Due to nature of hilly terrain in the Tanjong Pagar area, the first half of the 19th century saw early settlers focused on agricultural activities such as gambier, nutmeg, and fruit cultivation.
By the second half of the 19th century, Singapore’s trading activities flourished due to the advent of steamships and the opening of the Suez Canal. As the Singapore River estuary, where early traders settled, became too open and too small to be developed as a major port, the natural deep harbour in Tanjong Pagar was selected for the building of new wharves. It saw the birth of New Harbour, which was renamed as Keppel Harbour in 1900.
In 1905, the government bought over the privately-owned dry docks from the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company and formed the Tanjong Pagar Dock Board, which is now known as the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA). It has become one of the largest port operators in the world, making Singapore a global hub port, connecting to over 600 ports in over 120 countries.
Tanjong Pagar played a critical role in the development of Singapore from a third world to a first world nation within one generation as the home of the maritime industry, which is still a key contributor to Singapore’s GDP growth.
With the increasing economic activity from Keppel Harbour, Tanjong Pagar saw rapid urbanisation as it became a major transportation node. Singapore railway station, which was later known as the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, was built on reclaimed land along Keppel Road in 1932. The railway station facilitated the easy transfer of cargo between steamships and railway trains, as well as passengers travelling to and from the Malayan hinterland. Though the railway station is no longer in use after its closure in June 2011, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced plans to integrate the national monument with the upcoming Cantonment Station – under the Circle Line network in 2025, so as to preserve a piece of our heritage.
Located at the gateway of the Central Business District, Tanjong Pagar has an interesting mix of old and new charm. It is home to one of the oldest Historic Districts with beautifully conserved shophouses, local hawker centres and markets, hotels, residences, and also the tallest building in Singapore.
Tanjong Pagar’s unparalleled connectivity makes it easy and convenient for one to enter the Central Business District (CBD) through the multiple MRT stations traversing the East-West Line (EWL), North South Line (NSL), North East Line (NEL) and the Circle Line (CCL). Moreover, there are over 50 bus services connecting Tanjong Pagar to the rest of the other parts of Singapore. For motorists, three main expressways, namely the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), Central Expressway (CTE) and Marina Costal Expressway (MCE) connect residents from the west, north and east. respectively, to Tanjong Pagar.
It house mainly 3 hdb estates like Everton park, Cantonment tower and Pinnacle @ Duxton. Under URA concept plan 2030, the city centre is set to undergo a transformation from a mono-use that is dominated by offices to one that is more mixed-use and lively after office hours. Under Greater Southern waterfront project, the area around Tanjong Pagar will be transformed into mega space three times the size of Marina Bay. Once the leases of the ports expire in 2027 and are subsequently moved to the Tuas Mega Ports, the freed-up space will give rise to more new homes, making the Central Business District (CBD) area livelier and more vibrant at night. Newer residential and commercial districts will be built along the coastline, which will stretch over 30km from the waterfront promenade that connects Labrador Park to Gardens by the Bay in Marina South.
