Bukit Panjang
Planning area and residential town in West Region, Singapore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bukit Panjang (/ˈbʊkɪt ˌpɑːndʒɑːŋ/ BUUK-it PAHN-jahng) is a planning area and residential town located in the West Region of Singapore. A portion of this town is situated on a low-lying elongated hill. The planning area is bounded by Bukit Batok to the west, Choa Chu Kang to the northwest, Sungei Kadut to the north, the Central Water Catchment to the east, and Bukit Timah to the south. Bukit Panjang New Town is located at the northern portion of the planning area. Bukit Panjang has an average elevation of 36m/118 ft.[5]
Pukkiṭ Pāñcāṅ (Transliteration)
Singapore- Bukit Panjang resident
Bukit Panjang | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Malay | Bukit Panjang (Rumi) بوکيت ڤنجڠ (Jawi) |
| • Chinese | 武吉班让 (Simplified) 武吉班讓 (Traditional) Wǔjí Bānràng (Pinyin) Bú-kit Pan-jiāng (Hokkien POJ) |
| • Tamil | புக்கிட் பாஞ்சாங் Pukkiṭ Pāñcāṅ (Transliteration) |
 .jpg)   Clockwise: A busy intersection between Bukit Panjang Road and Bukit Panjang Ring Road, Senja-Cashew Community Club with HDB flats in the background, Zhenghua Community Club, Summit of Bukit Timah Hill | |
 Location of Bukit Panjang in Singapore | |
.svg)  Bukit Panjang Location of Bukit Panjang within Singapore | |
| Coordinates: 1°22′51.00″N 103°45′45.00″E | |
| Country | Singapore |
| Region | West Region
|
| CDC | |
| Town councils |
|
| Constituencies | |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | North West CDC
|
| • Members of Parliament | Bukit Panjang SMC
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
|
| Area | |
• Total | 8.99 km2 (3.47 sq mi) |
| • Residential | 2.19 km2 (0.85 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 136,360 |
| • Density | 15,200/km2 (39,300/sq mi) |
| Demonym |
|
| Ethnic groups | |
| • Chinese | 102,800 |
| • Malays | 21,690 |
| • Indians | 10,340 |
| • Others | 3,450 |
| Postal districts | 21, 23[a] |
| Postal sector | 58, 67[b] |
| Dwelling units | 34,463 |
| Projected ultimate | 44,000 |
The town is categorised into seven subzones, namely Jelebu, Bangkit, Fajar, Saujana, Senja, Dairy Farm, and Nature Reserve.
Etymology
Bukit Panjang means "long hill" in Malay. It gets its name from the low hills which end south to Bukit Timah.[6] The roads in the town are named after the old 1960s kampung tracks (Lorong Petir, Lorong Pending, Jalan Fajar, Jalan Senja) which used to ply the area.[7]
History
In the mid 1800s, settlements had emerged at the 10th milestone of Bukit Timah Road, near the 132-metre hill known as Bukit Panjang.[8] The term '10th mile' is preserved in the naming of Ten Mile Junction LRT Station, Ten Mile Junction Depot and the Junction 10 shopping mall. Then, the area was home to gambier and pepper planters, and these settlements expanded northwards to Kranji in 1845 with the extension of Bukit Timah Road - as Kranji Road and then renamed to Woodlands Road.
Historical maps from 1911 - 1978 show Bukit Panjang as a 434 feet (132 metres) peak between Choa Chu Kang Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road, near the Lian Hup Quarry.[9] Quarrying activities have likely flattened the peak once known as Bukit Panjang. [c]
From 1903 to an unknown date, Bukit Panjang Railway Station on the Singapore-Kranji Railway served the Bukit Panjang settlements as well as plantations. The station was incorporated into the Federated Malay States Railway, allowing for northwards journeys to Woodlands, Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur and southwards journeys to Holland Road, Newton, Tank Road and Pasir Panjang.[10] Trains carried both passengers, goods, mail and stone from Mandai Quarry. [11]. In 1932, the line between Tank Road and Bukit Timah stations permanently closed, and the new route through Bukit Timah, Tanglin, Alexandra Halt and Tanjong Pagar opened. New stations in Woodlands and Kranji served the railway, with only Mandai and Bukit Panjang stations from the old alignment continuing to be in use. The largely abandoned station is located along present day Choa Chu Kang Road, near the intersection with Woodlands Road, Bukit Panjang Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road, the right-of-way is preserved as part of the Rail Corridor.
In 1912, The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser reported that business magnate Ong Sam Leong tapped the first tree of the Bukit Panjang Rubber Estate, located 10.5 miles from the town. [12]
In 1957, the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) launched Bukit Panjang Estate [13]- this was later renamed to Teck Whye Estate, which was along present day Jalan Teck Whye.[14] The land of the Bukit Panjang Estate and settlements are in present day Choa Chu Kang Central and Teck Whye[15]. These flats were sold as low-cost alternatives for those working in the Bukit Timah region.[8][16] These SIT flats faced heat-trapping issues, resulting in petitions and community meetings by the residents to escalate the issue.
The Bukit Panjang Community Centre and the one at Jalan Kong Kuan served the community in tackling different local and national issues, also engaging in charity events. [17][18]
When Bukit Panjang Secondary School shifted to the new premises along Jalan Teck Whye in 1959, the first cohort had no desks and chairs for the first two weeks - when the furniture arrived two weeks later, all rushed to move them in. They also transformed the barren land behind the school into a field. [8]. The English stream Bukit Panjang Secondary School merged with the Chinese stream Choa Chu Kang Government Chinese Middle School, becoming the first integrated government secondary school, Bukit Panjang Government High School. [19]
In 1960, a fund drive to build a mosque was started for one in Bukit Panjang, the nearest mosque then was over seven miles away.[20] The Lembaga Masjid Jamik was constructed along Choa Chu Kang Road[21] with the help of more than 100 volunteers to clear the site[22]. Since then, this mosque has been renamed to Al-Khair Mosque and moved to Teck Whye Crescent.[21] [d]
In 1986, during the planning and construction of the Branch Line (Bukit Line, now incorporated into the North-South Line), the then terminus was named Bukit Panjang before being changed to Choa Chu Kang.
Part of what was considered the area of Bukit Panjang was incorporated into Choa Chu Kang New Town, particularly the land west of Woodlands Road / Upper Bukit Timah Road. Bukit Panjang New Town expanded eastwards towards the Kranji Expressway and Bukit Timah Expressway.
Modern Bukit Panjang is a suburban town in western Singapore. Before redevelopment, Kampong Bukit Panjang used to exist in the area. Initially, instead of using the original place name, Bukit Panjang, there were plans to open up the new town using the name, Zhenghua,[7] derived from Jalan Cheng Hwa that used to ply the area. However, Bukit Panjang was quickly reinstated following complaints, being the only town in Singapore where the change was reversed.[23][24][8] Development of the town and advanced earthworks begun on 15 June 1981. Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats rose up by 20 May 1985, but only Blocks 1xx and 2xx were built so far. Neighbourhood 4 was up and running by 1989, and followed by Neighbourhood 5 and 6 which was the recent ones since 1995.
In 1981, S$96 million was spent on widening canals to help prevent flooding in low-lying areas such as Bukit Panjang.[25]
Demographics
Population history
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 96,560 | — |
| 2001 | 107,150 | +11.0% |
| 2002 | 112,190 | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 114,230 | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 117,700 | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 119,720 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 120,910 | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 122,590 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 124,660 | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 127,500 | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 128,730 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 129,400 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 130,960 | +1.2% |
| 2013 | 131,490 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 133,020 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 139,030 | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 141,380 | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 141,930 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 140,820 | −0.8% |
| 2019 | 139,280 | −1.1% |
| 2020 | 138,270 | −0.7% |
| 2021 | 134,720 | −2.6% |
| 2022 | 137,020 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 138,940 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 138,050 | −0.6% |
| 2025 | 136,360 | −1.2% |
| Source: [26][27][28][29][30][31] | ||
Age profile
The data below is from the population report published by the Singapore Department of Statistics as of June 2025.[31]
| Age group (years) |
Males | Females | Total population |
% of total population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 2,660 | 2,400 | 5,060 | 3.71 |
| 5–9 | 3,080 | 3,000 | 6,080 | 4.46 |
| 10–14 | 3,530 | 3,390 | 6,920 | 5.07 |
| 15–19 | 3,600 | 3,530 | 7,130 | 5.23 |
| 20–24 | 4,060 | 3,960 | 8,020 | 5.88 |
| 25–29 | 4,680 | 4,540 | 9,220 | 6.76 |
| 30–34 | 5,130 | 5,140 | 10,270 | 7.53 |
| 35–39 | 4,820 | 5,250 | 10,070 | 7.38 |
| 40–44 | 4,560 | 4,970 | 9,530 | 6.99 |
| 45–49 | 4,220 | 4,760 | 8,980 | 6.59 |
| 50–54 | 4,760 | 5,250 | 10,010 | 7.34 |
| 55–59 | 4,730 | 5,060 | 9,790 | 7.18 |
| 60–64 | 5,180 | 5,560 | 10,740 | 7.88 |
| 65–69 | 4,900 | 4,770 | 9,670 | 7.09 |
| 70–74 | 3,400 | 3,400 | 6,800 | 4.99 |
| 75–79 | 2,080 | 2,210 | 4,290 | 3.15 |
| 80–84 | 870 | 1,150 | 2,020 | 1.48 |
| 85–89 | 460 | 700 | 1,160 | 0.85 |
| 90+ | 200 | 430 | 630 | 0.46 |
| Age group (years) |
Males | Females | Total population |
% of total population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–14 | 9,270 | 8,790 | 18,060 | 13.24 |
| 15–64 | 45,740 | 48,020 | 93,760 | 69.58 |
| 65+ | 11,910 | 12,660 | 24,570 | 18.02 |
.png)
The population distribution of Bukit Panjang in 2025 demonstrates an ageing population structure. There is a higher population concentration among middle-aged and older groups, with males and females both peaking at the 60-64 age range at 3.80% and 4.08% respectively. This is closely followed by the 30-34 age range, with 3.76% being males and 3.77% being females.
Household
As of 2025, there were 112,590 people living in HDB flats, representing 82.6% of the population. This is higher than the national proportion of HDB dwellers (75.8%),[31] reflecting a greater prevalence of public housing in the area.
Among the population, 52,680 residents, or 38.6% of the population, live in 4-Room HDB Flats, making it the most common type of dwelling. 20,050 residents (14.7%) live in condominiums and other apartments, while 3,150 residents (2.3%) reside in landed properties.
As of 2020, the average household size in Bukit Panjang is 3.40. Among the 43,580 households in Bukit Panjang, the most common household size is four persons, representing 23.3% of total households.[32]
Bukit Panjang has a home ownership rate of 92.8% as of 2020. This is higher than the national home ownership rate of 87.9%,[32] making Bukit Panjang the fourth-highest in home ownership rate among all planning areas in Singapore. This reflects a greater prevalence of homeowners in Bukit Panjang.
Ethnicity
Consistent with the rest of Singapore, Bukit Panjang has an ethnically diverse population, with a majority Chinese population, constituting 74.35% of the population as of 2020, identical to the national proportion of 74.35%. In contrast, there is a higher proportion of Malays (15.69%) compared to the national proportion of 13.49%.[4]
Religion
- Buddhism (31.4%)
- Christianity (16.5%)
- Islam (16.9%)
- Taoism and other Chinese religions (11.3%)
- Hinduism (4.40%)
- Sikhism (0.30%)
- Other religions (0.20%)
- No religion (19.1%)
Consistent with the rest of Singapore, the largest religion in Bukit Panjang is Buddhism, with 37,693 practising residents (31.38% of the population). The second most common group consists of residents with no religion (22,937 residents, 19.10%). Islam is also prominent in Bukit Panjang, with 20,325 Muslims (16.92%). Christianity is practised by 19,792 residents (16.48%), with 7,077 Catholics (5.89%). Other religious affiliations include Taoism and other Chinese religions (13,519 residents, 11.26%), Hinduism (5,239 residents, 4.36%), and Sikhism (365 residents, 0.30%).
Compared to the national average of 8.79%, there is a significantly higher proportion of practising Taoists in Bukit Panjang.[32]
Education
As of 2020, 97.1% of the population aged above 15 is literate, identical with the national literacy rate. 67.2% of residents are literate in two languages, with the most common language pair being English and Chinese (47.5%). 5.7% of Bukit Panjang residents are literate in three or more languages.[32]
30,829 residents (28.8% of the population) in Bukit Panjang have attained a university qualification, lower than the national average of 32.1%. In contrast, 11,486 residents, or 10.7% of the population, have no educational qualifications.[32]
Language
In Bukit Panjang, the proportion of residents using English as the most frequently spoken language (45.9%) is lower than the national average of 48.3%. Additionally, there are 2,781 Tamil speakers, representing 82.4% of the 3,373 Indian language speakers in Bukit Panjang.[32]
Employment and income
According to the 2020 Census of Population, 77,492 of residents aged 15 years and over in Bukit Panjang are employed, out of the 81,951 in the labour force. This equates to an employment rate of 94.6%, slightly higher than the national employment rate of 94.2%. The remaining 38,161 residents aged above 15 (31.8%) in Bukit Panjang are outside the labour force.[32]
Among the employed residents in Bukit Panjang aged 15 years and over, most earn a gross monthly income of between S$3,000 and S$3,999, with 13.6% being in that category. This is closely followed by those earning between S$1,000 and S$1,999, constituting 13.4% of the population. 7.1% earn less than S$1,000 per month, while 5.6% earn above S$15,000 per month.[32]
According to the 2020 Census of Population, most resident households in Bukit Panjang earn a monthly household income of S$20,000 and over, constituting 12.3% of all households. The second highest category for monthly household income is households with no employed person, encompassing 10.1% of all households.[32]
Housing, amenities, and attractions
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The town consists of a mixture of old and new blocks of flats, condominiums and private housing. To date, there are three community centres, namely Bukit Panjang Community Club, Zhenghua Community Club,[36] and Senja-Cashew Community Club, which serve the entertainment, recreational, and educational needs of residents.
Bukit Panjang Plaza is one of the well-known malls in Bukit Panjang. It is located in the heart of Bukit Panjang town and is near Bukit Panjang LRT station, Bukit Panjang MRT station, and Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange. Located on Jelebu Road, the mall has been expanded twice throughout its existence to include more shops in the building. The mall is owned by CapitaRetail which is another retail-based REIT by CapitaLand. The mall houses the Bukit Panjang Public Library as well as a NTUC FairPrice Finest supermarket.
Hillion Mall is another well-known mall in Bukit Panjang, located along Petir Road. It is one of the more recent commercial facilities, which completed construction and was opened to the public on 24 February 2017. It is part of the Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub, which shares the building with the Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange, and directly links to the Bukit Panjang MRT/LRT station through an underpass and above-ground link way respectively.[37]
There are other smaller commercial buildings equipped with food courts, supermarkets, and other basic shops to meet the basic necessities of the residents. They are commonly located within HDB estates or small standalone buildings. Some of the more iconic buildings include Junction 10 located along Woodlands Road, Fajar Shopping Centre located along Fajar Road, Greenridge Shopping Centre located along Jelapang Road, and the Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood Centre located along Bangkit Road.
Within the neighbourhood consists of two hawker centres; the Bukit Panjang Hawker Centre and Market and the Senja Hawker Centre.[38] The former opened in 2015[39] while the latter opened in 2022.[40]
A healthcare facility located along Senja Road was opened on 2 October 2021 to house the Bukit Panjang Polyclinic and the Senja Care Home.[41]
The town has two major parks, namely Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood 5 Park and Zhenghua Park.[7] Bukit Panjang Neighbourhood 5 Park is located adjacent to the Senja-Cashew Community Club and wraps around Pang Sua Pond, a man-made floating wetland. Zhenghua Park, located in the eastern part of Bukit Panjang, consists of a fitness area, gazebos, playgrounds, and a 2.5-kilometre cycling and jogging track that runs parallel to the Bukit Timah Expressway.
Education
Bukit Panjang has both primary and secondary schools within the neighbourhood,[42] as well as other private institutions.
Primary schools
- Beacon Primary School
- Bukit Panjang Primary School
- CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace
- Greenridge Primary School
- West Spring Primary School
- West View Primary School
- Zhenghua Primary School
Secondary schools
- Assumption English School
- Assumption Pathway School
- Greenridge Secondary School
- West Spring Secondary School
- Zhenghua Secondary School
Private institutions
- German European School Singapore
- St Francis Methodist School
- Trinity Theological College
- St Francis Xavier Major Seminary
Transportation
Rail
Bukit Panjang is served by the following MRT stations on the Downtown Line, which opened on 27 December 2015, and provides residents with direct train access to the Downtown Core:
- DT1 – BP6 Bukit Panjang
- DT2 Cashew
It is also served by the following LRT stations on the Bukit Panjang LRT line, which connects it to nearby Choa Chu Kang for commuters to access the North–South Line:
- BP7 Petir
- BP8 Pending
- BP9 Bangkit
- BP10 Fajar
- BP11 Segar
- BP12 Jelapang
- BP13 Senja
The driverless and fully automated Bukit Panjang LRT line was completed on 11 June 1999 at a cost of S$285 million.[43] The rail line was intended to serve the growing town and act as a replacement to the many buses employed through the town, especially during rush hours. Originally opening with 14 stations, Ten Mile Junction station permanently closed in 2019 after sighting low ridership, bringing the number to 13.[44]
Several petitions were presented by the residents of Bukit Panjang protesting the decision by SMRT to replace the buses in Bukit Panjang with the LRT system. Some of the complaints were related to the fact that people preferred the previous bus system that covered most parts of the Bukit Panjang neighbourhoods such as bus service 190 and 972. The previous bus system was viewed as more efficient because it had many bus stops within walking distance; the LRT system has only 13 stations that are spaced hundreds of meters apart.
The LRT system is expected to go through a major upgrading programme that is due to be completed by 2026. The programme will bring about a new signalling system, better condition monitoring, new power rails system and 19 new light rail vehicles.[45][46]
Bus
The public bus system is predominantly run by SMRT Buses. Of the SMRT buses based in Bukit Panjang, some are smaller feeder bus services that serve the various areas of the neighbourhood, while the rest are long-distance trunk services that serve as a mode of transport to other towns and to the city centre. Most bus services start and end at Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange.
Some buses loop around the bus interchange, using the bus stops along Upper Bukit Timah Road, above Bukit Panjang MRT as their looping point. This includes bus services 974 from Joo Koon Bus Interchange, 171 from Yishun Bus Interchange and 983 from Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange. This is possibly due to the smaller Bukit Panjang Integrated Transport Hub compared to the previous bus interchange. The neighbouring Gali Batu Bus Terminal also houses and launches buses 75 and 184 that used to terminate at the bus interchange.
Other passing-through bus services include 67 and 190 from Choa Chu Kang Bus Interchange, 160 and 984 from Jurong Town Hall Bus Interchange, 170 from Queen Street Bus Terminal and 178 187 960 961 963 and 966 from Woodlands Integrated Transport Hub. Notably, buses 160 and 170 offer cross-border services to Johor Bahru, Malaysia and bus 178 provides a connection to Woodlands Train Checkpoint.
The town has numerous trunk buses that use expressways to access other towns or head towards the city. This includes services 187 963 966 to Woodlands via Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) northbound, 171 to Yishun via BKE northbound and Mandai, 190 960 972 to city via BKE southbound.
Road
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Bukit Panjang is bounded by two of Singapore's expressways — the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) and Kranji Expressway (KJE). The BKE is accessible via Bukit Panjang Road and Dairy Farm Road, while the KJE is accessible via Woodlands Road and Senja Road.[47]
Bukit Panjang also has a ring road running through the various parts of Bukit Panjang, the Bukit Panjang Ring Road. It acts as a feeder to the main arterial roads in the town.
Cycling
There is a total of 8.5 km-worth of cycling paths around Bukit Panjang to facilitate active mobility as part of the Land Transport Authority's Walk-Cycle-Ride initiative.[48] The first batch of cycling paths was constructed along Petir Road in 2018 by the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council. The network has since expanded to cover areas such as Fajar, Bangkit, Jelapang, and Senja.[49] Together with the Pang Sua Park Connector, Bukit Panjang Park Connector, and Bukit Panjang (Woodlands Road to KJE) Park Connector, the cycling paths form the backbone of the town's 16 km cycling network.[50]
Politics
Bukit Panjang is politically divided into two constituencies, namely the Bukit Panjang Single Member Constituency and the Cashew and Zhenghua wards of the Holland-Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency.
Bukit Panjang SMC mainly consists of the Pending, Bangkit and Fajar areas. Its Member of Parliament is Liang Eng Hwa.
Senja, Segar, and Jelapang are located in Zhenghua ward of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC where its Member of Parliament is Edward Chia. Petir, Gangsa, and Chestnut areas belong to the Cashew division of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC with its Member of Parliament being Vivian Balakrishnan.
Administration
The Bukit Panjang area comes under the administrative lead of the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council, which oversees the management and maintenance of the many apartments (HDB flats) and commercial units in Bukit Panjang. Its Member of Parliament is Liang Eng Hwa since the 2020 general election.[51]
Notes
- Only the Nature Reserve subzone is in postal district 21. The rest of the planning area is in postal district 23.
- Only the Nature Reserve subzone is in postal sector 58. The rest of the planning area is in postal sector 67.
- The area of Teck Whye Crescent would have been in what was considered Bukit Panjang then.