My first ever ETS train ride was to Ipoh to visit my
wife’s eldest brother. I had to purchase the return tickets 4 weeks in advance,
the period being Hari Raya Aidil Fitri holidays. It has been many years since I
took a train ride to the North. My last trip by train to Taiping or Butterworth
was with the Express Rakyat or Express SInaran in 1998. I wondered how the
country side scenery have changed since then. Those years, the Express trains
were run using diesel-electric locomotives. The tracks were single line all the
way.
The KL Sentral to Padang Besar line is now fully
electrified and double-tracked. I had two trips planned this June 2017. One was
to visit my wife’s brother, Hashim, at Ipoh. Another was to Butterworth to
attend a wedding dinner.
The journey between KL Sentral and Ipoh station took
about 2 hours and 15 minutes. The trip by train brought back a lot of old
memories of the journey during my younger days. Several landscapes have changed
due to housing or industries. However, much country side along the tracks
remain unchanged. I noticed that much of the marsh lands near Batu Gajah has
been developed into housing estates. Regretfully, I did not get a glimpse of
the old power station near Malim Nawar which is now a training center for TNB.
The old large railyard at Tapah Road has gone. Where
there were many track sidings, engine shed and a turn-table, are now empty land
with overgrown plants. I could see the new railyard for building and
maintenance of the new ETS trains near Batu Gajah.
The journey from KL Sentral to Butterwrth took 4 hours 15
minutes. I waited excitedly for the train to pass through the Victoria Bridge
across Perak River, the new tunnel at Bukit Berapit, my hometown of Taiping, the
Bukit Merah lakes and the swing bridge near Butterworth.
I enjoyed the ETS train ride. It was smooth and fast. A
great improvement over the previous Sinaran Express or Express Rakyat services.
I still enjoy the scenic view of the country side by
rail.
