Metro

Friday August 28, 2009

Majestic symbol of a bygone era still shines

By CHOONG MEK ZHIN


THE Kuala Lumpur railway station in Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin may be a shadow of its former glory but it is as majestic as ever from the outside.

Inside, things have quietened down since KL Sentral took over its role as the main hub for railway travel.

Former station master Mohd Sukhairi Ahmad Junid, 58, retired in March last year after 38 years of service with Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd and recalls many fond memories of the station he was in charge of.

Back in time Retired KTMB press relations officer Ng Cheong Fook, 72, remembers when the railway station was a hive of activity as shown in a file picture from 1977 below.

“Every day, the platforms would be filled with working people, especially government servants, because they got vouchers to travel by train. There were also a lot of schoolchildren who took the trains to school every day,” Mohd Sukhairi said.

According to him, the train fares then were cheap and a lot of people used the rail services.

Mohd Sukhairi said before the current trains were used, about 60 diesel trains, each capable of carrying between 240 and 400 passengers, would stop at the station daily and before that, it was 15 to 20 steam locomotives, each able to carry about 400 passengers.

Many of the previous tenants, some of which are still remembered fondly by old station staff and passengers till today like A&W and KFC, are no longer doing business at the station.

Lonely: The main building of the station that has Eastern and Western architectural influences is mostly deserted but is still well kept.

“Tenants could not sustain their businesses and left. Only 4,000 people pass through the station daily to take the KTM Komuter trains that stop on the newer segment of platform 2 and 3 that was built in the early 1990s,” KTMB property department acting senior manager Norma Ali said.

The platforms mentioned are an extension of the old platform 2 and 3 in the middle of the station and are slightly raised to accommodate the taller commuter trains, according to Norma.

“Now, our tenants are mainly union offices, coach bus operators’ offices and The Heritage Station Hotel. We also have one kitchen on the premises that prepares food for a cafeteria in KL Sentral,” Norma said.

According to Norma, it takes about RM30,000 a month to maintain such a large and old station and the bulk of the money goes to cleaning as well as servicing the escalators and lifts.

“Every now and then, we will need to fix leaking roofs or chipped and loose tiles in the pedestrian tunnels connecting the platforms,” Norma said.

Two years ago, the Arts, Culture and National Heritage Department (Kekwa) allocated funds to repaint the facade of the station as it was a Visit Malaysia Year as well as the country’s 50th Merdeka anniversary and plenty of tourists were expected.

Deserted: The inside of the station is a far cry from the days when it used to be crowded.

She added that people tend to pass through the station without looking around as they made their way to the extended platforms.

Over 200 commuter trains travelling the Sentul-Port Klang and Tanjung Malim - Rawang - Seremban routes stop at the station every day.

In an effort to liven up the place, Norma said plans were under way to renovate the rest of platform 2 and 3 in September so that the trains could stop on the platform inside the station.

“We’re hoping if people actually waited in the station, the place will be more business-friendly and more tenants will come in to rent the empty spaces,” Norma said, adding that there was only about 6,000 sq ft of rentable space left in the station

“There are also plans to allocate space on the platforms for kiosks where traders can do business as well,” Norma said.

According to her, the station was rented out last year for an antique car exhibition and inside the main building is a mini-museum featuring train models and other railway paraphernalia.

“The place is also a popular pre-wedding photo location and we only charge them a minimal fee of RM100 per day,” Norma said.

Other trains stopping at the station include five daily shuttle trains travelling the Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh route and the recently included north-bound intercity trains.

Big things to come: KTMB central region commuter services acting senior operations manager Mohd Rusli Mohd Nor explaining some of the plans for the station.

“The old train station is less packed compared with KL Sentral. We’re trying to give people a choice when it comes to where to take the trains,” KTMB central region commuter services acting senior operations manager Mohd Rusli Mohd Nor said.

Mohd Rusli also said the commuter train fares ranged from RM1 to RM10 and have not changed for many years.

Former KTM staff Mohd Sukhairi and Ng Cheong Fook wished to see the train station revived.

“We should emulate the Singaporeans who have underground connecting pedestrian tunnels that connect shopping malls and train stations seamlessly,” Mohd Sukhairi said.

Ng suggested the station be livened up by conducting official tours and passing on its history and all the culture and heritage it contained to the future generations.

Signs of the times: A Komuter train passing through the station.

Janagaraju Jeyaraman, 23, helps his uncle to run the news stand located in the station building during his semester break.

“The station is empty most of the day but we still get about 50 customers a day and make roughly RM600 profit per day,” Janagaraju said.

Rental for his uncle’s shop is RM1200 a month and their best-selling items are newspapers, magazines, cigarettes and drinks.

“My uncle has been running this shop even before KL Sentral began its operations.

“I remember him speaking of the good old days when business was so good, he could never find time to even sit for the whole day,” he said.

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