The new but boring train stations between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh

Peace be upon you all. Now is the time to continue the train travel-related stories. The last article on this was Kuala Lipis new town made 27th May based on the travel on the East Coast route 15-16 May. A week later me and photographer Faliq from Karnadya publishing made a trip to the north and this is a story...

After we left Kuala Lumpur the train made its first town in Tanjung Malim, a border town in the state of Perak.

Tanjung Malim now have a new station as part of the railway double-tracking project which would cover the distance along the Peninsular's West Coast route from Johor Bahru in Johor furthest south to Padang Besar in Perlis furthest north.

One the look at the station and you could be awed at its modern design and size. Compare it to the old station which could be seen here at the end of the platform...



There, a closer look from the end of the platform. See the old station in the middle? I guess folks in Tanjung Malim must be proud that they now have a new station which could be compared to the ones in developed countries such as in Europe.




Here is one of the new shuttle trains that ply the route from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh. The double-tracking project has been fully completed along the route and the shuttle trains now ply it to and fro 5 times a day.





This is the our next stop...

Like at Tanjung Malim, it is also modern and of immense size if not just simply long...

This stop is at Sungkai. But the word Sungkai inscribed smaller the those for the stations before and after could easily fool you into thinking you have arrived at Tapah Road (as it is the top of the more prominent words).

Next stop is at this station...

At this point I have become bored at the design of the stations...

While the modernity is welcomed, the similarity and uniformity could be tiresome...

And here were at at Kampar but can you tell the difference?

The only way you can tell the difference is if you walked out of the train and get to either end of the platform where you can better see the view outside.

You see, the old stations made from wood were also rather similar and uniform but at least they have character...

Apart from certain rustic elements that made it quaint, the much smaller size of the old stations allowed the view outside to dominate giving way for distinct qualities of each place to stamp its mark as it could be clearly seen from inside the trains. It is not a bad thing to modernise the stations and have it all covered for passengers' convenience. But something must be done to make each station stands out on its own...

To the railway operater KTMB (Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad) let me humbly make these suggestions. First the words bearing the names of each station should be made MORE PROMINENT that that of the station before and after. Second they should have drawings, paintings, murals or sculptures to reflect the DISTINCTIVE FLAVOUR of each station, such as that of handicraft, unique building and history or popular picnic spots at each place.

Another way of doing this is to extend the height of the boards bearing the names of the stations and the ones before and after. Perhaps it is best to put the name of the station PROMINENTLY on top of the board followed by a painting describing the place below. And then only you have the names of the stations before and after...

Luckily there are stations like the one in Ipoh which has it old parts preserved (pictures will be presented in the next article). Then again Ipoh has a huge concrete train station made during the British colonialist days. Obviously this distinct quality could not be emulated for all the modern stations as it would be much too costly. Besides it is a quality which makes the Ipoh (and the old Kuala Lumpur station too actually) distinct from the rest because of history, not just architecture and design. The best advice should be what I have laid out under the previous picture. It wouldn't cost that much to built distinctive drawings, paintings, murals or sculptures for each station and it would cost even less if it is made as extensions to the present boards bearing the names of the stations...