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MS Mysteries: Is Bishan MRT really haunted by its past?

They say you can never truly escape the past, especially in Singapore, where even modern MRT stations may conceal a buried history.

Whispers about Bishan MRT suggest that it could be the most haunted station in the Lion City — here’s why.

From sprawling cemetery to urban hub

Long before the hum of trains and commuter chatter filled the air, the land now occupied by Bishan MRT was apparently home to Kwong Wai Siew Peck San Theng.

It was a sprawling Chinese cemetery established in 1870 by Cantonese and Hakka immigrants. 

At its peak, the cemetery covered roughly 324 acres and held well over 100,000 graves.

Source: Singapore Architecture and Urban Planning

The cemetery closed its doors back in 1973.

After which, the Singapore government acquired all the land to develop what is now known as Bishan Town.

The exhumations of the numerous graves began in earnest from 1980 to vacate the land for urban development.

Sections of storage niches and a small columbarium were preserved nearby, but the vast majority of the graves were relocated to make way for Bishan New Town and, subsequently, Bishan MRT station.

Non-stop eerie tales since Bishan MRT opened

From the moment Bishan MRT began operations on 7 Nov 1987, eerie tales began to surface.

Passengers and late-night maintenance crew spoke of headless figures wandering the old northbound platforms.

Sometimes, these entities are seen quietly sitting with their severed head placed neatly beside them.

One chilling account involves a young man spotting a woman aboard the train at Bishan MRT station who calmly removed her head and placed it on her lap.

Night-duty staff also described phantom funeral processions: coffin bearers trudging through tunnels between Bishan and neighbouring Novena station.

Source: Sgcarmart for illustration purposes only

Other sightings include phantom passengers whose reflections never appear in train windows and ghostly white mists drifting between carriages.

Some even hear disembodied footsteps echoing in empty platforms.

However, despite its colourful past, Bishan MRT is considered “very clean”, said Taoist priest Lee Chee Tong to MS News.

The 26-year-old priest, who claims to have the ‘third eye’, offered an alternative explanation for the spooky sightings.

“The presence of some remnant ‘yin’ energy [associated with negative energy and darkness in Chinese philosophy] may cause some people to ‘see’ things as their minds process the history of the station,” added Mr Lee.

Ghostly sightings debunked by mainstream media

In October 1988, The New Paper looked into reports from late-night passengers who claimed to have seen headless ghosts and ghostly processions, and The Straits Times conducted a similar investigation in April 2005.

Source: Newspaper SG

Unsurprisingly, both publications found no evidence of any ghostly encounters.

One explanation for “ghost passengers” was that some trains occasionally passed through without stopping, either due to technical issues or as scheduled maintenance runs.

Edward Ong, 24, a writer and sceptic, said: “Regarding authenticity, the fact that this occurs in such a heavily travelled area, monitored by countless CCTVs, yet not a single solid piece of evidence exists, only anecdotes, should be proof enough that it’s not haunted.”

Source: Land Transport Authority for illustration purposes only

When asked why the scary stories persist, Mr Ong explained: “People associate Bishan with hauntings because of its cemetery past. Ghost anecdotes also tend to follow a pre-existing narrative, and you’ll often hear them set in places with an alleged history of hauntings. In that sense, it’s self-perpetuating.”

Still, in many cases where no proof exists, legends endure — and to many believers out there, enduring is as good as real.

Why does Bishan MRT station capture the imagination?

Most people concur that the MRT station’s known history as a cemetery provides rich narrative ground for ghost stories.

For Gan Teck Wee, 46, the “location, design of the train station, and its history” all play a role.

“Bishan used to be a cemetery, and the station’s design gives off a nostalgic, somewhat eerie vibe as well,” said the civil servant who has lived in Bishan for more than 20 years.

Source: MS News reader

Urban storytellers find the story of Bishan MRT station compelling as it is where modern development intersects memory and folklore.

“The Bishan MRT station, on the platform heading towards Orchard, has a large mural depicting Bishan’s history as a cemetery,” observed Amy Tan, 46, a regular commuter at the station.

“But it’s not just the station. The entire Bishan area used to be a cemetery but that’s just history, nothing scary about it.”

A Redditor joked that the only thing scary about Bishan MRT is the crazy crowd at the platform during peak hours.

Source: Reddit

Whether you believe in supernatural forces or simply enjoy a good ghost story, Bishan MRT’s haunted reputation continues to intrigue.

It reminds us that beneath Singapore’s efficient surface lies a tapestry of past lives, some mourned, some moved, and some, perhaps, unwilling to let go.

So, the next time you’re at Bishan MRT station after dark, keep your eyes peeled.

You might just catch a glimpse of Singapore’s past — head detached, reflections missing, a quiet platform, waiting.

Also read: MS Mysteries: Is the East side the most haunted part of S’pore?

MS Mysteries: Is the East side the most haunted part of S’pore?

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