ON Dec 10, 2007, I took the Express Wau train from Kuala Lumpur Sentral to Wakaf Baru, Kelantan.

Before departing, KTMB announced that the train would only go as far as the Gua Musang station because the railway track at Manik Urai was impassable owing to a derailed train a few days earlier.

With the assurance that on reaching Gua Musang, passengers would be transported by buses to destinations further north, I boarded the train. The journey from Kuala Lumpur Sentral to Jerantut railway station was fine.

At the Jerantut railway station (at 4.30am), we learnt that the train could not proceed because of landslides in Kerambit (between Jerantut and Kuala Lipis).

KTMB staff in Jerantut and on board the train assured us that we could continue our journey by 8am.

But it was only at 10am that the Express Wau resumed its journey and discovered that the track was blocked by new landslides.

The train returned to Jerantut station, where it had become crowded because passengers from Express Wau were joined by passengers from Express Timuran from Singapore to Tumpat.

While little was being done to cater to the needs of the passengers, the canteen operator was doing brisk business by charging RM5 for a plate of rice and RM2 for each handphone that was being charged at her canteen.

KTMB said the district of Jerantut had been cut off from other districts, that the floodwaters were rising everywhere, and there was no alternative transport except by the KTM trains.

We had no choice but to wait. Patience turned to impatience, and impatience to panic at 5pm, when passengers scrambled to get their luggage from the trains and rushed to board buses that were reportedly going to take us to Kuala Lipis.

But there was no official announcement from any KTMB staff to verify whether it was true or not.

At 6pm, three buses arrived. It was drizzling and many of us were drenched while walking to the buses, which were parked quite a distance from the station.

At 7.20pm, another five buses arrived and the same mad rush went on until all the buses left at 7.45pm. However, hundreds of us were still stranded at the station.

Having spent almost 16 hours waiting and receiving only a packet drink, courtesy of KTMB, the crowd turned ugly.

Several packets of rice had been distributed but this was not announced, though we could see some KTMB personnel going for it.

When asked, an Express Timuran worker rudely told us that we had to get it ourselves.

Initially, we were also not allowed to use the facilities at the Jerantut station.

It was only later that the station master relented to the demands of the passengers, and reluctantly allowed us to use the VIP room and washrooms.

While the passengers suffered and were kept in the dark about the whole situation, no KTMB staff from its headquarters were present to monitor the situation.

KTMB officers themselves were at loggerheads — each wanting to have their final say to settle matters.

At 8pm, the station master announced that the tracks to Kuala Lipis had been cleared.

Again, there was another mad rush to board the Express Timuran train by the remaining passengers, who had not got on the buses earlier.

We reached Kuala Lipis station at 10pm, where some of the passengers who had left by bus earlier came on board.

I met an elderly couple who said they had an awful experience on the bus.

There were no KTMB officers escorting them and the old school buses had been driven by young men, who did not even know the roads to Kuala Lipis.

It was indeed very lucky that the eight buses which ferried the passengers on that day did not meet with an accident along the way.

Finally, as someone who has been using the KTMB train services since schooldays in the early 70s,

I think it is high time that something is done to improve train services.

This unfortunate incident should prompt KTMB to revamp its train services on the East Coast, a sector that has not seen much progress compared with the West Coast.

NORIDA MOHD HUSSAIN, Kota Baru

Source: NST – January 23, 2008