# Sungei Kadut

Sungei Kadut (Malay pronunciation:, SOONG-eye KAH-doht) is an industrial estate and planning area located in the North Region of Singapore. It is bounded by Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang to the south, Mandai to the east, as well as Lim Chu Kang and the Western Water Catchment to the west. Its northern boundary is defined by the Straits of Johor. Sungei Kadut is divided into five subzones, namely Kranji, Turf Club, Gali Batu, Pang Sua and Reservoir View.

## Etymology and history

In the Malay language, Sungei (alternative form of standard sungai) refers to river and Kadut refers to sack cloth. In the 1900s, around Sungei Kadut is a mangrove swamp that stretches to the now Kranji Reservoir. During World War II, Sungei Kadut was one of the first sites where the Japanese soldiers entered Singapore. It was later developed into an industrial site.
In the 1970s and 1980s, furniture making and milling factories sprung across the estate. These clusters of factories housing perishable combustibles subsequently became a source of fire hazard in the region and a fire post was set up in the region. Several years ago, blazing fires had even caused MRT trains along North South MRT line to stop operation. On August 3, 2008, the worst blaze occurred in a factory. Initial attempts to control the blaze failed as it spread to several stacks of wooden pellets and tires nearby. It took more than 4 hours and 100 firemen to put out the fire. As several factories were not insured, many companies suffered huge losses.

## Transportation

Currently, Kranji MRT station on the North South line is the only station serving the vicinity. Sungei Kadut MRT station between Kranji and Yew Tee stations in the industrial estate is planned to open in the mid-2030s, as indicated in the Land Transport Master Plan (LTMP) 2040 by the Land Transport Authority.
Currently, SMRT Bus Service 925 serves the Sungei Kadut Industrial Estate, which operates from Woodlands to Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange daily except for Sundays and public holidays. Other services that passes by Woodlands Road include 160, 170, 170A, 178, 927, 960, 961 & 961M.

## Facilities

Sungei Kadut is predominantly an industrial area and as such, there are very few housing and amenities. The main amenity is the Singapore Turf Club, which is located adjacent to Kranji MRT station. Besides horse racing tracks, there is also a go-kart arena, KF1 Karting Circuit in the turf club area. Kranji War Memorial is a notable attraction in the area, located to the west of the Turf Club. The memorial is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission The only housing estate in Sungai Kadut is Jalan Rasok, located to the south of the Kranji War Memorial. It is a small estate consisting only of landed properties and there are no public housing in the area. Besides landed properties, there are also a few migrant worker dormitories in the area, notably Westlite Mandai, Westlite Kranji Way and Kranji Lodge 1. There is also a recreation centre for migrant workers. Sungei Kadut also houses the Gali Batu MRT Depot. Operated by SBS Transit, it is the main stabling and maintenance facility for Downtown line trains. There is a namesake bus terminal in its premises, operated by SMRT Buses. The bus terminal is currently out of bounds to the general public. There is also a Gali Batu bus depot currently under construction and is expected to replace the existing Kranji Bus Depot.