridor itself is open here, but there is no shade at all so we walked instead by the river which was more pleasant, cooler and shady. The track continues along by the river for roughly 3 km before the main river bends away and the track heads into the middle of the vegetation.

Entering the Countryside (2.2 km)

The following 2.2 km was one of my favourite parts of the hike. The trail was almost deserted and we were surrounded by over head-high tall reeds with occasional trees. The path was narrow and on dirt and there were few signs of anything manmade. There is very little shade, so make sure to bring a sunhat. Since this section is near the end, it will be near the middle of the day and very warm.

After a while, we reached a metro line that passed high above us. This is the end of the officially open route. To get to Kranji MRT station, head right to follow underneath the MRT and soon you’ll reach a road. From there it’s 500 metres straight on to the station.

Entering the Wilderness (750 m)

When we arrived beneath the metro line, there was an open door in the metal barrier across the path ahead. There were no signs and other hikers were walking through, so we also went through the door, not having read online that it was closed.

It was really beautiful in this section with tall trees towering over the narrow, shady path below. It was only at the far end of this section when we saw a proper metal barrier and a sign on the other side that we realised it was actually closed. There was a well-worn path around the side of the barrier where other hikers must have made the same mistake. From there it was about a 1 km walk to Kranji MRT, first right and then left at the next major road intersection.

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For another long hike, try the Coast to Coast Trail, or for easier walks try the Gardens by the Bay Walk or Marina Bay Walking Trail. For heritage trails, check out cultural Little India, historic Kampong Glam or hip Joo Chiat. Or, for more unique hikes in Singapore, check out our interactive hiking map!