Railway Depots

August 23, 2011
End of the line for train stop
By DERRICK VINESH
Star

Earmarked for demolition: The old railway station had served Penang for 44 years.

BUTTERWORTH: The 44-year-old Butterworth Railway Station will soon be pulled down to make way for a multi-million-ringgit state-of-the-art replacement.

The old station was officially closed on Aug 5 and is now replaced with a temporary station located about 30m away, next to the KTM Bhd (KTMB) parcel office.

When contacted in Kuala Lumpur, KTMB corporate communications senior manager Mohd Fazil Ismail said the new building was expected to be completed by first quarter of next year.

“The new station will be equipped with CCTV cameras for better security as well as facilities for the disabled.

“Construction work on the new station will go in tandem with the Ipoh-Padang Besar electrified double track project, which is expected to be ready by 2014,” he said yesterday.

The old station, which was opened by the country’s fourth Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the late Tuanku Ismail Nasiruddin Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Zainal Abidin, in 1967, is also the only station in Malaysia with a 0km distance meter.

The 0km distance meter indicates that this is the beginning of the rail distance calculation for trains that head north for Padang Besar and south for Singapore.

An employee at the station said two cranes were used to shift a 1936 steam engine locomotive and a shunting locomotive head from the station’s old entrance to the opposite of the temporary station.

The fully air-conditioned temporary station has a ticketing counter, two VIP rooms, a room for the stationmaster, police beat, surau and toilets.

Commuter Teoh Teik Wah, 60, said he was surprised to find the old station closed, noting that there was no prior notice about it in the media.

His wife Lee Kan Sean, 67, said she had been taking the train to visit her family in Kuala Lumpur for the past 50 years, noting that the old station evoked a nostalgic feeling in her.

Factory supervisor L. Munusamy, 48, said he waited outside the old station for almost an hour on Sunday night to fetch his relatives, only to find out later that they had arrived at the temporary station.

“The new platform at the temporary station is barely 4m-wide which is almost half the size of the old platform.

“Although it has a high aluminium roofing, part of platform is wet whenever there is a heavy downpour,” he said.

Money changer-cum-book stall operator Mohamed Sirajuddin Abu Mohd, 38, said many passengers complained of having to walk in the rain and sun for nearly 30m between the sheltered overhead pedestrian bridge outside the old station and the temporary station.

“Car parking facilities are also inadequate as the parking area outside the station has become smaller following land acquisition for the new station project.

“I spent about RM40,000 to construct a temporary shop outside the station, which was completed in June,” he said, adding that he still had to pay rental to KTMB for the temporary trading site.

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Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM Berhad) container train service plies the route between the nation’s four rail-connected ports (Butterworth, Port Klang, Pasir Gudang and Tanjung Pelepas) and Inland Stations / Inland Clearance Depots.

Daily services are also available from both Butterworth and Port Klang to Malaysia's first Inland/Dry Port in Ipoh.

Railway container depot - at the Butterworth Railway Station.
Railway Maintenance Depot - at Prai

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Source : The Star

Wednesday January 16, 2008

Only 10 board ‘new’ train The service was discontinued seven years ago
By ZULKIFLY MOHAMAD
ONLY 10 passengers boarded the 10-coach Express Rakyat train that was re-launched at the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd station in Butterworth after the service was discontinued seven years ago.
However, KTMB northern region manager Ahmad Shamudin Md Rashid said he was optimistic that more people would use the service, especially during weekends and public holidays.
“The Ekspress Rakyat train leaves the Butterworth station at 7am daily heading for Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The journey to Singapore takes about 14 hours.
“The Express Rakyat train from Singapore to Butterworth will leave KTMB station in Tanjung Pagar at 7.40am every day.
“We will increase the number of coaches to 19 if there is a demand,” he said at the re-launching of the service by State Tourism chairman Cheang Chee Gooi yesterday.
Ahmad Shamudin said the revived Ekspress Rakyat train could go faster as the double-tracking system between Rawang and Ipoh was now ready.
“The service was slow by an hour previously as there was only a single track,” he added.
Cheang said the revived service could boost the number of Singaporeans to Penang as it would only stop for a short period at the KL Sentral before proceeding to Singapore.
“Previously, Singaporeans using the KTMB services had to disembark in Kuala Lumpur and wait for about five hours before boarding the night train to Singapore,” he added.