Despite all of its prosperity and good management, the number of passenger trains in Malaysia are very small.
Such fact is an irony on an otherwise a passenger oriented operation.
The most numerous trains are the commuter trains that operate around Kuala Lumpur. Whereas the least one is the one that operate between Kuala Lumpur to Butterowrth, near Penang Island. Its small number where cause by the unpopularity of passenger train among Malaysian people. They still regard them as expensive, slow and impractical compared to bus and autmobile.
Yet, these facts didn't prevent Malaysian State Railway (also known as KTM/Keretapi Tanah Melayu) to become one of the finest raiway operator in South East Asia.
However, the best passenger train in Malaysia is not the one that operated by KTM. Instead it was the one which is operated by an American cruise ship company, named "Eastern & Orient Express".
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The Sinaran Tebrau train is photographed at Bandar Tasik Selatan Station. Within a few months the train was disbanded due to poor patronage. |
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A night photoshot of Class 24 in Kuala Lumpur. The train on its back is the famed 'Eastern & Orient Express' train. It was photographed while on a stop in Kuala Lumpur. |
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Daylight photoshot of another Class 24 locomotive. This time it was seen preparing for a special journey, pulling a group of commuter EMUs. The EMU normally operate independently. But this picture suggest that they are on their way to a workshop for maintenance. |
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The same type of train, but this time with a Class 23 locomotive in front. For a regular railfans, the shape of Class 23 looked rather simple, if it's not hillarious, because it resemble a small house. Unless it has engine and wheels! |
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It is such a rare opportunity for me to be able to take photo of 'Eastern & Orient Express' train in broad daylight. But I could made this, because I finished my job earlier than usual, and able to reach this spot right on time to photograph the train, while being pulled by Class 24 loco. This photo was taken at Nilai Station, after an afternoon rainfall. |
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The rear view of the same train. Note an observation car on its back, which is normally used by passengers to enjoy the surrounding atmosphere. Within a few seconds after I took this photograph, a police officer nearly confisticate my camera, because he said I had violate the rule which forbid anyone to take picture of Malaysian train without permission.(He didn't realize the train belonged to an American-Thailand consortium). I eventually able to negotiate with the officer, and able to keep all of my belongings intact. Perhaps, the officer was just trying to make a fuss, as such problem never happened to me when I took photo in Kuala Lumpur Area. |
