Forgotten Malacca railway station
In 1914, it was possible to travel to Malacca (Melaka) by train via the 32 km branch line from Tampin to Malacca town which was opened in 1905. The Japanese pulled up the rails during World War II for re-use on the infamous Death Railway in Burma (Myanmar). The line was never rebuilt after the War. The station used to be on Bona Vista Road, today's Jalan Hang Tuah.
The 1914 Pamphlet of Information for Travellers, Tours in the Malay Peninsula has a lot to say about Malacca.
Here are some of the highlights:
'The scenery on that section of the railway which lies between Rembau Station and Malacca is, without doubt, the most beautiful on the whole line, especially the piece between Malacca and Tampin. It is, therefore, a pity to reach and return from Malacca by the night trains, since the views are lost. The road runs alongside the railway most of the way, and is, for scenery, the fairest in the Peninsula. The distant blue hills, the rice-fields, the Malay orchards, every now and then a bright river, or ponds full of lotus provide views which will never be forgotten.'
Source and image credit: Great Malaysian Railway Journeys website.
