When I was growing up in Narrogin, the railways were an artery running through the centre of town. One of my earliest memories in life was catching one for the last passenger trains to Albany. It was dark, freezing cold and the cabins stank of cigarette smoke, mostly caused by my Uncle Bill who did his best to ensure nobody could see or breathe around him.
These memories came back to me as I’m sitting in the business class lounge at KL Sentral Station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I’m waiting to board the train from KL to Butterworth in Penang.
I bet Butterworth sounds a bit familiar. It’s where the Royal Australian Air Force had a base for many years and it’s now a base for the Royal Malaysian Air Force.
I’ve got an opportunity to get to Penang which may just form part two of this story: luxury accommodation in the shadows of the English empire and wandering the streets of George Town. But that is another story. This story is about the best way to get there.
In recent years, apart from trains in Malaysia, I’ve caught the Prospector to Kalgoorlie, Eurostar from England to France and trains between towns in southern Italy. In every experience it has been with less anxiety than the check in and boarding procedures of aircraft.
By train is a more relaxed way to travel and it becomes part of your travel, a tangible part of the experience of your travels rather than just getting to your destination.
So, I’m in a big red recliner with a coffee and looking at the world of KL Sentral Station. Platforms loaded with passengers going to all points of KL and Malaysia. Malaysian rail is a great way to see this country. From the moment you arrive at KL International Airport you can get an express train into the city that is faster than by road. Then you can ride the monorail from markets to shopping malls and all the sites in-between. Riding the monorail is on an elevated track and has the added advantage of looking down on the streets and paths of this ever-active city.
As a business class traveller on the train to Butterworth boarding is a bit like air travel where you’re invited on before standard passengers. Don’t roll your eyes at the thought of business class rail travel in Malaysia. It’s not that much more expensive than a standard fare but it does give you some snacks and drinks, and better seats with more space and charging facilities for your devices. Booking online, including seat selection, is very easy to do and if I can do it, so can you.
Winding your way to the outskirts of the city, the train drivers must be excited to speed up and start marking our way to regional stations. From jungle to lakes, villages and rice fields, you’re seeing a lot more than when you fly and the four hour journey from beginning to end is remarkable for the view and the comfort. Stepping off in Butterworth feels like I’ve been chauffeured somewhere, rather than the often stifling and stale feeling of stepping off a plane.
One of my most anticipated sites on this journey is seeing Perak. On a previous Malaysian adventure, I visited Ipoh, a wonderful city in Perak, and loved exploring this laid back city with the smell of Old Town coffee around every corner. Outside Ipoh there are mountain peaks shrouded in jungle and mist. This is Malaysia at its best, a land that feels just like train travel, that there is something to discover wherever you stop next.
This journey is very popular for locals and tourists alike and I think if I’m to stereotype based on what people are wearing, I think in my carriage there was only one gentleman wearing a suit and looking a bit serious with thoughts of what could be a busy day ahead. For the rest of us we’re all looking out the windows and munching into chocolate muffins before we’d even left the city limits.
Stops along the way are just enough time for those craving a cigarette but only just. The aim is for this journey to be four hours and maybe even a bit less if it’s not stopping at some stations.
What I love so much about this journey is that it’s affordable, comfortable and enjoyable. It’s not luxury travel but it does feel indulgent because of the spacious carriages and friendly staff who are busy providing a service that includes conversation because there is time for that. It’s an important part of train travel. Don’t think for a minute that travel by plane is better than train because it’s quicker. Why is everything supposed to be better if it’s quicker? I want to savour, I want to relax and more than anything else I want to see the world around me rather than just fly over it.
Malaysia can be travelled by train from beginning to end. From the airport to the city, around the city and out to Malaysia’s states, this is a public rail network that is safe, accessible for all ages and abilities and keeps you on the ground so you can see it for yourself.
When you reach Butterworth there is a shuttle bus to the nearby ferry port for the 10-15 ride across to Penang Island. I chose to get a taxi directly from outside Butterworth Station across to the island because I’d never travelled across the amazing bridge to Penang as previous visits had been by plane. As much as I love being on the water, I can’t resist a good bridge when I see one! My next adventures were to be found in George Town but already I was looking forward to my return journey by train from Butterworth to KL. That’s what Malaysian train travel does, it has you looking forward to the next journey and all there is to see on the way.
Train travel in Malaysia has a few other surprises in store if you’re looking for something different. There are opportunities to enjoy karaoke carriages (prizes for the best rail themed singing!) and for those who enjoy cycling there are bicycle trains designed to take you and your bike safely to cycling events throughout Malaysia and keep a look out for a new service that will take you from Johor in the south, right through Malaysia and into Thailand. Malaysia is a familiar destination for Australian travellers and this is a great opportunity to return and travel differently by getting around on the ground. Clickety clack! See you on the track!
