In 1976 I was in form three at one of the country’s premier boarding schools trying to figure out my life. I was not a loss but more of a wandering soul looking for a place in the vast universe. One of the joys of my life was travelling home by train during our school term breaks. Train means Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) and its slow and long journey. Being on it were both an adventure and therapy to the then my tiny body. Standing at the opened door between the carriages with cool night breeze blowing against my face is something still fresh in my consciousness. Never a boring moment for us and always something to do. Either walk through the whole length of the train a couple of times, chatting at the door, smoking our lungs out or even, when we were brave enough, throwing pick up lines in the hope one of them would catch the chicks from down south. These mostly on the East Coast trains.
The year 1976 was also the year KTMB introduced the Express Rakyat to Malaysians. Nov 1, 1976, to be exact. As the name implies it started a daily run with only Economy Class coaches. A service for the rakyat on the West Coast line. Eventually, it was improved with new carriages and from plying between JB and Bukit Mertajam to Singapore and Butterworth. The express was even made more famous by M. Nasir and his Kembara group. Everyone can just sing along or sway away with the smooth melody. Here is the song
Sadly today, May 8, 2016, although the song still actively fill the airwave, Express Rakyat is going for its last run as KTMB has decided it is a problem for them. A sad day for me and a sad day for all train lovers in Malaysia. I am at Butterworth station now waiting to board. Die-hard train lovers decided to board to accompany this last Express Rakyat, popularly known as 1 Down among train communities, for its last hurrah down to JB Sentral. It was a month of planning to do it. Some of us, including my family and I, decided to board all the way from Butterworth while another large JNK (Jom Naik Keretapi) group to board at KL Sentral.
But this excursion is not without its own challenges. Yesterday an ETS had crashed onto the tail of an Express Rakyat, 1 Down, going down to JB at Kuala Kubu. It was a small but serious mishap that rendered the line impassable. KTMB worked very hard to restore the service but the failure of KTMB in crisis management and public relation created a high level of anxiety among us. I was affected badly to the extent I exploded in our WhatsApp group. On reflection, I believe I did the right thing. It is time for someone to tell KTMB in the face. Not just as a customer but as a train lover who wants to see a successful train service in Malaysia.
We arrived at the Butterworth station at 4am as I did not want to risk it. If the Express Rakyat was cancelled we would have taken the first ETS, 5 am, out back to KL. The counter duly opened at 4.30am and I was their first customer. I asked the obvious question and the lady at the counter walked into her office to inquire from her supervisor. She was in there for quite sometimes that heighten my anxiety. I was resolved whatever the outcome to stay calm and accept it as the will of Allah. She came out and mentioned as she moved to sit down that the service was back to normal. which meant our Sayonara Express Rakyat was on. She further elaborated that our train is on the way to Butterworth. You cannot imagine how happy I was of the news. The thought of Ameer flew into my mind. I duly announced it to the whole world. I was very happy for Ameer Danial who risked taking a bus from KL early in the morning to be at Butterworth before departure.
Butterworth Station at 4 am
Because we were early we parked ourselves in the surau. I stayed there until I said my Suboh at 6am. When I came out there was a message in our group that Ameer was already at the station. The waiting lounge started to get busy at 6 am as the next train was the 6.30am ETS to KL Sentral. Butterworth station is quite a happening station nowadays.
I told my family that I was going down for breakfast at the bus station. Kak Cik decided to follow me. I also left a message for Ameer and down at the lift I heard Ameer called out my name. The three of us walked to the warung at the bus terminal. Then only we knew our train was late by an hour.
While we were eating Loncan Apiz and Zul arrived to join us. We were a happy bunch of train hunter, spotter, traveller and lover smiling having breakfast as the trip was going to be a reality. Zul updated us that the Express Rakyat would be delayed by an hour at that point of time. Faisal Azwan Abdul Rahim earlier reported that he crossed our train at Tapah Road at 0525 on his way down on ETS to KL Sentral. In this connected world, we have live information at our fingertips. The power of communities of practice (CoPs). How KTMB cannot be like us, connected to us and leverage all the train fan clubs and current technologies is beyond me.
At around 7.15 am we walked back to the station to get further information on our train. By now the station was really a buzz with commuters waiting for their rides either for Komuters to Padang Besar or Kemunting. I saw an EMU on the platform. I was informed this EMU is being used for Komuter service to Padang Besar. Imagine the crowd. Zul told me on its busier days additional EMU was commissioned to ferry commuters to Padang Besar. The same sardine can that I was used to in the early 2000s. I sincerely hope it is doing justice to commuters up in the north
Looking around I could not help wondering how many of them were like us waiting for the last Express Rakyat. Like everywhere now most commuters waiting with their eyes glued to their phone screen. Gadget nation we are now. There was also a group of Indian tourists.
Gadget Nation
Passengers in the departure hall
It was a painful wait for l of us, especially me. The digital message kept on posting delays for our train form just delay to 100 minutes delay and so on. Every now and then Zul will come out of his office to inform us of the status of our train. He told us our train stopped at Bukit Tengah to be shunted with additional carriages. Later when we were already on the train we got new information that our train was actually already at Bukit Tengah at 8.00am. It took them more than an hour to fit the train with additional carriages because our train was the same Express Rakyat that was involved in the accident the day before. It ran up with only 5 carriages.
Now we definitely were sure that our farewell ride was on and just a matter of waiting. We just could not sit still with the anticipation. Tak sabor-sabor
I was standing with Zul at the waiting area talking when we heard a familiar engine car came in. Zul rushed to the entrance and nodded to me. Finally! I sent a message to the others who were getting a drink at the warung. Immediately I called up my family and went down first.
With my adrenaline rushing, I quicken my pace towards our coach, R2. I saw Zul was working hard pulling and putting back the coach number in place. Apparently, they were wrongly numbered. Once inside our coach, I just dumped my luggage and rushed out to take photos. In fact, all the nine of us, including my daughters and two train lovers that I have not met before and a KKK club member who was going to be onboard until Parit Buntar, were busy running to the front to capture images of the locomotive and the crew. Zul had his camera setup o tripod for a group photo already. We quickly posted and the shoot was done quickly.
Raja Mahadi, the loco or engine car, had the honour to pull the last 1 Down to JB Sentral
24107 Raja Mahadi
With mixed emotion, we frantically captured what we can. I knew for a fact major parts of the capturing actually happened as our own mental images. If we can print that it would be definitely a wonderful slide show or movie.
At 10.20am the whistle was blown and 1 Down slowly inching out of Butterworth station. Our old memories also flew by leaving the station. Sinking slowly into my realisation the fact that it was the last diesel train day ride out of Butterworth. ‘No more after this’, I said to myself.
Express Rakyat 1 Down leaving Butterworth for the last time
The funny thing though out of my sadness there was a little be of joy to be on the train again. Ironic but true. Modernisation is real and healthy as indeed we must progress, still, KTMB needs to keep the old train running for the sake of train fans like me as much as for the rakyat. The best commercial reason to do it is to have an Express Rakyat Tourist Train once a week at least in the future. Really, our neighbour Thailand has proven it to be viable. Even, Indonesia is ahead of us on this one.
After we left Butterworth the train moved confidently as scheduled making stops at designated stations such as,
Bukit Mertajam at 10.30 am,
Simpang Ampat at 10.42 am,
Nibong Tebal at 10.50 am,
Parit Buntar at 10.54 am,
Bagan Serai at 11.03 am,
Bukit Merah Lake at 11.16 am
Kemunting at 11.33 am
Taiping at 11.37 am
Padang Rengas at 11.56 am,
Kuala Kangsar at 12.02 pm,
Tasek at 12.35 pm,
Ipoh at 12.42 pm,
Kampar at 1.15 pm,
Tapah Road at 1.25 pm,
Slim River at 2.02
Tg Malim at 2.41
All these were reported live via our WA group to update those who did not have the opportunity to join us and those that were waiting and would be embarking at KL Sentral.
Between Bagan Serai and Taiping and at Bukit Merah Lake are the stretches best for photography. I captured what I can to accompany my feelings with the train travelling at an average speed of 100 km/h. A speed that I wanted to slow down but as the service, I was not able to do. All along the journey taking photos was secondary to me. I just sat at my seat really toying with my feelings enjoying the last ride. At times searching deep for good memories of this train. It sunk but still deep inside it was still unbelievable to me that it was the end. We will have the memories, photos and the song to remember it now.
When we arrived at KL Sentral we straight away disembarked to move to coach 4. Everyone supposed to be joining at KL Sentral were already at the platform taking photos and enjoying themselves. A bit of impromptu ceremony also going on, on the platform. It was hard to tell whether they were happy or sad. Maybe happy to see all their friends join on the last ride and deep down very sad.
The others boarded at KL Sentral
The train eventually departed KL Sentral into rainy Kuala Lumpur as if commemorating the sad day. When train’s fn travelling on the train they do not actually sit ha ha ha. They will move around the train and most of the time park themselves at the door. Because of our numbers we were actually at every door. It is a waste paying for a seat for us.
Gemas is another station that all train fans in Malaysian can identify with. Naturally, when we got to Gemas all of us poured on the platform. It was at this station also the Nasi Ayam Gemas that we ordered was delivered. It was getting dark already when we arrived at Gemas.
Our dinner being delivered at Gemas
The plan was for us to ride the Express Rakyat down to JB Sentral and from there to board Express Sutera back to KL Sentral. As our train was already late by two hours we were not going to make it to board the Express Sutera at JB Sentral. We decided to disembark at Kluang and board the Sutera there. However, we arrived at Kluang at around 9.38 pm, still early and enough time to go further up. After a second consultation of the train nobles, we decided to disembark at Kulai instead.
The consultation of train nobles
We arrived at Kulai at around 10.45 pm and Express Sutera will be there at 11.20pm so we had few minutes to kill. Once disembarked some us went to search for the surau to pray first, a group made a beeline towards the famous Nasi Lemak Wak Kentut which was just at the entrance of the station, and another group setting up their tripods to shoot the station at night. I decided to pray first and check out the rest of the place.
Kulai Station
The place is so unique and nostalgic to me. I so missed the old stations both on the east coast and northern lines.
I would say Kulai station received its biggest passengers ever in the year. We were everywhere especially on the tracks imprinting the place with our cameras. The number of cameras that night there was a sight to behold ha ha ha
It was just like any small country train station you can experience in other countries. Sadly they are not going to keep the old structure. In fact, the whole station will have a new look in the near future,
Ironically we were happy at Kulai station and maybe some did not register the fact that we had just disembarked from the last Express Rakyat. Our last right on board of the good old Express Rakyat. I was sad, really, really sad.
The Express Sutera arrived at 11.35pm
Boarding Express Sutera
Once aboard Sam and I had our dinner of Nasi Ayam Gemas and just after bedtime for us as we were already tired after a long journey from Butterworth
I am not sure whether it was we were all tired, sleepy or sad but the rest of the journey back to KL Sentral was really quiet.
Close to 7 am we approached KL Sentral and disembarked. Still a lot of chatting among us but we were sad for sure as we were saying goodbye to even the Express Sutera soon. There would be another Express Rakyat and Sutera. Gone forever.
With that off, we went to board our train back to Bangi.
