Taiping railway station

The Taiping railway station (Malay: Stesen keretapi Taiping; Jawi: ستيسين کريتاڤي تايڤيڠ) is a Malaysian train station located at and named after the town of Taiping, Perak.

Taiping
KTM_ETS_Logo KTM_Komuter_Logo
Inter-city rail and Commuter rail station
General information
LocationTaiping, Perak, Malaysia.
Owned byKeretapi Tanah Melayu
Line(s) 1  KTM Komuter (KTM Komuter Northern Sector)
 ETS  KTM ETS (beginning 10 July 2015)
Platforms2 side platform
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingAvailable, free.
AccessibleYes
History
Opened1885
RebuiltBetween 1890s-1900s
(1st rebuild)
October 2013
(2nd rebuild)
Electrified2015
Services
Preceding station Keretapi Tanah Melayu
(Komuter)
Following station
Kamunting
towards Butterworth
Ipoh–Butterworth Line Padang Rengas
towards Ipoh
Preceding station Keretapi Tanah Melayu (ETS) Following station
Sungai Petani
towards Padang Besar
KL Sentral–Padang Besar (Express) Ipoh
Bukit Mertajam
towards Butterworth
KL Sentral–Butterworth (Express)
Parit Buntar
towards Padang Besar
KL Sentral–Padang Besar (Platinum) Kuala Kangsar
Parit Buntar
towards Butterworth
KL Sentral–Butterworth (Platinum)
Bagan Serai
towards Padang Besar
Padang Besar–Gemas (Gold) Padang Rengas
towards Gemas
Bagan Serai
towards Butterworth
Butterworth–Gemas (Gold)

Malaysia's first railway station was situated in Taiping and was opened in 1885 when the Taiping-Port Weld Railway Line, Malaysia's first, was opened.[1] The current modern station is the third railway station to be built in Taiping. It was built as part of the Ipoh-Padang Besar Electrification and Double-Tracking Project which was completed in 2014.

The station is on the West Coast Line and is a stop for both the KTM ETS services between Gemas and Padang Besar, and between Ipoh and Padang Besar since the two services commenced on 11 July 2015 and 10 July 2015 respectively, as well as the Bukit Mertajam-Padang Rengas route of the  1  KTM Komuter Northern Sector line.

Location and locality

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Taiping station is situated exactly at Jalan Stesen, close to the town centre. Given its status as a historical town, Taiping locates some popular landmarks such as Taiping Lake Gardens and Zoo Taiping.

Taiping station is considered the central station for the entire Larut Matang and Selama district, which include towns of Batu Kurau, Changkat Jering, Kuala Sepetang, Trong and so on, with both Komuter and ETS services make their stop here. However for Komuter, Kamunting has its own station which helps cover the northern part of the district.

History

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Old station building situated next to the new station

The first Taiping railway station was opened in 1885 and is situated where the King Edward VII Primary School now stands. The station was officiated by Sir Hugh Low.[2][3] The station was the eastern terminus of the Taiping-Port Weld Railway Line, Malaysia's first railway line. The tracks of the line no longer exist as they were dismantled in the 1980s.

The second station, which replaced the original Taiping railway station, was the relocated to the Jalan Stesen site between the 1890s to early 1900s. This station was in operation until it was replaced by a new station that was built as part of the Ipoh-Padang Besar Electrification and Double-Tracking Project. The old station is still standing and is being preserved.

The new station, which is situated to the northeast of the second station, began operations on 27 February 2014. The KTM ETS's ETS Transit began serving this station when services commenced on 10 July 2015. A day later on 11 July 2015, ETS Ekspres trains began serving this station.

4°51′6″N 100°43′52″E / 4.85167°N 100.73111°E / 4.85167; 100.73111

Track Layout

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Taiping Railway Station track layout
 
to Padang Rengas
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Former railway station building
 
 
 
 
 
1
 
 
2
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
to Kamunting

References

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  1. ^ Sunderland, David, ed. (2014). "Fifty Years of Railways in Malaya". British Economic Development in South East Asia, 1880–1939, Volume 3. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-84893-488-7.
  2. ^ "Landasan Keretapi Yang Pertama di Tanah Melayu". Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  3. ^ Malayan Railways 100 years 1885 - 1995
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