Travelling by Train

Text & Photographs: Mohd Nasir Abdul Rashid

An Enchanting Moment, A Wholesome Experience

Memoir

Trains are not only important as a means of transportation, but it has always been an important feature in movies and novels. Be it stories about war, cowboys, thriller or romance; trains have played important roles in Hollywood, Bollywood and so as in Asian movies. In fact, there are a number of cartoon series that features train, amongst the mostly known is Thomas and Friends. A lot of novels feature scenes and plots set on the railway. Could this be because so many have been written by authors or scriptwriters on their way to the office? Or was it because people have so much time to read while travelling by train?

Some may question, why do people prefer to travel by train? There are many answersto that. You have a choice to travel in the first class, second class or the standard coach, depending on how comfortable you would like to travel in and how far is the destination. There's more space to move, the passengers could walk through other coaches or to the canteen, should they feel like 'loosening' their joints or stretching up - especially those travelling long distance.

Train is said to have the 'power' of bonding - parents and children, husband and wife, amongst friends and last but not least, lovers - when they travel onboard it. Would you agree with that? Experience one, and you will understand.

Train means 'KTM'

Mentioned train here in Malaysia,one surely meant the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), or popularly known as KTM. No doubt, there are trains which commute within Kuala Lumpur, but those are mostly referred to accordingly the operator's or the network's name.

The first railway track was built to transport tin from Taiping to Port Weld (now Kuala Sepetang) in 1885. The network grew as Malaysia developed and today, tracks have stretched all over the Peninsula; up north to Butterworth and Padang Besar, down south to Johor Bahru and Singapore and to Tumpat, Kelantan in the east coast.

Travelling onboard a train to Kelantan recently, I recollected memories of my childhood days. My family used to live not far from a rail track in Bukit Merah, Perak. The scenic Bukit Merah Lake has railroad cutting across it, one of the most picturesque stretch in the country. The scenery from the train passing through this lake is breathtaking.

I still remember waiting for the thunderous sound of the train from afar; enjoying the scenic view of the train running through the lake. Once the train had passed, my buddies and I made our bigleap into the beautiful lake and swam for hours. That was one of the memories of my adolescent years that are worth treasured.

Those were the years when my family could not afford a 'real' holiday, thus we adopted an affordable way of having our own vacation. We would hop onboard a train at the Bukit Merah station for a short trip either to Parit Buntar or Taiping. We spent some hours at our 'destination' before 'our return' train arrived. There was always someone new we met and something interesting happened each time we travelled.

The memories of our 'train hopping' vacation have been repeatedly mentioned each time we get together. Those were the sweet memories to be recalled, shared and laughed at, together today. That was one experience, one of the many aspects of bonding, which people talk about when travelling by train.

Well, the memories transcend time. Time passes by, but until today, whenever I get a chance to travel by train up north, I would make sure to stay awake upon reaching Bukit Merah. It's the time and place not to be missed, to watch the panoramic view as the train make its way through the lake's horizon. The stunning vista from the train window is one unforgettable moment. Generally, when travelling by train, one would discover the soothing presence of everything that is green and natural.

KTMB - Yesteryears and Present

Today, a highway network spans almost the entire country. Malaysia has one of the region's finest road system linking small towns to cities. Though there's alsohundreds domestic air services operating daily, train services or to be more precise, KTMB services are still as important as the other mode of transportations. In fact, I know quite a lot of people who would only travel long distance by train.

KTMB has had a long history to fellow Malaysians. Established about 123 years ago by the British, it was first known as the Federated Malay State Railway. It was then called the Malayan Railway Administration until 1992, when it was re-named KTM Bhd, upon corporatisation. Since then, KTMB has never look back.

It has undergone tremendous changes, from the first steam locomotive to diesel engines and in 1995, KTM Komuter, Malaysia's first electric powered coaches was introduced. Fully air-conditioned, Komuter coaches are currently the most modern in the KTM fleet. The service caters especially to commuters in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding suburban areas. KTM Komuter is a heavily utilised mode of transportation by commuters working in Kuala Lumpur as the service is an alternative for road travel, which is occasionally hampered by congestion.

Journey to the East

One of KTMB's strategic business units is Passenger Services which consists of Intercity and Local services. "Local services are considered to be more of a social contribution to people," says the Marketing Manager of KTMB Intercity Services, Mohd Noordin Kimi.

Using limited coaches, the local train services aptly called 'keretapi pasar' (market train) can only be found in the East Coast, serving the stations from Tumpat to Gemas. It is a common sight to see commuters carrying vegetables, provisions and forest produce on the three coaches' train.

I also had an encounter with the rusty g old train of 'keretapi sekolah' (pupils' train) in Gua Musang, when I was travelling on the Ekspres Wau to Kelantan last April. The two-coach-train services Tumpat to Gua Musang line and used by students and locals from smaller towns in the interiors.

The Ekspres Wau to the East Coast provides Second and Third (Economy) Class coaches. Forty-double-deck beds for each of the second class coaches are comfortable, clean and conducive enough to sleep in.

The journey to the East begins at KL Sentral at 8.00 pm, headed south to Gemas. The train passed a number of stations in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Johor. Since we were travelling at night, there was nothing much to see except the street lights of some sleepy towns. Thus, some of the passenger spent their time at the canteen, some chatted with family, friends or other passengers in the same coach, some were seen reading while others sleeping.

Each Second class coach consists of 52 seats and while Economy class, 74 seats. Each trip normally consists of about 10 passenger coaches more during festive seasons. "The train are usually full during weekends and school holidays," Noordin says.

Companies or travel groups, could charter a coach or more, depending on the number of members travelling. KTMB offers concession rate to selected group during off peak period and the discounts could go up to 40 percent.

"From 10 people per group to the maximum capacity of a coach, you can even charter the whole train for a special trip! We've created a record of 1,400 people on a chartered trip from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh," Noordin explains.KTMB have provided a special coach with karaoke facilities, including two plasma TVs complete with good sound systems for our media excursion trip. "These are the facilities which can be included upon request by those who chartered train. KTMB can even decorate the coach to suit the client's needs," he adds.

The best experience while travelling to the East Coast was the stunning panorama along the track when morning comes. The train passed through a few bridges, said to be more than 100 years old and a couple of tunnel alongside the lush green jungle. The morning light sets a mysterious and dim ambience when it shines through the mist between the hills.

From Kuala Lipis, the train moves along the pristine Sungai Pahang, nestled in the thick rainforest. The great panorama extends to villages, outback towns and towards approaching Kelantan, wide paddy fields await your eyes. A trip from Kuala Lumpur to Tumpat usually takes approximately 10 to 12 hours.

Train: The Right Choice for Your Vacation

There are two Day Express trains, namely Ekspres Sinaran and Ekspres Rakyat and four Night Express trains, the Senandung Malam, Senandung Langkawi, Ekspres Wau and Ekspres Timuran. With ticket rates that are affordable for practically everyone, travelling by train will ensure that you will get what you are looking for - a wholesome experience, depending whom you are travelling with, an experience that you will always cherished.

When asked about the recent oil price hike, the KTMB's Marketing & Operation Senior Manager for Intercity Services, Omar Nazri Othman replies, "The cost of travelling by train is not affected by the hike. We have maintained our ticket rate and hope more people will opt to travel by train." Omar says besides the guaranteed seat, KTM can ensure a safe and comfortable journey.

According to Noordin, KTMB trains are favoured by many including foreigners. "For tourists from Japan, India and Britain, train has always been their first choice, as the train culture is strong in their country. Travelling by train is the best way to see this country."

Noordin quoted a TV personality saying, "Whenever you get on a train, you have already got yourself a vacation."

KTMB tickets reservations are available through www.ktmb.com.my. , sms or visit any of KTMB counters. For more information call +603-22671200.

Side bar

KTM KOMUTER

KTMB provides 248 commuter services daily, serving 45 stations along 175 route-kilometres. The network consists of three lines: Rawang-Seremban Route, Sentul-Port Klang Route and the Rawang-Kuala Kubu Bharu shuttle route. Trains on the two lines run at 15 minutes frequency during peak hours and 20 minutes frequency during off-peak hours. The Rawang-Kuala Kubu Bharu shuttle services operate at half hour frequency.

KTM INTERCITY ( KTM ANTARABANDAR)

This is an intercity passenger railway service operated within the regions of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. The service is intended to carry patrons between stops serving cities, towns and villages (depending on regions). KTM Intercity services consist of local trains (known also as "mail trains") and express trains; lines along the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia currently support mostly express trains, while those along the East Coast include both mail train and express train services.

STATION AT KL SENTRAL

The KTMB main station has shifted to KL Sentral since April 2001, to accommodate more volume of commuters, thus creating an integrated web of transportation with the other lines.

Compared to the Neo Moorish architecture of Kuala Lumpur KTMB old station which was built in 1911, KL Sentral is a modern platform similar to the ones in Europe with a very low metal strip ceiling, fluorescent lightings and modern signage. Trains arrive and depart at the lowest levels, the ticketing concourse and shops are one level up. Set one level up is the station link to one of KL's LRT services. The ERL to the KLIA Sepang also operates from here.