The bustling Raffles Place MRT Station

A sunny Saturday afternoon at the Raffles Place Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Station, whether in the 1960s or current, both depicts a lively and bustling scene. In the 1960s, there was the setting up of Singapore’s two oldest department stores that still exist today: Robinson’s and John Little. At the same time, there were also some of the first banks to operate in Raffles Place such as the HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank. In the past, weekends were the busiest in Raffles Place as people came to shop and stroll around the area. Today, it is still as busy due to the development of Raffles Place MRT Interchange Station and the financial district around it. However, it seems the old world charm of the good ol’ days was gone with the soaring commercial buildings. Today, Raffles Place MRT Station that is located at the south of Singapore River is built directly beneath the centre of Singapore’s financial district. It is one of the more important and busier stations within the island’s transport system. One can still see the miniature façade of the old Mercantile Bank Building when walking out from the station’s Exit A. Also, greeting commuters are multiple skyscrapers that look impressive, modern and cold. Right in the middle of the skyscrapers is a wide square, which allows curious people-watchers and the weary working-class to sit and marvel at life. Tan, a newspaper stall owner in his 70s said, “It is very beautiful now and the development is necessary for the growth of Singapore. It is a pity that people working here go to and from work too fast and tense up. They do not have a chance to appreciate the surroundings like me. Unlike the old days, there are not many people here on Sundays, as no one works.” The younger generation would not have thought that in the sixties, white-picturesque one or two stories colonial buildings dominated the square. There were the first department stores in Singapore: John Little and Robinson’s that attracted a huge crowd of shoppers each weekends. They were considered as up market and the “in” place to be seen. Following the success of these two stores, Emporium that sells more affordable goods imported from China also opened opposite. During Christmas period, a colourful and cheery Christmas tree will be erected in the middle of the square. The same square was also where the Singapore’s first underground carpark was built in the 1960s. Leong who is also in his 70s came today to Raffles Place for banking services at the UOB Bank. He said, “It’s very different now. This place looks so cold and enveloping. It is a shame to demolish all the old buildings, which had so much charm. There was even a fountain right where I am standing now. It was like a cozy ‘village’!” It is quite an achievement for Singapore to develop this high-speed into a global metropolis it is now. In the process of doing so, some things are foregone and charm is lost. Some will lament that the glorious past is better, while others may think that the change is for the better. For the younger generations, we can only imagine the splendid old’ days from old pictures hanged outside the station’s gantry.