Two NS-themed MRT trains to celebrate NS50
The Specialist Cadet School at Pasir Laba Camp. The camp will be will be opened to the public and tours will be organised. Photo: Mindef
SINGAPORE —Two National Service (NS)-themed trains — one with visuals that play tricks on your eyes — will be rolled out on the North-South and East-West MRT lines on Monday (July 31), as part of a week of activities to commemorate 50 years of National Service (NS50).
While the two trains will have a carriage each devoted to the army, navy, air force, police force and the civil defence force, one train will carry trick-eye elements, which play on army experiences such as the low-rope, high kneel and salute.
The other will emphasise how NS has evolved over generations of national servicemen, and will feature photos and quotes from past and present national servicemen who served during different periods.
Both designs will alternate between the two train lines, and the themed trains will run for six weeks until Sept 10.
Meanwhile, this weekend will be the last chance for the public to tour the Pasir Laba army camp, which was opened for the first time to celebrate NS50 on July 22.
Hour-long free coach tours are available for visitors to catch a glimpse of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officers’ training grounds, which include the 61m-high Peng Kang Hill — reputed to be where some of the worst punishments for soldiers are meted out — and the camp’s Multi-Mission Range Complex.
Accompanied with commentary from guides who are mostly SAF veterans, the tour is limited to between 40 and 120 people at a time on a first-come-first-serve basis at the Safti Bus Bay on an hourly basis from 1pm to 5pm on Saturday, and on a two-hourly basis from 10am to 4pm on Sunday. The bus bay is next to the iWerks Theatre at the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC).
On Saturday, the SDC will also play host to a mass picnic with the NS50 theme that can accommodate more than 1,000 families.
Organised by Families for Life and the Advisory Council of Community Relations in Defence’s Family and Community Council, the ground-up initiative hopes to encourage national servicemen to reminisce about their NS experience with their children, in line with the NS50 theme, From My Generation To Yours.
During the picnic, children can get to dress up in SAF uniforms for a photo. Families can also make their own identification tags and rank insignia, and camouflage themselves with face paint.
Other events lined up in the run-up to National Day are a sports festival at the Toa Payoh Hub atrium this weekend that will feature a NS-inspired obstacle course for children involving a low wall, fire ladder and a flying fox, and the launch of a seven-track NS50 music album, titled We’ll Carry On, on Friday.
