Is the traditional rumbling of diesel engines still audible on Malaysia's railroads?
While Malaysia and the globe adopt sleeker and more sustainable travel such as the MRT, one question remains: Has the diesel-powered train passed the test of time in this country's changing transit landscape?
Is it true that a diesel-powered train still runs on Malaysian railroads?
Verdict:
TRUE
The Ekspres Rakyat Timuran stands as Malaysia's final train that uses diesel-powered locomotives. The British originally named the train the "Golden Blowpipe” after a weapon that was utilised by the native Orang Asli for hunting in the once-impenetrable forest. Now, more infamously referred to as the Jungle Railway, it was constructed during the British colonial period in 1885 and served as an important route for tin transportation operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM).
Its official service began in 1938, the Jungle Railway owes its name to the mesmerising views of Malaysia's outskirts landscape and rainforests. Connecting the Peninsula's southernmost tip of Gemas in Negri Sembilan to the Thai border of Tumpat in the northeast, a complete trip covers over 520km and takes more than 16 hours.
The journey starts at 8.35pm from Kempas railway in Johor Baru, near Singapore's border, and runs toward the north, allowing travellers to drift off through the first part across the southern plains before rising to the spectacular sights of ancient rainforests and rivers.
With its historical significance, the Jungle Railway now stands at a crossroads as the imminent 665 km East Coast Rail Link, poised to change the East Coast transit by 2026, draws closer to the closure of its existence.
In a world saturated with urbanity, a train journey along the Jungle Railway provides an idyllic getaway into the centre of nature, escaping from life's busy pace in the city.
Sources:
1) https://www.thestar.com.my/
2) https://www.bbc.com/travel/
southeast-asias-greatest-
3) https://www.scmp.com/
through-malaysias-jungle-its-
4) https://thesmartlocal.my/
5) https://www.thenationalnews.
