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How It First Began

Before the existence of land routes between Singapore and Johor, commuting between the two places warranted a journey by sea, despite being separated by an average width of just about 1.6 km. Not even the royals were spared, including the Prince of Wales in 1882, who later became King Edward VII, and King Chulalongkorn of Siam (present-day Thailand) in 1896.1

Building the Causeway was a massive undertaking, but crucially needed. In the beginning of the 20th century, British Malaya had become a major producer of raw materials such as rubber and tin.2 These materials were sent to Singapore for export to international markets. At the same time, Johor had gained popularity as a weekend retreat for residents of Singapore. These thriving economic activities, as well as the increased movements to and from Johor and Singapore, led to high demand for transportation of goods and passengers.3 By 1910, a network of roads and railways had sprung up on both sides of the Straits to support this demand, but the actual crossing remained a "missing link" in the network, relying on ferry services to transport cargo and travellers both ways, which high cost had prompted the colonial authorities to seek an alternative solution. When the director of public works in the Federated Malay States (FMS) W. Eyre Kenny suggested building a rubble causeway across the Straits, the idea was well-received.4

Plans to address this missing link were disrupted by the First World War but resumed during the postwar trade boom. By then, the ferries were operating around the clock and struggling to handle the huge amount of traffic crossing the Johor Straits. A seamless rail connection between Singapore and Johor had become an urgent necessity.5 As The Straits Times declared in 1924, "The importance of the Causeway to Malaya can scarcely be overestimated... the fact of through railway connection with the Peninsula, with Siam, and ultimately with Burma and India is of infinitely greater importance to Singapore as the entrepot of Malaysian trade, and to the Malay States as the hinterland of Singapore."6

Click the thumbnails below to learn about the beginnings of the Causeway!
Click to return to the main Causeway Centenary page and references.