Section 10: The vicissitudes of a century-old railway

Those of the days train Witness the history of railway life

Before the 1960s, the train has always been the means of transportation for people to travel far. In the era when cars were underdeveloped, there were no highways. Whether it is studying, visiting relatives, visiting friends or even going to work in a foreign country, "train" is the way to travel far. The railway station is a place for "parting and reunion", so people have a special emotion & memories for trains. It is because the train is not just a means of transportation. The train is already a part of "life", especially for people over 50 years old; the memories of childhood, the feelings of youth, all the people, thinking and their memories that are missed in the youth era . The train is closely linked to the plots of these stories, as if rooted in memories and unforgettable.

Bringing a special history and witnessing a century of vicissitudesThe story of the Bahau railway

The history of railways in Malaysia began during the British Malaya period at the end of the 19th century. Early railway construction was mainly to meet the transportation needs of the tin mine industry. In 1880, the construction of railway from Taiping to Port Weld, now known as Kuala Sepetang, was started and completed on February 12, 1885. It was opened by Sir Hugh Low and became the first railway in Malaysia’s history.

The project of this railway was planned by Duke Sir Hugh Low, a British colonial official who was also the 4th Perak state political secretary and naturalist, and the first British representative to the Federation of Malays at that time, then appointed director of the Strait Completed by Colonial Governor Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham. At the beginning of the 20th century, the British colonial government began to accelerate the pace of opening railways in various parts of Malaya, with the main purpose of promoting the economic development of the colony.

Gemas is located in the center of the "Y"-shaped railway, and is the hub of Malaysia Railways. The two main lines are the east coast line and the west coast line. The east coast line from Gemas, Negeri Sembilan to Kelantan State Road North started in 1907.

The Bahau Railway Station, which is located adjacent to Bahau Commercial Center and Kampung Indah New Village, was first completed and opened to traffic in 1910. By 1931, the entire East Coast Line was opened to traffic and connected to the Thai Railway.

The Railway that brings back memories. According to Associate Professor Datuk Mohd Rosli Saludin, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Language and Communication at Pendidikan Sultan Idris University (UPSI), who is studying the history of the country, said; Kuala Pilah-Bahau rail line was opened to traffic on April 4, 1910. The route was inaugurated by the then Supreme Ruler of Negeri Sembilan (Yang Dipertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan), the late Tuanku Muhammad Shah Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Antah.

At that time, the main purpose was to transport various raw materials from Kuala Pilah to Bahau , and to an important transshipment station in Gemas. Until the 1920s, due to the lack of cargo supply, the railway branch line was cancelled.

The steam train was taken out of service around 1939 due to World War II. According to the source, the British also admitted that during the Japanese Occupation around 1945, the iron rods of the Kuala Pilau-Bahau Railway were unloaded and shipped to Burma to build “Death Railway”.

After the railway was abandoned, it was overgrown with weeds. After cleaning and reconstructing, a rural trail was formed. However, it has become broad roads now. If you go from Bahau to Kuala Pilah, go through the T junction on Pekan Juasseh (now there is a traffic light) to Jempol village, cross Jalan Kuala Pilah - Bahau again, and Jempol , you can take the Beting exit, then turn left to Kuala Pilah. （source：https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/Rail transport in Malaysia）

The Bahau Railway Station has been built by the British colonial government 113 years ago.  It bears history of the development of Bahau town. How many dreams, separation and reunion have been witnessed by such an ordinary train?

Bahau Station is one of the key stations on the East Coast Line of the Malaysian Railway Company. It connects Kemayang in the north and Gemas in the south. It is one of the important means of transportation for many people going south to Johor Bahru and Singapore.

The steam train required water to be refilled at the railway station by delivering water through the water column. There was also a water column at Bahau Railway Station in the past. However, it was dismantled after steam trains were replaced by diesel power trains.

The relocation of the old railway station began in the late 1970s. The main reason was that the roads were too close to the railway.  With the rapid development and the increase of traffic flow of the surrounding area, relocating the railway station was the only way to improve the traffic on Bahau Main Road.

Dato Seri Jiang Chok Han, former Minister of Transport, officiated ground breaking ceremony in April 2012 and the construction was carried out on 6th June, 2012.  The construction cost of the new railway station was more than 5 million ringgit. It took 21 months to complete. The new railway station was officially open on 4th March, 2014 and the old railway station, which was 100 meters away, remained as a historic place in Bahau.

The new railway station is in Minangkabau's style to protrude the local culture of N. Sembilan.  The railway company also built a canopy corridor connected to the old station, allowing passengers to walk to the transit bus terminal.

The new station is more spacious. It has a longer corridors, a larger waiting rooms, a canteen etc.. There is a car park for 50 cars.  The modern new railway station provides residents and passengers with more comfort and better services. Nevertheless， the biggest advantage is that passengers no longer need to go upstairs, instead, they can step into the coach from the platform.

The platform of the new railway station is long enough that passengers can board 10 coaches at a time. In addition, there are four train tracks that allow passengers to move with ease and also easy and faster for loading and unloading of goods.

There are four trains heading towards South passing by Bahau Railway Station every day, two trains in the morning and two in the evening and about 50 passengers take train from the station.

However, the traffic and transportation abilities of Bahau Railway Station are not as good as before. Although the new railway station is spacious and equipped with advanced equipment, businesses nowadays prefer to use courier services to deliver goods. Most of time, the trains serve those who are travelling to Johor Bahru, Singapore in the South and Kelantan in North-East.

It is good to have train service but residents in Bahau do not appreciate the quality of services. People are annoyed when the trains do not arrive according to the schedule because their plans are disrupted. Moreover, road transport nowadays is very convenient. People prefer to drive or take public transport such as buses or taxis and lorries for goods. If the Malaya Railways authority pay attention to this problem and improve it, the train may be the best choice of public transport. After all, travelling by train can be hassle-free, no traffic jam and need not worry about taking wrong route. It is the cheapest and environment friendly means of transport.

Residents of Bahau had mixed feeling about the trains. It was noisy, crowded and low speed but on the other hand, it brought hope to far with inexpensive tickets! In fact, trains were always the cheapest and the most convenient means of transport at that time! There was no air condition in the trains. Each carriage was equipped with a rotating fan. The only way to get ventilation was by letting air in from outside through open windows.

At that time, the carriages were divided into two categories, first and third class. The seats in the first-class coach were spacious and comfortable, but its ticket price was twice that of the third class. The train inspector would do inspection so that no passenger from the third class would be in the first-class coaches. Anyone being in the wrong section would be fined with amount two times as much as the ticket price.

One of the most memorable events was the commercial activities in the third-class carriages. The hawkers kept walking back and forth in the carriages selling food and beverages. They were generally local residents selling soft drinks, nasi lemak, local deserts, cigarettes, snacks etc. They would board in one station and then disembark at the next station.

She was unwilling to travel by the trains with old carriages, hard seats and double windows. During festival or school holidays, the train could be packed to the brim with passengers and their luggages. People at that time used to bring big luggages and large packs. Sometimes, there were passengers who stand at the entrance with their backpacks. Regular passengers skilfully occupied the place near the junction between two carriages and sat on their luggages. In addition, some passengers will be immersed in napping and falling asleep, unwilling to move, while others will stand until the terminal.

Note: In 2014, Malaya Railways banned villagers travelling to and from Kampung Indah from detouring around the locomotive or jumping over the junctions between two carriages as shortcuts. They had no choice but to continue their journey through the official gates.

Madam Yap Yoke Qing (93 years old) had two daughters and a son who worked in Singapore. In the late seventies and eighties, she used to take train there to visit them almost every month. The train which started at 8.30 pm, passed through towns and villages, forests and fields and people got on and off the train along the way.

The long journey was sometimes boring andtiring, while occasionally pleasant and full of surprises, and finally arrived in Singapore at dawn.

The Rompin Railway Crossing is located in the southernmost part of Jempol, about 16 kilometers from Bahau. It's relatively on the outskirts. The Taman Desa Puteri, Taman Kwuang Hup, and Kampung Indah crossing gates are not far from each other, just a few kilometers apart. Whenever a train passes through, the time between the opening and closing of these three gates is not much different. People who pass by these railway crossings daily have to be mentally prepared to hear the bell sound and see the barriers lowering, indicating that a train is about to pass, and the crossing will be temporarily closed.

In Jempol, there are four railway Crossing gate: the Rompin Crossing Gate (closed in the mid-1970s), Taman Desa Puteri Crossing Gate, Kwuang Hup Garden(广合花园) Crossing Gate, and Kampung Indah Crossing Gate. Among these, the Guang Hup Garden Crossing Gate experiences the highest traffic, as it's the main route for vehicles traveling from Bahau to the towns of Mahsan, Ayer Hitam, Pahang Kemayan, and Triang. Whenever a train is about to pass, railway personnel lower the crossing barriers, and the locals often refer to it as "stopping the train gate."

With the passage of time and development, many of the country's railway crossings have become history in recent years, being replaced by overhead bridges. Therefore, the scene of "stopping the train gate" is a rare sight nowadays. When a train passes, and the gates close, it takes at least 10 minutes or more before they reopen. Long lines of vehicles are formed on both sides, causing inconvenience to many road users, especially during holidays and long weekends. In recent years, the development of IOI Township in Bahau has added another outer ring road. For those traveling from Mahsan to Rompin, they can use the new

route to bypass the Kwuang Hup Garden and Princess City Garden railway crossings, thereby reducing traffic congestion.

Trains have transitioned from using coal to using oil as fuel. Similarly, the railway level crossings have evolved from fenced barriers to barrier arms. However, the routine of using these crossings to cross the railway remains unchanged in people's daily lives. Note that almost every northbound and southbound train must stop at the Bahau station to refill water before continuing on to their destination. As a result, there is an old water reservoir site near the railway tracks.