Marsiling Tunnels

The Marsiling Tunnels are a set of underground structures located in the northern region of Singapore, near the Woodlands area in the vicinity of the former British naval base. These tunnels are remnants from the colonial and wartime era, primarily constructed for fuel-storage and military purposes.

Marsiling Tunnels main entrance. Photo from Wanderlog.

History

The tunnels are believed to have been built around 1942 by the British as part of a fuel-reserve depot tied to the nearby naval installations. One source states that they were constructed under the RAF (Royal Air Force) fuel-reserve scheme. During the Japanese occupation of Singapore (1942—1945), the Imperial Japanese Army expanded the facility, increasing its oil-storage capacity by more than 5,250 tons.

The tunnels’ location is on a small hill between Marsiling Crescent and Admiralty Road West (formerly Naval Base Road) in Woodlands. After the war and the British military depots’ decommissioning, the site was abandoned and heavily overgrown, becoming hidden inside the jungle for decades.

An old map of Woodlands North, where the Marsiling Tunnels are located. Photo from Explorersg.

Map of Marsiling Tunnels. Photo from source.

Purpose

Originally serving as underground fuel storage to support aviation and naval operations, the tunnels include long subterranean passageways, large rusted pipes, valve chambers and many signs of old infrastructure designed to contain and supply oil. Some public-facing descriptions mark the facility as an oil depot built by Asiatic Petroleum Company (APC) for the British naval base, later repurposed by the Japanese.

Discovery and public access

Though built in the 1940s, the tunnels were largely forgotten until the early 2000s when explorers rediscovered the entrances and interior through jungle trails. In 2014, on the 72nd anniversary of the Battle of Singapore, the heritage body conducted guided tours, opening the site briefly to the public.

Today, most library accounts state that the main entrances to the tunnels have been sealed, making public access very limited and informal for urban explorers.

Current condition

The Marsiling Tunnels offer a tangible link to Singapore’s wartime past, showcasing how underground infrastructure supported military and strategic operations of colonial and occupying powers. Their overgrown, hidden nature emphasises the abandonment and transformation of military sites in the post-war era.

The tunnels are now part heritage curiosity, part jungle exploration site; they also raise questions of conservation, safety and heritage-management given the dangers of exploring sealed or derelict sites. Many descriptions note ankle-deep mud, rusted metal infrastructure, and wildlife inhabiting the passageways.

Heavily rusted pipes in the Marsiling Tunnels. Photo from CityDays.