Ikram sent Syafiq and I to the Padang Jawa Komuter Station for the trip to Kuala Lumpur Sentral. The komuter is a public transport that links small towns. The station was quiet and there were a few people waiting around the station. As we did not know the train schedule, we were content with just sitting there and waited. When a train arrived about half an hour later, I asked one of the people boarding it if it was heading towards KL Sentral. When he answered in the affirmative, Syafiq and I boarded it. It was almost packed with people but there was space for standing. Since I did not have a seat, I could not take photos. It was a pleasant, uneventful thirty minutes trip to KL Sentral. What a crowd at KL Sentral, the centre hub for the LRT, Komuter and inter-city trains!! Its been years since I was here ... I just stood out of people's way and took some photos. It was so alive and people seemed to rush here, there and everywhere.
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| Entrance to the komuter station |
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| Queueing for tickets - Syafiq went to get his ticket to Serdang first or you can just swipe your touch & go card |
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| The crowd - maybe it is a Sunday and school holidays |
My ETS was at 6:22pm. Syafiq's train to Serdang was at 5:45pm. So we hanged around reading newspapers and taking an early dinner at the many eatery outlets here. Syafiq sent me to the departure area and he went off. Thus, my solo journey by ETS ... ;-0))
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| Gate B - Departures only |
The ETS was punctual. Service was well organised. As a first-timer I was afraid I would be in the wrong coach or seat. There were helpful KTM staff down at the track to show you where your coach was. As the ETS stopped for only a few minutes, there was a sense of urgency to board the train quickly. Yaaayy !!! I got into my coach as directed by the nice KTM staff and found my seat. I had a man slightly older than I was and nice-looking as my travelling companion. He started by asking where I was heading which I knew would lead to many other questions, thus, I just smiled and replied without being too friendly. I got the window seat so I just looked out the window and started to take photos and a video for memories. Later, my travelling companion moved to another empty seat at the back leaving me some space and privacy all the way .... Alhamdulillah.
Some of the views before it got dark. Some photos were not very clear as the lights in the train was on hence, the reflections on the photos. Yet, do enjoy it.
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| The ticket inspector ... |
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| A passing cargo train |
The speed of the train?? Here was the evidence ...
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| Even I do not drive at this speed |
The train was clean. The only grouse here was too many stops. I thought it would only stop at main towns but the stops included - Tanjong Malim - Batu Gajah - Ipoh - Kuala Kangsar - Taiping - Kamunting - Parit Buntar - Sungai Petani - Alor Setar. I might have missed some stations. At least it by-passed Penang. Although the stops were brief for passengers to disembark and board the train, it still used up the time. Nevertheless, I arrived Alor Setar right on schedule. A solitary trip, wrapped in my own happy thoughts that I did not feel the journey was too long.
My verdict? It is very fast but you do not feel the bumpy ride of the usual train. It is a smooth journey as fast as you drive from Alor Setar - Kuala Lumpur without any stops. The coach is clean and reasonably spacious for legs. I did not try out the cafe so I could say anything about it. If I had a companion, maybe I would try out the cafe. The passengers were noisy with happy, holiday noise. But I was in a world of my own - immersing myself with my own happy thoughts of another walk-on trip. Every stop, you will have passengers disembarking or boarding. So, it is non-stop movement of people. Thus, if you do not tolerate active mobility of people, the train ride is not for you. In a nutshell, yes, I will give the ETS another ride .... perhaps with a companion... ;-))
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