Singapore to Alor Star, A journey in two parts
by nigel on 06-Jun-2010
One of those wonderful oddities of the world, the presence of Malaysian Railways (KTM) in Singapore will be no more in a year or so. After Singapore left the Malaysian Federation in the 1960's, Malaysia's Railways continues to own the land and buildings of the southern end of their rail network in their neighbours country. However on 24th May 2010, at long last, an agreement was reached which will eventually see Malaysian trains starting and ending in Johor Bahru and alternative transport being used for those who wish to travel across the border.
Thus we were fortunate to have booked ourselves on the morning "Express Raykat" from Tanjung Pagar Station which travels over the causeway and through Malaysia to Seremban, a pleasant town south of Kuala Lumpur.
Another of those oddities is that you kind of enter Malaysia before you leave Singapore, and a byproduct of this is that when then leave Malaysia, they take your entry and exit card from you and you get an exit stamp which notes where and when you entered, but no entry stamp.
So having 'entered' Malaysia and found your allocated seat, the train leaves promptly and saunters through that bit of Malaysia that is wide enough to accommodate a railway line and it's infrastructure. There is a long wait at Bukit Timah station for the train coming the other way to cross, which gives you more than enough time to admire the old fashioned signal and point levers in their frame at the end of the station building. On to Woodlands and everybody off so that we can leave Singapore with our exit paperwork all in order and then everybody on so that we can continue across the causeway.
It may only be two weeks since the agreement was signed but it is obvious that KTM has nearly completed a new terminus station in Johor Bahru.
As the train continues north you are very aware that the current single line is being widened, upgraded and realigned. There are major works on one side or other of the train throughout the many hours of the journey to our first destination Seremban.
The following evening it is back to Seremban station for the overnight train to Alor Star in northern Malaysia. Although it is night time for most of the trip once the morning light comes you can see that major upgrade works is in hand at this end of the country as well. It would seem that the major railway route from one of the country to the other is being converted from a colonial single track legacy to a modern electrified double track transport system.
The current track work and rolling stock means that you do not get the smoothest of rides and passing between coaches can provide you with the sort of thrill and apparent danger that you pay good money for at the fair-ground. Add in the fact that the carriage doors are often open and either occupied by a smoker getting round the no smoking regulations by hanging out of the train, cigarette in mouth, or swinging wildly about once they have either finished their drag or, possibly, been pitched from the train. You are woken every time the train brakes by the rubbing noise of the brakes and the final jolt when the whole thing finally stops.
You wonder will the new era of fast travel sterilize the travelling environment and reduce the cancer rate of the country? In the future will there be first class sleepers with beds for a mere sixteen people at all? Would you be able to sleep undisturbed through the night?
It was good to have had the experience and next time will I spend the journey reminiscing about the good old days?
Thus we were fortunate to have booked ourselves on the morning "Express Raykat" from Tanjung Pagar Station which travels over the causeway and through Malaysia to Seremban, a pleasant town south of Kuala Lumpur.
Another of those oddities is that you kind of enter Malaysia before you leave Singapore, and a byproduct of this is that when then leave Malaysia, they take your entry and exit card from you and you get an exit stamp which notes where and when you entered, but no entry stamp.
So having 'entered' Malaysia and found your allocated seat, the train leaves promptly and saunters through that bit of Malaysia that is wide enough to accommodate a railway line and it's infrastructure. There is a long wait at Bukit Timah station for the train coming the other way to cross, which gives you more than enough time to admire the old fashioned signal and point levers in their frame at the end of the station building. On to Woodlands and everybody off so that we can leave Singapore with our exit paperwork all in order and then everybody on so that we can continue across the causeway.
It may only be two weeks since the agreement was signed but it is obvious that KTM has nearly completed a new terminus station in Johor Bahru.
As the train continues north you are very aware that the current single line is being widened, upgraded and realigned. There are major works on one side or other of the train throughout the many hours of the journey to our first destination Seremban.
The following evening it is back to Seremban station for the overnight train to Alor Star in northern Malaysia. Although it is night time for most of the trip once the morning light comes you can see that major upgrade works is in hand at this end of the country as well. It would seem that the major railway route from one of the country to the other is being converted from a colonial single track legacy to a modern electrified double track transport system.
The current track work and rolling stock means that you do not get the smoothest of rides and passing between coaches can provide you with the sort of thrill and apparent danger that you pay good money for at the fair-ground. Add in the fact that the carriage doors are often open and either occupied by a smoker getting round the no smoking regulations by hanging out of the train, cigarette in mouth, or swinging wildly about once they have either finished their drag or, possibly, been pitched from the train. You are woken every time the train brakes by the rubbing noise of the brakes and the final jolt when the whole thing finally stops.
You wonder will the new era of fast travel sterilize the travelling environment and reduce the cancer rate of the country? In the future will there be first class sleepers with beds for a mere sixteen people at all? Would you be able to sleep undisturbed through the night?
It was good to have had the experience and next time will I spend the journey reminiscing about the good old days?